WWE SummerSlam PPV Results: 8-21-21
(4) JEY & JIMMY USO vs. REY & DOMINIK MYSTERIO – Smackdown Tag Team Title match
McAfee and Cole talked about Jimmy and Jey have a much different attitude than before. Jimmy and Rey started the match. Rey sent Jimmy into the ropes with a head scissors and signaled for a 619, but Jimmy moved. Rey dropkicked Jimmy to the floor. Dominik backdropped Jey onto Jimmy. Rey slid under the ropes chest-first onto both Usos. Dominik then springboard leaped onto the Usos on the floor. Next, he slingshot dove at Jimmy and scored a two count. The crowd was taking a break from cheering. Dominik hit three suplexes. Rey tried to wake up the crowd and they responded. Jey shoved Dominik off the top rope. Jey shoved Dominik into the ringpost. The Usos worked over Dominik for a sustained stretch. Dominik began a comeback, but Jey took him down with an uppercut.
Eventually Dominik hot-tagged out to Rey. Fans popped. Rey springbaord moonsaulted at Jimmy. Jimmy caught him. Rey twisted him into a DDT for a near fall. Rey landed a senton on Jimmy. A Jey DISTRACTION opened up Jimmy to take over on Rey with a superkick as Rey turned around. Jey landed a frog splash a minute later for a near fall. The crowd popped for the kickout. Rey avoided a splash a minute after that and sent Jimmy into a 619 position. Rey then connected with it. He climbed to the top rope and landed his top rope splash right on Jimmy’s raised knees. Jey tagged in, and the Usos superkicked Rey’s head from opposite sides of the ring. Jey then top rope splashed Rey’s back and got the three count.
WINNERS: The Usos in 11:00 to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. (***1/4)
(Good match, that built nicely from the crowd not caring much to being totally invested in the last two-thirds. Since Rey and Dominik pulled back on any hints of dissension in their pre-match segment, based on WWE reverse-psychology, I was thinking they would break up tonight. Instead, maybe they’ve decided to move away from the storyline entirely. There was no sense at all they were building toward a conflict with Rey and Dominik next Friday.)
-Belair then made her ring entrance, twirling her hair and skipping to the ring. The ring announcer revealed that Sasha Banks was unable to compete tonight. Belair looked shocked. He then announced Carmella washer opponent. Belair looked confused.
(Why did they have Belair beat Carmella so soundly last night on Smackdown if this was a known possibility? That’s just crazy, when you think about it. McAfee acknowledged it and said prior results don’t necessarily predict future outcomes. Also, storyline-wise, shouldn’t WWE let Belair know her opponent is switched? It’s just weird they decided to reveal it the way they did and have Belair look surprised.)
After Carmella’s entrance, Belair asked for the mic. McAfee said, “Las Vegas is not happy.” Belair said it might not be tonight, but sooner or later, she’ll face her in a rematch. She said until then, she’s going to take her frustrations out on Carmella. As the bell was about to ring, Becky Lynch’s music played and the arena exploded. Cole did his fake stutter bit, so you know it’s supposed to be a big deal. Becky walked out as Cole touted her as one of the biggest stars in WWE. McAfee said the roof just got blown off the stadium and clearly the fans haven’t forgotten about her after more than a year. Becky entered the ring and showed off her “The Man’s Back in Vegas” t-shirt. Cole said Becky “has stolen the thunder from this Smackdown Championship match.” Becky seemed genuinely moved by the enormous crowd reaction for her. She then attacked Carmella and threw her out of the ring. She told Belair, “I’ll be right back.” She threw Carmella into the ringside steps. Fans loudly chanted, “Becky! Becky!” She re-entered thering and took off her t-shirt. She had a staredown with Belair. They both looked at the ref. Becky asked for the mic. “What do you say, EST, let’s blow the roof off this joint?” she said. “For the Smackdown Women’s Championship.” Belair thought about it, put her hands on her hips, and accepted the challenge.
(5) BIANCA BELAIR vs. BECKY LYNCH – Smackdown Women’s Title match
Becky shook hands with Belair, then yanked her hard into her short-arm clothesline, then landed a one-arm slammed and won the title. As Becky celebrated for an extended period, they showed Belair in the entrance area dealing with a mix of emotions and coming to terms with what happened.
WINNER: Lynch in seconds to capture the Smackdown Title.
(That’s a big moment, and a net positive to have Becky back, but it’s also less than ideal. Belair had real momentum, and this pulls the rug out from under her. Becky big-footed her in this storyline, which could be more WWE hotshotting because of Sasha’s situation. I don’t like not having a match and having Becky win so quickly. I don’t think they’d have designed this on purpose if it weren’t for Bayley’s injury and the Sasha situation, so compromises were made to avoid a big letdown since they have no one else credible to substitute in for Sasha against Belair. There could even be a backlash against Becky, although she wouldn’t deserve to take the heat. I think they’d have been better to agree to have a match another time, with Becky saying Belair deserves to have time to prepare for her, and then have Zelina Vega and Carmella attack them. Then have a tag match that lasts a while and gives fans some in-ring special moments with Belair and Lynch working together.)
(6) DREW MCINTYRE vs. JINDER MAHAL
Drew overhead tossed Jinder at ringside a minute into the match. Jinder took control briefly and settled into an armbar. They went to a wide shot of the arena. Drew finished Jinder with a Claymore. Veer and Shanky ran out to check on Jinder. When they made a move toward Drew, Drew pulled his sword out of the corner. Veer and Shaky left.
WINNER: McIntyre in 5:00. (3/4*)
(What is the point of Jinder, Shanky, and Veer being on the roster at this point if they blow off a feud that ate up all that TV time in such an anti-climactic, but understandably swift, manner? Drew’s sword doesn’t seem over with the fans.)
(7) NIKKI A.S.H. vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. RHEA RIPLEY – Raw Women’s Title match
As usual in three-way matches, they battled in various pairings while the third wrestler was “recovering” at ringside. The action was good, but inconsequential. Ripley entered around 6:00 and gave both Chalotte and Nikki a German suplex at once. She then landed a missile dropkick on Charlotte for a near fall. As Ripley and Charlotte battled at ringside, Nikki leaped off the top rope with a crossbody onto both of them. She showed a ton of fire, although it didn’t seem like the crowd was into her at all. Back in the ring, she set up a suplex, but Ripley jumped in. Nikki and Ripley lited Charlotte for a delay-drop suplex, but Charlotte countered with a double-DDT of both of them. “Are you kidding me!” said Smith. Graves then responded, as he always does now, “I kid you not.” Charlotte backdropped a charging Ripley over the top rope to the floor. Ripley landed on her feet, then fell down. Charlotte climbed to the top rope next and landed a corkscrew moonsault onto both Nikki and Ripley. Ripley kicked Charlotte in the head and knocked her to the floor.
Ripley and Nikki battled back in the ring. Charlotte re-entered and applied the Figure-Eight on Ripley. Nikki broke it up with a splash onto them. Nikki then gave Charlotte a swinging neckbreaker. Ripley broke up the cover. She set up Nikki for a Rip Tide, but Nikki countered with a DDT. Nikki climbed to the top rope, but Charlotte swatted her out of mid-air and then put her in the Figure-Eight. The crowd popped. Nikki struggled for ten seconds, then tapped.
WINNER: Charlotte to win the Raw Title in 13:00. (***1/4)
(Good action throughout, as you’d expect with these three. They worked within the Triple Threat parameters well. The crowd was more into Charlotte than Nikki, but part of Charlotte being over as a babyface is WWE doing such a lousy job with Ripley from the start and pushing Nikki into this silly Almost a Superhero persona.)