CM Punk joins “First Take” and shares his top five wrestlers of all time, which includes a unique list of past superstars. (2:10)
SummerSlam is typically built up as the “Biggest Party of the Summer,” yet the 2024 edition feels like the kind of party where things could escalate quickly if you throw on the right song at the right moment. Up and down the card, feuds that at first have seemed to simmer along, now have reached the point of boiling over — with two reaching scorched earth levels for most of 2024, if not longer.
CM Punk and Rhea Ripley return, and Gunther and Nia Jax are rewarded for winning their King and Queen of the Ring tournaments with world title matches. Cody Rhodes continues his feud with the new version of The Bloodline as he and Solo Sikoa face off for the Undisputed WWE title in what is easily his most daunting challenge yet. Bron Breakker gets a second shot at winning his first title on the main roster as he faces intercontinental champion Sami Zayn.
Finally, there’s Logan Paul, who will essentially host the event in his hometown of Cleveland. But will this be the crowning moment for LA Knight to become the United States champion?
With six titles on the line, Saturday’s event could be the setting for one of the most transformative nights in recent WWE history. With animosity throughout the card, we rank the matches at SummerSlam, starting with the most must-see showdown of the night.
If injuries weren’t a factor back in January, this wouldn’t be Drew McIntyre facing CM Punk at SummerSlam.
Instead, it would have likely been Punk vs. Rollins in a rematch for the World Heavyweight title after their bout at WrestleMania in Philadelphia in April. Instead, the universe is sometimes cruel but can reward us with magic, which is how we finally get Punk vs. McIntyre, with the winner probably also crowned 2024 Hater of the Year.
Since the Royal Rumble, Punk and McIntyre have been at odds, with McIntyre praying for Punk’s downfall and Punk making it his mission to ensure his rival would never become World Heavyweight champion. Throw in the element of Rollins, who may respect McIntyre but loathes Punk’s existence, as the guest ref, and you’ve got a match that has elevated itself to near-Mania levels.
For months, these two have been involved in bloody beatdowns, referee shenanigans, classic social media trolling, and top-notch promos. Now, fans should be treated to another summer classic.
Rhea Ripley explains why being genuine has helped her and other WWE superstars resonate with the audience.
The other defining story on Raw post-WrestleMania was the evolution of Liv Morgan. Ripley’s unfortunate injury on Raw After Mania put her on the shelf and the plucky two-time Women’s champ bid her time, first unseating Becky Lynch to win the Women’s World title at King and Queen of the Ring and slowly inserting herself into Ripley’s Judgment Day stable. What has defined this feud is the character work of Morgan and Ripley’s beau, Dominik Mysterio, who will undoubtedly play a factor in who walks out of Browns Stadium as champion.
Morgan planned to take everything from Ripley as vindication for putting her on the injured list in July 2023. The former tag team partners have been on a collision course ever since. For every height Ripley reached as one of the most dominant champions in recent memory, Morgan was right behind her, waiting for her perfect moment.
The smaller-in-stature champion has played mind games to splinter Judgment Day and even woo Mysterio, even if he publicly brushed her off on a recent episode of Raw. It all comes to a head at SummerSlam, where a new chapter between champion and challenger may be written.
Rhodes vs. Sikoa has seen various iterations since Jimmy and Jey Uso’s younger brother made his main roster debut in 2022. There was Sikoa as the now-WWE champion’s early foil as he prepared for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, and the two repeated the dance in the lead-up to WrestleMania 40. Now Sikoa is his own man, with his own Bloodline, who is hungry to correct the wrong that occurred at Mania.
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“The American Nightmare” may be entering this battle with Sikoa alone, but the feeling persists that he isn’t a one-person army. All signs point toward Reigns returning to WWE after a four-month absence at the “Biggest Party of the Summer,” and the mere presence of the former Undisputed Universal champion may make Cleveland Browns Stadium sound like the home team won a Super Bowl on a game-winning TD drive with no time left.
Would Reigns’ return overshadow Rhodes vs. Sikoa? Potentially. But it could also branch into two storylines: the possible trilogy match between Rhodes and Reigns or the beginning seeds of an actual Bloodline Civil War with two sides of the family fighting for control.
Priest has been given plenty of grief since he became Raw’s top champion at WrestleMania 40, but all he’s done is take the mantle of those who held top gold before him and continue to be successful. He’s defended the title and not backed down from a challenge, even if Judgment Day and CM Punk have found ways to ensure he remains champion.
SummerSlam is a potential ascension point for Gunther, the longest-reigning intercontinental champion and current King of the Ring. Still, given how solid Priest has been as champion, it’s less of a foregone conclusion now. Plus, the bad blood between the two feels fresh – and it shouldn’t end after their first one-on-one encounter, not with Bash in Berlin looming.
The classic David versus Goliath concept, made famous by Sting and Vader over 30 years ago, is on full display here. Bayley has served admirably as Women’s champion since dispatching Iyo Sky at WrestleMania. She has a recent history dealing with pseudo-giants as she beat Piper Niven in her native Scotland at Clash at the Castle.
However, Nia Jax has been on a different level since her return, as she emphatically won Queen of the Ring. Bayley-Jax already has a unique wrinkle with the new Ms. Money in the Bank, Tiffany Stratton, who is aligning herself with Jax. It’s a numbers game against the champ, one she is unlikely to overcome in Cleveland.
Bron Breakker joins ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to preview his upcoming match against Sami Zayn at SummerSlam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
The two faced off at Money in the Bank last month, with Zayn hitting a Helluva Kick to retain. Since his miraculous win at WrestleMania, Zayn has dived deeper into being a beloved babyface who overcomes all odds, including agreeing to a rematch with his faster, more athletic rival.
SummerSlam feels like a proper coronation for the second-generation superstar. Breakker, the former Kennesaw State Owls running back never got a chance to showcase his talents on the field at Cleveland Browns Stadium, but claiming his first singles title on the main roster would feel even better.
The meteoric rise of LA Knight hit a fever point last summer when he had Ford Field eating out of the palm of his hand after winning the Summerslam Battle Royal. Nearly one year later, Knight is up for yet another shot at his first piece of singles gold in WWE, the United States title owned by Logan Paul. Paul has not only earned the respect of fans in his three years of being an in-ring competitor, but he’s also held the US title longer than anyone since Jon Moxley — then Dean Ambrose — and his 351-day reign in 2013 and 2014.
Paul and Knight have done their best to give this added weight as two well-known trash talkers, but the feud feels more like the endgame for Paul as champion. He’s won at WrestleMania, showcased that he belongs in a WWE ring and should be primed (no pun intended) for something bigger.