WWE SummerSlam Night 2: 6 big takeaways for Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Chad Gable, Chelsea Green and more

WWE wrapped up its two-night SummerSlam stay at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with Roman Reigns standing tall over Seth Rollins to close out Night 2. While the World Heavyweight Championship didn’t change hands, WWE brought plenty of surprises across the rest of the card, with Chelsea Green claiming the interim WWE Women’s Championship, Kevin Owens returning, Chad Gable fulfilling his dream of holding the Intercontinental title, and Danhausen once again cursing Dominik Mysterio.

As WWE resets for the back half of the year, here’s six big takeaways from a wild SummerSlam Night 2 in Minnesota.

For at least one night, the Shield feud has been put to bed. In a contest that deviated from what fans have come to expect from WWE and the Bloodline, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins tossed all of the chaos aside and pretty plainly had an exceptional match.

There were ref bumps, teases of the infamous chair spot that tore apart the Shield, and plenty of opportunities for run-ins. At every turn, when I expected WWE to go left, it went right, using none of what these shows often relied on during Reigns’ run to the top alongside the Bloodline. There were no surprises, no interference, no backhanded tactics to change the complexity of the match. Just two of the best in the world going toe-to-toe.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins tore down the house on Sunday night.

Rollins and Reigns put together a match that solidified their status as wrestling soulmates. They traded shots, traded stealing each other’s moves and left it all out on the mat. Their match eloquently told the story of a champion who no longer held a grudge over being stabbed in the back; he’s grown to be the genuine face of the company, and is more concerned about proving that on his own than holding onto gold at all costs. 

The callbacks to Dean Ambrose — currently Jon Moxley in AEW — throughout the rivalry and in their match leave a sore spot. It feels highly unlikely Ambrose ever returns to WWE, and tonight was the first time I had a moment where I thought maybe there was a chance when Reigns and Rollins put their fists together. If this is the nail in the coffin of their rivalry as former Shield members (which Michael Cole stated outright multiple times), it’s a perfect time to end it. Ambrose plays such a significant role in this long-term story, you can’t simply put a bow on it without him. And this was probably the best possible way to do it, all things considered.

After Reigns celebrated post-match in the ring, part of me questioned whether Oba Femi would make his presence felt. I can’t decide if that’s muscle memory from WWE’s shock endings, or if it just seems like the next logical step for Reigns. He’s dispatched Jacob Fatu and has drawn the Bloodline back to his side. He took care of Rollins. If it’s not Femi, perhaps we coast through a month or two with Reigns getting directly involved with the likes of LA Knight and Solo Sikoa? Or maybe the next couple of weeks provide space for another return — perhaps someone like Bronson Reed kickstarts another run to the main-event scene?

Has WWE recently had such a legitimately shocking win as Chelsea Green becoming world champion?

Don’t get me wrong, she deserves every bit of it — candidly, I was a huge fan of the pitch from “WWE: Unreal” about Green winning the Royal Rumble by proxy of everyone else being eliminated a few years ago — but I simply couldn’t fathom WWE pulling the trigger. 

The storytelling in this one was exceptional. Green and Tiffany Stratton flexed between partners and challengers, Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill continued to build toward a full-blown rivalry, and it was Green who was there all along to find any opening for the win. 

Interim champion or not, it’s a huge testament to the work Green has put in to be thrust into this position. She’s become the women’s division version of The Miz, in that she’s highly reliable for literally anything — wrestling, mic work, comedy, media, you name it.

The promotion from WWE continues to really drive home she is an interim champion, and that likely spells doom once Rhea Ripley returns to strength. Count me as one who would love to see an unexpected quality run at the top of the card from Green. 

Nick Aldis is back in his “SmackDown” general manager role, and he returned with a whole new perspective. Kicking off Sunday’s show by announcing Gunther as another opponent in what was meant to be Finn Bálor vs. Sami Zayn made all the sense in the world. The addition of a returning Kevin Owens, however, makes absolutely no sense.

While I’m thrilled to see “KO” back in action, it’s just a baffling decision for three guys who have earned a No. 1 contenders match to also wrestle a guy who hasn’t wrestled in 17 months.

In the actual match, Owens picked up right where he left off and looked as smooth as ever. The story balanced seeing all four guys fighting for the top spot, Zayn taking a moment to appreciate Owens’ return, and then doing whatever it takes to get back WWE gold. Ultimately it was Zayn who was the logical loser out of the bunch, eating a Stunner from Owens and filling him with even more ammunition for Zayn to claim injustice. 

The “SmackDown” championship contender pool is suddenly loaded, with Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Bálor and Gunther right back in the mix, and Zayn still looking for his next opportunity. A rivalry mixing Owens and champion CM Punk is a dream program now, considering the magic these guys can make on the mic and the physicality we can expect between them in the ring. 

Chad Gable finally did it. His redemption arc was completed at SummerSlam, further establishing the annual two-night extravaganza as an equivalent to WrestleMania with a match that offered no surprises in its resolution. 

Gable and Penta had their moments, but this one felt like it was cut short just as it was getting going. Penta attacked Gable’s arm early and often, but his move set didn’t favor that story. Gable started and stopped in building his own momentum, and looked like he was in danger after an apron Mexican Destroyer. But it was Gable’s ankle lock that forced the submission after reversing a second Mexican Destroyer in the ring.

The match was fine, but the post-win moment of Gable celebrating in the ring with his family is one he’ll never forget. With that said, I could have done without the overly commercialized root beer plug as part of his celebration.

[Ed. note: Who else thought that dumb mascot was about to attack the new champ? Just me?]

The past few months have been career-defining for Gable, parlaying a Match of the Year candidate as El Grande Americano into finally claiming the Intercontinental Championship. Where he goes from here has enormous implications. Gable has all the tools to be a future world champion — he showed as much in his rivalry with Gunther. But if Gable loses the momentum he’s earned in the last year, he’s at risk of falling right back down the card. There is no hovering at the spot he’s in — he simply has to rise to the occasion. 

Baron Corbin is the new United States Champion, and it’s fair to ask what else WWE was even going to do here? A returning challenger who was shoehorned into a premium live event competing for the brand’s midcard title wasn’t going to lose his first match back on the roster.

The match played with two guys who hadn’t yet had the ability to build rhythm in the ring. Timing was off across the board, including Corbin’s awkward back step into a kendo stick strike from Lil Yachty. Williams couldn’t put away Corbin despite the outside interference, and once Yachty fell off the apron through a table, it distracted the champ and opened the door for Corbin to slam the championship belt into Williams’ head for the win. 

Baron Corbin claimed the U.S. Title from Trick Williams at WWE SummerSlam.

The title change leaves the division in a unique position — it provides time for a reset when one might not have been warranted.

Williams was able to put together some compelling programs and has a star power that makes him must-see, but his in-ring execution has needed some work. I’m fascinated to see how WWE builds the division around Corbin, who its clearly high on with his return. 

Danhausen is spectacularly chaotic — and may have gotten the better of the Judgement Day for the last time.

In what felt like a kill-off for their rivalry, Danhausen, the mini-Hausens, and Joe Hendry kept JD McDonagh at bay, stopped Dominik Mysterio, and claimed the bag of real human monies in what was an absurd match.

Everyone had their moments in this one, with the mini-Hausens and McDonagh really putting in a shift. In the end, Danhausen cursed Mysterio just as the AAA champ was about to grab the bag, pyro came out of the ring post and Mysterio fell off the top rope. 

With Danhausen in his rear-view mirror, I’d love to start seeing guys like Mysterio (and Bron Breakker, who didn’t even make the two-night show) begin to disrupt the main-event scene. Mysterio had a breakout moment at last year’s WrestleMania but has more or less plateaued as an upper midcard guy ever since. He has everything it takes to be a legit contender, but for now he’s clearly not seen as a viable contender by WWE.