WWE SummerSlam review: Winners, grades, highlights; Roman Reigns returns: Replay (2024)

WWE delivered the biggest party of the summer with SummerSlam 2024.

Roman Reigns made his long-awaited return and put Solo Sikoa in his place, providing Cody Rhodes with an unexpected assist. The Judgment Day imploded, first with Dominik Mysterio betraying Rhea Ripley in her championship match, before he left arm and arm with Liv Morgan. Then it was Finn Balor, who cost Damian Priest in his world title bout against Gunther.

Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre finally got the upper hand on nemesis CM Punk, who was wrestling in his first televised WWE singles match in over 10 years.

In total four new champions were crowned, including Nia Jax (women's championship), LA Knight (U.S. championship) and Bron Breakker (Intercontinental championship).

The fallout from SummerSlam 2024 will be felt for a while as rivalries will continue to heat up into the fall.

Here's a recap of SummerSlam with all the highlights and grades from every match:

WWE SummerSlam post show, press conference

Roman Reigns returns, takes out Solo Sikoa in match vs Cody Rhodes

During a chaotic match between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa for the Undisputed WWE championship that featured run-in after run-in, Roman Reigns made his long-awaited return at SummerSlam.

At the time, both Rhodes and Sikoa were down in the ring.

What was Reigns going to do? Was he coming for his longtime rival in Rhodes or Sikoa, the man who has called himself the new Tribal Chief in the absence of Reigns?

Reigns, last seen at WrestleMania after losing his title to Rhodes, gave everyone that answer quickly. Sikoa a Superman punch and then speared him to a thunderous ovation.

Rhodes then finished the job and delivered a final Cross Rhodes on Sikoa for the win.

Rhodes was in shock that the man he fought at the last two WrestleMania's was giving him an assist. But for Reigns, it's likely more about giving Sikoa a reminder about who runs The Bloodline. Reigns has led The Bloodline faction since 2020 and did so as the champion. But after Reigns left the scene after WrestleMania, Sikoa self-appointed himself the Tribal Chief and brought in several new family members.

Reigns has clearly been watching and disapproves with how Sikoa has been running things. The next chapter in The Bloodline is upon us with the return of Roman Reigns.

Watch out Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and the rest of WWE, the Head of the Table is back.

Grade: A+

Watch Cody Rhodes' SummerSlam entrance: Cody Rhodes' dog, Arn Anderson

Cody Rhodes' entrance is always memorable. His entrance at SummerSlam might be the best for who was involved. His dog, Pharaoh and Arn Anderson, a contemporary of Rhodes' late father, Dusty Rhodes, who gave Rhodes a pep talk.

Watch it here:

Who is Cody Rhodes' dog, Pharaoh?

Pharaoh is Rhodes' longtime companion on the road. Rhodes' dog has joined him on the road for years across his time in AEW and WWE.

Rhodes posted on social media this week that due to Pharaoh's age — he's 13 — he will no longer travel with him.

Rhodes said Pharaoh is "still thriving but slowing down a bit."

"These days he's more comfortable keeping eyes on Libby Curls and hard napping at the house," Rhodes wrote "... He's been a constant for me and hands down the most loyal friend."

Pharaoh waited for Rhodes as he got off his bus prior to his SummerSlam match against Solo Sikoa on Saturday night.

SummerSlam attendance

The Biggest Party of the Summer delivered the largest attended SummerSlam in WWE history.

SummerSlam host The Miz, along with his tag team partner R-Truth, announced the SummerSlam attendance of 57,791, a new record.

Gunther is new World Heavyweight champion thanks to Finn Balor costing Damian Priest

The Judgment Day is toast.

And so is Damian Priest's title reign.

The beneficiary was Gunther, the Ring General who won his first world championship.

Hours after Dominik Mysterio cost Rhea Ripley her match against Liv Morgan, Finn Balor did the same toward Damian Priest in his fight with Gunther.

For those keeping score at home, that's two members of The Judgment Day, a long-running faction in the WWE that has held many championships over the last few years, ruining the chances for its own members.

But this has been building for some time. And at the center of it was Finn Balor, whose jealousy of Damian Priest reared its ugly head again.

Balor came out amid an extremely physical match between Priest and Gunther. Would Balor help his longtime friend Priest retain the title he has held since WrestleMania?

He did anything but that.

After Priest gave Gunther the South of Heaven power bomb, the champion rolled his challenger over to the side of the ring where Balor was positioned. Wrong move.

As the ref was counting Balor put Gunther's leg on the rope, ending the count. Priest initially couldn't see that Balor was responsible, but he saw it on replay. Balor had his back toward him initially and had a smirk on his face like Mysterio earlier in the night.

The ultimate betrayal.

Priest was furious. He then tried to grab Balor by the neck through the ring ropes. But all that did was give Gunther the opening he needed. He then put Priest in a sleeper to secure the win.

It's a huge moment for Gunther, who has been one of WWE's most dominant superstars over the last few years.

Like with Mysterio and Ripley, the fallout of The Judgment will be felt for a while. Balor has some serious explaining to do.

Grade: B+

Drew McIntyre finally stands tall over CM Punk in wild match at SummerSlam with Seth Rollins as special guest referee

CM Punk's first televised singles match in over 10 years didn't end how he planned.

After months of getting the upper hand in his heated rivalry with Drew McIntyre, the Scottish Warrior finally got the better of Punk.

He returned the favor on Punk by delivering a low blow on him with special guest referee Seth Rollins out of the picture. It was reminiscent of when Punk gave McIntyre a low blow back at Clash at the Castle earlier this summer to cost him in his championship match.

In the end, CM Punk let his hatred for Rollins get in the way.

As WWE announcer Michael Cole said before the match, McIntyre vs. Punk had a "big fight feel." It's been WWE's best storyline and it's had long-term storytelling even as one of its main characters, CM Punk, has been out of action with an injury.

The match turned when Punk was going for his finishing move - the Go To Sleep - on McIntyre. It was then that Punk saw that Rollins was wearing Punk's coveted bracelet that has the names of those close to him. Rollins was wearing it after it got loose from McIntyre, who had stolen it, making this feud even more personal.

He got in Rollins' face and the ref later was knocked out of the ring. Punk eventually got McIntyre down with his signature move but Rollins wasn't in position for the count.

Punk was livid and the two were face to face, exchanging words.

Punk then picked up Rollins and delivered GTS on his longtime rival as the match further broke down.

With Punk distracted with Rollins, McIntyre gained the upper hand when he first executed a low blow and then his finisher Claymore.

Rollins, still down, had enough energy to crawl over to make the three count.

McIntyre finally overcame CM Punk by winning at his own game. The feud between all three of these has been going on for much of the year. But if this match proved anything it's that the rivalry among all three will continue.

The CM Punk-Seth Rollins singles match, which was supposed to happen at WrestleMania this year, will be must-watch when that happens.

Grade: A

Nia Jax wins women's championship over Bayley at SummerSlam, Tiffany Stratton provides distraction

The queen is now a champion.

Queen of the Ring Nia Jax has her first women's championship in six years after she powered her way to a victory over Bayley at SummerSlam.

Bayley, who won the title back at WrestleMania, appeared to have the match in her favor when Nia Jax's new friend Miss Money in the Bank winner Tiffany Stratton came down to the ring. She had her Money in the Bank briefcase with her and a ref as if she intended to use her MITB contract make the match a triple threat.

But her appearance was just intended to offer a distraction. She did her job. Bayley turned her back on the Irresistible Force, who then gave her two sit-down powerbombs.

She wasn't done.

Jax then got up to the top rope and crashed down on Bayley with back-to-back annihilators.

That was more than enough for the win.

Jax and Tiffany Stratton celebrated in the ring together, Jax with her new title and Stratton with her briefcase.

Jax and Stratton are friends now but don't be surprised if Miss Money in the Bank eventually cashes in on Jax later this fall.

Bayley delivered a noteworthy performance and had the crowd on their feet when she delivered a power bomb of her own from the corner to the middle of the ring on the much bigger Jax.

Bayley then delivered a beautiful flying elbow from the top rope. But Jax kicked out, setting off the wild finish.

Grade: A-

LA Knight defeats Logan Paul to win US championships, overcomes brass knuckles assist from Machine Gun Kelly

Ohio native Logan Paul had his usual entourage for his match against LA Knight at SummerSlam.

But it wasn't enough to win this time, despite his usual antics.

LA Knight overcame it all to defeat Paul and capture his first singles championship in the WWE.

Machine Gun Kelly greeted Paul, who was wearing Cleveland Browns colors, when he entered the stadium. The two walked to the ring together but this wasn't the last we'd see MGK.

LA Knight brought the aggression before the match even started. Before coming out to the ring he smashed the windows of Paul's huge Prime-themed vehicle in the parking garage.

When LA Knight finally made his way out he and Paul fought outside the ring, including on top of the announcer's table before the match even started.

When the bell finally rang, the physicality continued. Paul thought he had the match a couple times, once after he drilled LA Knight with one of his signature right hands and later after he struck him with brass knucks, which were provided to the champ by MGK.

But that wasn't enough to keep LA Knight down.

Did the fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium like this result? One word: Yeah!

Grade: B+

Stephanie McMahon is at SummerSlam

Stephanie McMahon, the daughter of former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, is ringside at SummerSlam. Stephanie McMahon has had several roles in WWE over the years, including as the company's longtime chief brand officer. She left the company in January 2023. She's married to Paul "Triple H" Levesque, a WWE legend and the company's current chief content officer.

She was last seen on WWE TV at WrestleMania in April.

Bron Breakker defeats Sami Zayn at SummerSlam to win WWE Intercontinental championship

There's a section at Cleveland Browns Stadium called the Dawg Pound.

Bron Breakker and the dogs were barking on Saturday night at SummerSlam.

Breakker overpowered Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental championship, his first singles title on the main roster.

Breakker, who fell short of the title at Money in the Bank in July against Zayn, won the match with a huge spear as the champion was going for a Helluva Kick.

It was a quick match following the explosive opener and it's clear these two could have given more of a show. But WWE brass likely wanted to show the dominance of Breakker. Mission accomplished. The sky is the limit for the 26-year-old Breakker, who is the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner.

Grade: C

Is The Judgment Day over?

DominikMysterio costing Rhea Ripley her match isn't sitting well with fellow Judgment Day members.

During a break, World Heavyweight champion Damian Priest was furious in the group's Clubhouse. He questioned Finn Balor if he knew Mysterio was going to turn on Ripley.

Balor denied it. The tension is building between The Judgment Day.

Dominik Mysterio gets dirty, turns on Rhea Ripley to help Liv Morgan retain women's championship

Dominik Mysterio has turned on his Mami, Rhea Ripley.

And he helped Liv Morgan in the process retain her women's championship and defeat Rhea Ripley in the first match at SummerSlam.

Things heated up late in the encounter when Morgan brought a steel chair into the ring. She was going to use it on Ripley, but her strike was blocked before the challenger executed a Rip Tide on the champion.

She didn't go for the pin, however. She wanted to make Morgan pay for her deeds over the last few months, including injuring her with a steel chair four months ago. As she was going up to hit her with a chair, Mysterio, who was ringside, grabbed it from behind to stop her. Ripley would have been disqualified had she used it. But it was all a ruse. It was just the beginning of Mysterio's involvement.

As Mysterio and Ripley were arguing at the top of the ring, Morgan hit her finishing move, Oblivion. It wasn't enough to get the pinfall as Ripley kicked out at two.

But moments later, with the steel chair still in the ring, Mysterio again jumped to the top of the ring to distract the referee. This allowed Morgan to hit her finisher on Ripley on the steel chair.

Mysterio's intentions were crystal clear this time. He was done with Mami. The camera showed him with a smirk on his face as Morgan received her title back.

And as Morgan left the ring, Mysterio gave her a big kiss. Unlike a few months ago when Morgan pursued him to make Ripley jealous while she was out with an injury, it was Mysterio who initiated it.

Dirty Dom did Mami dirty.

Ripley was heartbroken in the ring. Mysterio and Morgan walked to the back arm in arm. Mysterio had his arm raised. and Morgan raised her title belt.

This match was the perfect opener and had the fans wanting more and intrigued by what is to come. But they were also crushed for Ripley.

This drama between Ripley, Morgan and Mysterio is far from over. Mysterio better be ready for the fallout from not only Ripley but also his fellow Judgment Day members or whatever is left of it.

Grade: A

Watch Rhea Ripley put her shoulder back into place during SummerSlam match

Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley starts SummerSlam

The women's world championship between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley kicks off SummerSlam. It's one of the more personal matches on the SummerSlam card

And Dominik Mysterio, the son of Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, is ringside with Ripley. Mysterio has been the love interest of Morgan as she has sought revenge on anything that belonged to Ripley, who put her out of action in 2023.

After Morgan put Ripley on the shelf after WrestleMania, she has had her eyes on stealing Mysterio away from Ripley.

Mysterio and Ripley have been a pair within The Judgment Day for over a year.

And not to be forgotten, this match is for the women's title, a championship that Ripley has never lost. She was forced to vacate the title after her injury in April.

WWE SummerSlam matches 2024

Seven matches are on the SummerSlam card.

SummerSlam history in Cleveland

This is Cleveland's second time hosting SummerSlam. It last hosted the event in 1996 when SummerSlam was held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

WWE chronicled its history with Cleveland in this video posted on its social media accounts:

Jelly Roll at SummerSlam: Country singer plays "Liar" in the WWE ring

Triple H welcomed the crowd to SummerSlam before turning it back over to Jelly Roll, who then played "Liar" with his whole band in the ring as a video package previewing SummerSlam played across the screen.

Watch Jelly Roll sing "God Bless America" at SummerSlam

Country superstar Jelly Roll kicked things off with "God Bless America."

SummerSlam host The Miz rides into SummerSlam with Maryse and R-Truth

SummerSlam host The Miz, along with his wife, former WWE superstar Maryse make their grand entrance ahead of the event via The Miz Express bus.

The Miz is a Cleveland native.

Oh, and his former tag team partner R-Truth provided his usual laughs as he came off the bus. He called the tag team of Johnny Gargano, who was wearing a Cleveland Browns jersey, and Tommaso Ciampa, who are known as DIY, D-Generation X. D-X, of course, is not Gargano and Ciampa. D-X is the Hall of Fame group of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, X-Pac and others.

Gargano is also a Cleveland native.

Jelly Roll will perform at SummerSlam

WWE has a long history of connecting with music stars for their big events.

The two worlds collide again at SummerSlam when country music star Jelly Roll will perform at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Jelly Roll just tore the house down at Milwaukee's Harley Fest last week. He caught up with WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque inside the stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"When we can all get together — we love his music and he loves our product and we share that passion together it's the absolute best," Triple H said in the video with Jelly Roll.

Jelly Roll was beaming.

"We're watching every week," he said. "Crazy. Awesome."

Triple H makes way to SummerSlam

Paul "Triple H" Levesque is ready for "an epic night" at SummerSlam.

Seth Rollins arrives for SummerSlam, has interview with Michael Cole

Seth "Freakin" Rollins has arrived for SummerSlam. He doesn't have a match, but he has an important job as the special guest referee of the Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk match.

Rollins lost his world title match against McIntyre at Money in the Bank last month thanks in part to the interference of CM Punk. Rollins and Punk go way back and were rumored to be in line for a match at WrestleMania this year had Punk not been injured.

What time does SummerSlam start today?

WWE SummerSlam begins at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) on Saturday, Aug. 3. That's 6 p.m. CST.

SummerSlam TV channel, live stream

SummerSlam airs exclusively onPeaco*ck in the United Statesand on WWE Network everywhere else.

Peaco*ck subscription plans

A Peaco*ck premium monthly planis $7.99. An ad-free premium plus monthly plan to Peaco*ck is $13.99. Full subscription details here.

SummerSlam location

Cleveland Browns Stadium is the home of SummerSlam 2024. It's the fourth straight year that an NFL stadium has hosted SummerSlam following Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) in 2021, Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) in 2022 and Ford Field (Detroit) in 2023.

Is SummerSlam two nights?

No.

SummerSlam is only one night — for now. But that changes in 2026. WWE announced in May that in two years SummerSlam will model WrestleMania and take place across two nights. U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will host the epic two-night SummerSlam 2026.

What time does the SummerSlam preshow start?

The Countdown to SummerSlam show begins at 4 p.m. Eastern time (3 p.m. Central). The three-hour preshow will feature a panel of experts, who will give their SummerSlam predictions, and provide all the latest WWE news to get viewers ready for the premium live event.

SummerSlam pre show matches

There are not any matches scheduled for the Countdown to SummerSlam pre show.

WWE SummerSlam matches

• CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre with Seth Rollins as the special guest referee

• Undisputed WWE Championship Match(Bloodline Rules): Cody Rhodes (champion) vs. Solo Sikoa

• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest (champion) vs. Gunther

• Women's World Championship Match: Liv Morgan (champion) vs. Rhea Ripley

• Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn (champion) vs. Bron Breakker

• United States Championship Match: Logan Paul (champion) vs. LA Knight

• WWE Women's Championship Match: Bayley (champion) vs. Nia Jax

WWE SummerSlam 2024 predictions

• Drew McIntyre defeats CM Punk

This is the only match that isn't for a championship. But it might be the most anticipated. The match has been over six months in the making ever since CM Punk was injured at the hands of McIntyre at the Royal Rumble in late January. Punk has been rehabbing his injury but his presence has been felt, costing McIntyre matches and championship opportunities at every turn. Oh, and then there is special guest referee Seth Rollins, who has a long history with both superstars. And then there is the extra excitement of seeing CM Punk in an actual match. It will be his first televised singles match in WWE since January 2014. Rollins will clearly get involved. I see him costing Punk the match and McIntyre gets revenge on Punk and a much-needed win.

• Cody Rhodes defeats Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

While we probably won't see the likes of John Cena and The Undertaker like we did at WrestleMania in the last Bloodline Rules match involving Cody Rodes and The Bloodline, expect a lot of interferences and a chaotic finish again. And expect Cody Rhodes to come out on top and continue a title reign that he began at WrestleMania 40. The big question is whether Roman Reigns will return as well as The Rock in the aftermath to set Solo Sikoa and the new Bloodline straight.

• Gunther defeats Damian Priest to win the World Heavyweight Championship

I've gone back and forth on this one but am now leaning toward The Ring General winning his first world title. I see fellow Judgment Day member Finn Balor costing Priest the title. Gunther lost his Intercontinental championship at WrestleMania, ending his historic title reign. At WWE's second biggest premium live event, Gunther won't lose again. A rivalry between Balor and Priest has been building and a feud into the fall between them should be hot as The Judgment Day further fractures.

• Liv Morgan defeats Rhea Ripley to retain the Women's World Championship

The Liv Morgan Revenge Tour has been sizzling since she won the women's world title. She took out Ripley this spring and now Mami is looking for her own revenge. Ripley got Dominik Mysterio back in her clutches, but something tells me that Dirty Dom will provide an unlikely assist to Morgan to help her retain her title. But this rivalry will be far from over after SummerSlam.

• Bron Breakker defeats Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental Championship

In a rematch of Money in the Bank, Bron Breakker breaks through for his first singles championship on the WWE main roster. He came up just short at WWE's last premium live event to fan favorite Zayn. But come SummerSlam Breakker's power will be too much for Zayn, who won the IC title back at WrestleMania.

• LA Knight defeats Logan Paul to win the United States Championship

Whose time is it? LA Knight's!

The Megastar has been one of the most popular superstars for well over a year now. And SummerSlam is the perfect time to put the title on him.

• Nia Jax defeats Bayley to win the WWE Women's Championship

The winner of the Queen of the Ring earlier this summer has been a dominant force since she returned to WWE last fall. There aren't too many wrestlers who get heat like Nia. Bayley, meanwhile, has been a popular babyface since she made her turn earlier this year. Tiffany Stratton and her Money in the Bank also looms large. Nia's strength will be the difference and she'll capture her first individual title since 2018.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WWE SummerSlam 2024 replay: Winners, highlights, match grades, review