Roman Reigns returned at WWE SummerSlam 2024
Prior to WWE SummerSlam 2024, I went as far as to say this PLE had the ingredients of being the greatest ever. Time will tell whether this is the case, but if it wasn’t the GOAT, it was close.
Every match delivered on its lofty story that had been built up for months, even among some of the matches with a limited storyline. What was most telling about SummerSlam is every match was predictable, which is often a good thing in wrestling—especially in modern-day WWE because it speaks to the effectiveness of its storytelling and cinema. SummerSlam marked the end of one chapter, but the continuation of so many more. Every match, despite having a payoff, had the vibes of “to be continued.” And as is always the case in WWE, every match was not without its winners and losers.
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Winners
Liv Morgan And Dominik Mysterio
Based on the TV, WWE’s direction with the Judgment Day suggested Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest were the babyfaces, while the rest of the group remained interested in being the villains. By night’s end, a new Judgment Day seemed to have formed with Dom and Liv as its respective king and queen.
Dominik Mysterio turned on his Mami and instead opted to join forces with Liv Morgan. In hindsight, and despite Liv’s surprise at the big moment, this may have all been part of the plan. Finn Balor interrupted potentially romantic exchanges between Dom and Liv time and again on Raw. Some saw this as Balor being a Mother Hen, or player-hating. But perhaps this was Balor protecting Dom for when the time was right. And that time came at SummerSlam 2024 in Liv Morgan’s return match.
Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker added to the Steiner legacy with the elusive SummerSlam Intercontinental Championship win. Given the history of stars winning their first IC Title at SummerSlam, Bron Breakker’s future in WWE feels more promising than ever.
Breakker made quick work of Sami Zayn in their rematch, and this time around, the right man won. Sami Zayn did a tremendous job as Intercontinental champion, and between him and GUNTHER restoring honor to that title, it once again feels like the stepping stone it used to be for stars on the rise like Breakker.
LA Knight
LA Knight finally won his first championship in WWE, and looking back, his match against Logan Paul may have been the match of the night. Paul wrestles few and far between (he’s defended the US Title twice in 274 days), but when Paul does wrestle, it’s a spectacle. He goes all out, and this match saw Paul do things I’ve rarely ever seen before, like a springboard backflip where Paul twisted in midair.
Similar to how WWE has rebuilt its Intercontinental Championship, they’ve done the same with the United States Championship. The wildly popular LA Knight will make that title mean more than it has in years, even with Paul’s successful—albeit part-time—reign.
Nia Jax
Nia Jax defeated Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship, which will begin one of the most unique and exciting storylines throughout WWE. Best Friends (for now) Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton will move forward as a pair, but Jax is the WWE Women’s champion while Stratton is the current women’s Money in the Bank holder. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when Stratton will cash in on Nia Jax. Based on all the goodwill from so many well-told stories in the Paul Levesque Era, the Nia-Stratton-MITB story should be no different.
Currently in the best shape of her life, Nia Jax may have wrestled her best match against Bayley. Jax has silenced a lot of critics (most of whom are online and have a cartoon for a profile picture), and her budding storyline alongside frenemy Tiffany Stratton could be more strong cinema in 2024.
GUNTHER
GUNTHER continues to dominate everything. The Austrian Superstar is quickly becoming WWE’s most decorated wrestler of the modern era. Now, he has a WWE World Heavyweight Championship to add to his mantle, which includes a historic IC Title reign and the King of the Ring.
WWE did a great job putting over its King and Queen of the Ring in 2024, as both winners went on to win world championships. Similar to the Money in the Bank, if WWE continues to consistently build up King and Queen of the Ring winners to eventually become world champions, fans will be trained to take this event seriously and become invested in who wins.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns retuned to a huge pop and opted to seek revenge on Solo Sikoa rather than avenge his Undisputed WWE Championship. Reigns’ choice will certainly lead to a Bloodline Civil War at Survivor Series, with Reigns likely recruiting OG Bloodline members Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso and Sami Zayn. Perhaps Kevin Owens or Cody Rhodes could be in the mix as well?
Roman Reigns as a babyface is the culmination of a more than 10-year journey of WWE doing everything in its power to get fans to cheer Reigns. By the end, not only did they cheer Roman, they were chanting “we want Roman” months before his official babyface turn even happened.
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Losers
CM Punk
CM Punk, Drew McIntyre and all parties involved were great in recreating the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels and Undertaker dynamic from SummerSlam 1997. Punk’s loss, however, where he became obsessed with his stolen friendship bracelet did make him look a bit foolish in the midst of a blood feud. At the same time, one can understand that the bracelet means a lot to CM Punk, and he’s blind with rage at McIntyre for absconding the item.
Punk’s spinoff feud against Seth Rollins will make for a highly entertaining detour before Punk and McIntyre reconvene, perhaps sometime in April.
Damian Priest
Damian Priest, much like Rhea Ripley, found himself on the outside looking in on The Judgment Day, thanks to Finn Balor. In Priest and Ripley, the Judgment Day flexed out the two budding babyfaces in favor of Liv Morgan and Double-Down Dominik Mysterio.
The new-look Judgment Day should freshen things up on Monday nights as Ripley and Priest spend the next few months trying to get their hands on them. And even though Priest is no longer world champion, he proved himself to be a top star and main event material.