SummerSlam 2026 Night 1 - August 1, 2026

Apparently the pre-show is live, and that means I am too! I thought the pre-show started at 5p eastern today for some reason with the main show starting at 6p. Not sure when it actually did start. They’ve apparently already started to go through the card order for tonight although the only thing I’ve seen yet is the main event. As I know more, I’ll update below - with the actual match discussions below that. To see the predictions post from earlier this week, click here.

This may have been touched upon during the pre-show, but according to Punk, his title match versus Cody is a Street Fight. The reddit post is not mine, but I did validate this post myself through Punk’s instagram.

Main Event: Brock Lesnar v Oba Femi (Hell in a Cell)

Match 1: Liv Morgan (c) versus Iyo Sky - Women’s Championship

There’s someone in the first row with Joker green hair and a fuchsia shirt. I honestly can’t tell if it’s an intentional Joker look or not. It’s been distracting me. This match has been completely acceptable. There hasn’t really been a “story” of the match so far. Is that Chris Van Vliet sitting center stage? Anyway.

Liv has really proved herself over the last several years. From being the bottom of the barrel in the Riott Squad, she’s become a cornerstone of the women’s division. And she deserves it. She’s a good worker, sells well, and isn’t afraid to take a gnarly bump. This match started a bit slow but really picked up a few minutes in with Liv taking that power bomb to the outside, Iyo getting dumped off the top rope, Liv getting dumped over the ropes into Judgement Day, the moonsault to the outside by Iyo, this Spanish Fly. The crowd is hot, and they should be because this match has hit the next gear. I’ve said it before - I hate set-up moves. But that Oblivion that Iyo gave Liv was super fun, and a great kick-out by Liv. With each false finish the crowd gets even hotter.

Both women took some really rough shots. Liv picks up the win after a great sequence. I wasn’t planning on doing match ratings, but this match was great and started the weekend as a ball of fire. This match is a hard A and these two women just set a bar for every other match of the weekend.

I chose Iyo to win. I’m really hoping for Liv to be put in a good program starting Monday. Not sure what they do next with Iyo though aside from maybe starting a program with Raquel for the IC belt based on her interference tonight.

Winner: Liv Morgan retains

Segment: Legends in the crowd. We get Mark Henry, X-Pac, DAN FUCKING SPIVEY, and Jimmy Hart. And Jey Uso in an LJN action figure pack along with The Hart Foundation, Hulk Hogan, Brother Love, and Iron Sheik is just insane.

Match 2: The Uso’s & Jacob Fatu versus LA Knight, Solo Sikoa & Royce Keys

For some reason the Uso’s get a Gears of War entrance. And to be clear, their actual entrance has nothing to do with Gears of War. It’s just on the tron with some set pieces around them as they come out. Not their gear, not their mannerisms. I’d expect this from Knight since he’s eternally “at war” with the Bloodline. And also Jacob is a literal Werewolf. Ok, sure, why not.

Royce “Powerhouse” Keys is out next to no reaction. Ouch. Solo gets a bit of a reaction. Knight gets a huge pop. At least we know the crowd mics are working.

I like that commentary is actually telling us the story here. LA Knight forever against Bloodline. Knight and the Uso’s teamed up at Mania. Them going back to Roman and causing friction.

Enormous pop for Solo while he does a “run it back” and starts to yeet in front of Jey mid match. Place got hot for him quick. The dude is literally sweating charisma. Since I don’t get to watch SmackDown, this is the most I’ve seen from him in a while. Dude is FUN. They keep him face and they can push him high up the card FAST and the crowd will be all in. The place is loud right now with a “Let’s go Solo” chant, immediately proving me right. Royce on the other hand, the crowd seems to largely just not care until the Arn spine-buster. To be honest, I’m fairly certain I can show up and hit an Arn spine-buster and get a pop.

Royce and Jimmy spent way too long on the ropes setting up for a slam but it looked like Royce was having a hard time getting Jimmy situated. At some point you need to know when a spot isn’t working and divert into something else.

That Keys power slam on Jacob OVER the time keepers area barrier.. that takes trust right there. Cool spot. Definitely a bit of a shock there, it definitely seemed they were both going through it.

Knight gets the pinfall victory for his team off a BFT after Solo takes out Jimmy. Really fun match.

Winner: LA Knight, Solo Sikoa & Royce Keys

Segment: A trailer for the new Gears of War. I’ve tried playing it once. The camera movement gives me a headache. Unfortunate. We also get a commercial for Coyote vs Acme. And this movie looks fun. I can’t wait to see it! Before the next match we see the General blimp in the crowd and there’s a lot of empty seats. That many people getting nachos between matches?

Match 3: Gunther versus Nick Aldis

Aldis gets a hell of a pop on his way out while Oasis plays! That’s got to feel great for him. I didn’t get to see his entire interview with CVV but he was very emotional about getting one more chance to get in the ring. And he’s still in great shape. Good for him. Seriously.

Mickey James is in the crowd at ringside!

Aldis keeps going for his cloverleaf, but he’s not working the legs or back at all. I feel like Bret Hart here but.. storytelling! You have to work the legs first if you’re going to use a leg submission! Aldis will eventually get it hooked in to a massive pop, but I’m hoping there’s some psychology to the match before he does.

This match is everything it needs to be. Aldis can’t keep the advantage. He’s the vet, but Gunther is the Ring General and keeps getting the advantage back the moment Aldis starts to gain momentum.

Aldis is finally on the offensive and… Did Cole just call a bodyslam a Michinoku Driver? He has to be fucking with us at this point.

And Aldis taps to a sleeper. This match was, again, exactly what it needed to be. Aldis showed some fighting spirit but outside of one time on the offense, really it was Gunther cutting him off every way.

Winner: Gunther via sleeper, Aldis taps

After the match Aldis gets a standing ovation with Mickey and their kid coming into the ring to congratulate him. And he deserves the moment.

Segment: Club WWE is Live! Premium content! I read a rumor that the Raws and SmackDowns unavailable on Netflix are going on Club WWE. So it’s basically the WWE Network at a higher price. So if you want to watch all of WWE’s content now, in the US at least, you need Peacock, Netflix, ESPN, and Club WWE. We sure are a long way from the commercials of NINE NINTEY-NINE and getting all the content in one place for a cheap price. We used to be a proper society.

We also get a commercial for.. The End of Oak Street? Haven’t heard of it but it seems interesting for sure.

Match 4: Paige & The Bella Twins versus Fatal Influence

BRIIEEE MOOOODE is still an all time bad theme. Kinda funny that the Bella’s get separate entrances. Cole says that the three of them all have matching gear. Checkers for Brie, chains for Paige, names on the back of the gear for Nikki. None of them have names on their gear.

I’m very admittedly not super familiar with Fatal Influence. I know the names from NXT but I don’t watch that for a number of reasons - foremost that I don’t get CW, but also because I’m just not very interested in it any longer.

Update, I see the giant Brie on her back. I still haven’t seen Nikki or Paige on the back of their respective gear.

Jacy and Brie are on the outside and weekly TV has me conditioned to think this was a commercial break.

I’ve found the Nikki on the back of her gear, it’s at the very top meant to mimic a jersey so difficult to see under her hair. Still haven’t seen it on Paige who has a lower back on her gear.

Of all the matches, this was one of them. It just never got out of first gear. Nothing was outright terrible about it. It just… was.

There’s the turn as I expected. It was in fact Nikki and Brie turning on Paige, which wasn’t what I called. I’m not sure it makes sense since there’s no face teams for them to feud with down the line. But whatever.

Segment: Je’Von is on SummerSlam! In a commercial for Xfinity, playing WWE 2K26 with Gable.

Match 5: CM Punk (c) versus Cody Rhodes - Undisputed wwE Championship

The chairs in the arena list this as a Street Fight. The chevron for the match didn’t say this, they didn’t build it as such. Either we’re getting some shenanigans, or “Plans change”.

The intro for this match feels very OSW. They have a 16-bit Street Fighter style entrance. Complete with character select for Cody and Punk.

Holy fuck. Cody is wearing a Guile skull helmet while the Street Fighter theme plays.. with the hair! Wrestling isn’t real, man.

Punk is wearing a NORTH STARS JACKET. WHERE CAN I BUY THIS. I’m a Ranger fan, but I’m still going to mark for the North Stars and the Whalers.

This is what I was hoping from Aldis. And it makes sense Punk and Cody would go there. Immediately starting with some psychology with Punk going after the arm. IF Punk goes for the Anaconda Vice later, this will make even more sense.

Fun fact - the line under the WWE logo, they call it a “scar”. I’ve never seen them use the scar colored to the host city. I’m not saying it hasn’t happened. I just don’t recall it.

And now Punk’s knee is tweaked. I don’t know what leg submission Cody has (Cole just said he’s used the Figure-4 in the past. Thanks, Maggle), but this is a great story they’re telling. Punk can’t hit the GTS if he doesn’t have the strength in the knee to get Cody up. Cody can’t hook Punk for a Cross-Rhodes with an injured arm. If they go full storytelling here, this match ends in a submission hold.

Holy shit, a moonsault from Punk! I don’t think I’ve ever seen him toss one out before! It looked terrible - BUT - It’s the exact kind I love. Bam Bam Bigelow style. They’re both throwing figurative haymakers to win this thing.

It looks like the aforementioned street fight stipulation is something they went with early and then changed course on. And now we’re all left to wonder what the original plan was.

Even without the Street Fight stipulation (I wonder if marketing mucked it up and thought this was a Street Fight when in reality it was being promoted by Street Fighter. hmmm….), they’re now brawling outside the ring. They tease the announce table but nothing comes of it. Back into the ring - and now back out and.. Punk goes for an Elbow from the top to Cody through the announce table but Cody ducks it! Punk just yeets himself through the table! Again, haymakers.

RANDAL KEITH ORTON OUT OF NOWHERE TAKES OUT CODY. Punk wins it with a GTS. No turns. No submissions. A great match. A lackluster ending that wastes all the great storytelling.

Winner: CM Punk with a GTS, retains the Undisputed WWE Title

An old buddy just texted me. Paraphrase: “I haven’t watched WWE in years. Can they fit any more ads on the canvas?” This is how you draw in new fans. By showing that the show is secondary to all the ads.

Segment: They’re shilling Danhausen money. They have to remind the fans it’s not legal currency. They really don’t think high of their fans, do they.

Match 6 - Main Event: Oba Femi versus Brock Lesnar (Hell in a Cell)

I’m not sure what’s bigger if you’re Oba. Opening a night of WrestleMania and retiring Brock Lesnar? Or main eventing a night of SummerSlam and retiring Brock Lesnar, in a cell, in his “home state”? It has to feel absolutely surreal.

Wow, a Taz / “Here comes the pain” shout. Awesome. Also, Brock wearing elbow pads? Now THAT is a sight. Brock taking his time, taking it all in. It’s clear that this is the cowboys last ride.

Also weird that they decided to lower the cell with both of them inside of it. Normally it’s down before either guy is out and they both enter through the door. I expect it means the door is gimmicked for them to go through it.

Suplex City is back! And Oba just no-sells it! This dude is HIM. Brock must love this kid. He’s taking everything for him. Brock is tossing Oba all over the place, and fortunately for Oba, he’ll likely never have to wrestle a match like this again. When is WWE going to find a tank like Brock to just throw Oba around like a blanket?

“And now doubt may be kicking in for Oba.” “And now doubt may be kicking in for the beast.” Someone please record some new voice lines for Cole.

Brock with a nod to Undertaker, definitely one of Taker’s best later year feuds. Rips up the pads off the ring exposing the wood. Delivers a tombstone. Crosses the arms for the pin and sticks the tongue out. And Oba still kicks out.

And in a surprisingly short match, that seemed to just end out of nowhere, Oba takes it with a Fall from Grace; one that he hits short of the exposed wood. Brock even looked over at the exposed boards after taking the move before closing his eyes for the pin.

Winner: Oba Femi via pinfall after a Fall from Grace

After the match Oba poses, Brock gets in the ring and grabs Oba for a hug before raising his arm in the air.

Brock gets the mic. Tells Oba to get back into the ring. I don’t think Oba was expecting this. Tells the crowd and the world that he is the past and Oba is the future. Then tosses the mic, gets out of the ring and the show ends. Surprised we didn’t get another round of applause for Brock, but the guy is a true wrestler and he probably wanted to make sure Oba got that moment since Brock got a moment already earlier this year.

Overall it was a fun cluster fuck, but it seemed to end quicker than expected.

And that’s it for night one.

Post Show

I’ll post a couple updates from the post show here if there is in fact anything interesting. Much of this will be paraphrasing due to how quick it’s moving.

In the back Aldis hands Triple H his letter of resignation. Triple H tells him he went to far attacking Gunther, but he settled it how we do in WWE - in the ring. Triple H tears up the letter of resignation and reinstates Aldis as the General Manager of SmackDown. I’m interested in how this plays out with Gunter now having to work with his boss again.

Punk: Punk says he has feelings about not being the last match, but says there’s the main event, and then there’s the last match. He starts going over the roster and who can come get him. Not happy with Orton. Will take on Trick Willy if he wants. “I am not a pussy” *dump*. I don’t think the guy on the dump button was anticipating that. Just said he’ll go to Raw and wrestle, they need a ratings boost. Dude is shooting from the hip tonight. He says Triple H may be the COO, but the fans are his boss. He asks them who they want to see him defend against. The crowd starts chanting for Oba. Punk says that while Oba is the future, he’s still the present, and if he wants to be relevant he’ll come after Oba instead of Roman.

Triple H press conference now. It’s been a while since he’s done one of these. As I’m writing this, I just realized I don’t think they called the attendance for tonight on the air. And he actually doesn’t announce it either.

The first question is from WWE Radio. Well, I’m sure this will be a a hard hitting question. Spoiler- it’s really not. It’s basically “What’s the chance of Aldis stepping in the ring again?” Triple H says his role on the show was short notice. Says he asked Aldis what his dream entrance is - when Aldis told him Oasis he said “probably not, so plan on something else, but we’ll see.” Says Mickey and their son getting in the ring with Nick was unplanned and he was very excited for him. As for Aldis ever stepping in the ring again? “Never say never.”

A random someone asks about Brock’s status - Triple H tells him he doesn’t know. Says that Brock put Oba over in the ring and on the mic, he said “I am the past”, but Brock does what Brock does, so he doesn’t really know what Brock will decide on next. Says Brock doesn’t get his due credit, is one of the greatest of all time. His realism, you never knew when Brock was off-script.

His next question is basically why was the Women’s title match the opener? Triple H said because you want to storm out the chute, people should say “holy shit *dump*”. Seriously, whoever is in the truck is really missing their mark. Reinforces one of the things that WWE has been doing for years. You start the show hard and heavy.

Next question is about Damien Priest’s comment on SmackDown about how the top of the card doesn’t change. Triple H says if you want the spot you have to come take the spot. “Is it the right person? Are they going to screw it up?” “Work harder. Figure it out. Figure the way. Figure how it gets done.” When someone says “Why am I not in the spot? then he answers “Are you more over than Cody? Roman? Punk? Liv? Iyo?”

Next up is how is Brie, she was clutching her shoulder after the match. Says Brie is injured, has been taken to the hospital to get some scans done. Hurt shoulder, seems pretty bad. “We’ll pivot”

Triple H’s alarm goes off. Jokes it’s time for him to take his nighttime pills. He’s at THAT age. No closeout to the conference, they just shoot straight back to the outside setup where the wrestlers are coming out.

Oba is now coming out. Oba says he’s bred for the spotlight. He’s not just any other NXT call-up. Everyone in the company, industry, business, knows it. “I am that man.” Say’s it’s like he was created in a lab for this. Best on the microphone, in the ring, even on commentary. Yes, he’s straight up calling out Punk. Which seems weird because during the Mania post show Oba and Roman were on a collision course. “Pressure makes diamonds. And diamonds stay shining.” Rosenberg asks a legit question, what does it mean that Brock legit put Oba over. Oba says Brock is a human, a man, a father, an athlete, has feelings. “To Brock, I wish you all the best, man. I really do. Go hunting. Do what you do.”

ESPN promoted that they’d be giving a custom title both nights to whoever was the top performer. There was no such title presentation. Looks like the ESPN Championship has already been retired before it debuted.

Final Thoughts

Overall I went 5/6 in my picks with Liv keeping me from batting 1.000. I missed in a few other spots, including the Bellas turning on Paige (I expected Paige to turn here), no miscommunication between Jacob and Jey causing their team to lose, no turn by Punk, or at all, in the Undisputed title match.. and Brock and Oba being the match of the weekend. Not to say I disliked the match, it just seemed very abrupt.

Orton was unexpected. It makes sense he’d jump right back into his program with Cody after Mania and taking time off because of a hurt back.

Some strong matches tonight. The weakest match was the 6-women tag. Like I said earlier, it seemed to never get out of first gear.

The 6-men tag was a lot of fun. Liv and Iyo was great. Gunther and Aldis was, probably, better than it had any right to be. I enjoyed the Undisputed Championship match, but I am still disappointed by the ending of it.

During the post show… are they playing Limp Bizkit!? Hey, listen, I already said in the About page I’m an old school grunge rocker. I still rock out to L-I-M-P BIZ K-I-T.

Overall I really enjoyed Night 1. Night 2 has a lot to live up to, but I think they can do it with the stories on tomorrow’s card. I’ll catch you all then!