Just before the bell rang, Lynch's music hit and the crowd erupted, as it suddenly became clear this was a weekend for more than one highly anticipated return. That did not sit well with the crowd in Las Vegas. Then, ring announcer Greg Hamilton casually announced that Banks would be unable compete, and Carmella would be the replacement opponent. Sasha Banks for weeks, despite cancelling live event versions of the match and Banks not appearing on SmackDown in the leadup to SummerSlam, a video package previewing the match ran before Belair made her entrance. The swing in emotions inside of Allegiant Stadium was off the charts. It took 26 seconds of wrestling for Becky Lynch to defeat Bianca Belair and become the SmackDown women's champion at SummerSlam. SmackDown women's championship: Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair (c) Or, a month out from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, we won't have to wait that long. Just as Goldberg seems destined to face Lashley in Saudi Arabia, that may be where we see Lesnar challenge Reigns. What's next: The only question that lingers is whether or not Lesnar wants to battle Reigns right away. Until Lesnar showed up to spoil the party. Two Superman punches and one spear later, Reigns' run of dominance continued, and there was a brief moment of triumph. Cena landed it clean, but once more, Reigns found the power to kick out.Ĭena mocked Reigns' pre-Superman punch "Hoo-ahh," they exchanged blows and then Reigns turned it up. But flying wildly on a spear attempt, Reigns crashed into the corner and set himself up for a top-rope Attitude Adjustment. Reigns caught a flying Cena and powerbombed him, and then connected on a Superman punch. Once Cena fought his way out, a Five-Knuckle Shuffle and an Attitude Adjustment seemingly put Reigns out for the count - until the moment Reigns kicked out at the very last fraction of a second, to the delight of the crowd.Īction spilled to the outside, where Reigns briefly gained control with a drive-by kick, but Cena took it back with an Attitude Adjustment through the commentary table. But Reigns would not let Cena remain in control for long, briefly locking in a guillotine. Cena slowly fought his way back into the match with one desperate clothesline, and set up for his signature offense with a couple of shoulder tackles. The action in the match started slow and steady, but picked up at just the right pace. As Reigns exerted control, he started to mock Cena more and more, going so far as to stand on the ring steps and prematurely hoist his championship belt over his head. With every roll up attempt, Cena seemed to get deeper and deeper under Reigns' skin. The main event was a matter of clashing egos, and both Cena and Reigns played their parts to perfection.
But Cena, with the most legendary number in professional wrestling hanging over his head, didn't become the fifth. It was a wildly energetic and exciting conclusion to a show that had a handful of high points, including the return of Becky Lynch, but largely dragged and was occasionally hard to watch.įour titles changed hands on Saturday night in Las Vegas, including Lynch's 26-second SmackDown women's championship victory and Charlotte Flair's 12th women's championship victory for the Raw women's belt. Despite their shared ties to Paul Heyman, Lesnar is back, and a renewal of tensions dating all the way back to 2015 have been renewed. They made no contact, but the message was clear. It was the second straight pay-per-view to end with Reigns getting his thunder stolen following a big win, after his Money in the Bank title match victory over Edge was interrupted by Cena. Lesnar, bearded with a ponytail, confronted Reigns face to face and forced Reigns to retreat. That lasted for all of a matter of seconds, when the familiar beats of Brock Lesnar's entrance music hit the P.A. On a night where John Cena could've made history by becoming a 17-time world champion, Roman Reigns took Cena down with a spear and stood over him in celebration, Universal championship held high. WWE SummerSlam results: Roman Reigns defeats John Cena, Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar return
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