SummerSlam Night 1 will see CM Punk go for gold, Roman Reigns' return
SummerSlam is set to take over the New York and New Jersey area on Saturday and Sunday in the first two-night event in the WWE show’s history.
The premium live event is set to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and the first night as a card with three championships up for grabs, a country music star in action and the in-ring return of Roman Reigns.
Read below for what to expect on Night 1 of SummerSlam.
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CM Punk has proclaimed himself to be the "best in the world" when it comes to pro wrestling. But since his return to WWE, injuries, bad luck and Seth Rollins have kept him from the ultimate goal of winning the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk earned the title shot after winning a gauntlet match on "Monday Night Raw."
Gunther has held the championship since he won it back from Jey Uso months after his WrestleMania 41 defeat. He defeated Goldberg during their Saturday Night’s Main Event match and now has the challenge of going up against Punk, who is possibly his most formidable opponent in quite some time.
It will certainly be a battle of wills when those two get into the ring for the main event.
While no one has heard from Rollins since he got injured weeks ago against LA Knight, one has to wonder whether he will lurk in the background and make sure Punk doesn’t get his hands on gold.
Tiffany Stratton has withstood each test she’s faced so far. She dispatched Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 41, Nia Jax in a Last Woman Standing match and then Trish Stratus at Evolution. She’s been on fire, but she will have her biggest test yet in Jade Cargill.
Cargill won the Queen of the Ring Tournament and chose to square off against Stratton. It will be her first shot at a singles title. Cargill put her feud with Naomi behind her, defeating her in a No Holds Barred match at Evolution.
Stratton and Cargill are two of the top women on SmackDown roster and either performer is more than fit to be holding the belt at the end of the night.
Jelly Roll was in Randy Orton’s corner when the "Legend Killer" faced off against Drew McIntyre at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He got involved in the match, distracting McIntyre and allowing Orton to capitalize. As Paul laid the beatdown on Orton, Jelly stepped in and knocked Paul onto his back. McIntyre, out of nowhere, hit Jelly with a Claymore.
It was the inflection point of a feud between the two duos, and it culminated in a SummerSlam match. Jelly Roll even showcased that he has a Black Hole Slam in his arsenal. WWE fans we’ll see if the country music artist could provide some doom and gloom for McIntyre and Paul.
The unusual pairing of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss has hit it big with the WWE audience. Flair saved Bliss from a spear at Evolution, and Bliss saved Flair from an onslaught from Raquel Rodriguez during a "Friday Night SmackDown" episode.
Are they friends? No, not yet. But the two have earned a shot at the tag titles and could end up the tag team champions by the night’s end.
But Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez have no interest in giving up the titles. Rodriguez held the belt with Liv Morgan, but Perez stepped in when Morgan went down with an injury. The two defensed it the titles at Evolution and now have a chance to really put their names on the division with a victory over veterans in Bliss and Flair.
ALEXA BLISS TALKS TAG-TEAM TITLE PURSUIT WITH CHARLOTTE FLAIR AT SUMMERSLAM
Karrion Kross has been on the tail of Sami Zayn for months, and the rivalry will come to a head on the first night of SummerSlam. Zayn got the better of Kross at Night of Champions back in June, and Kross defeated Zayn a few weeks ago.
Kross has told Zayn that he will never be a world champion while Zayn has tried to focus on his pursuit of a title and put Kross behind him. So far, to no avail as Kross’ beatdowns kept Zayn from participating in the championship gauntlet, which Punk won.
If Kross wins, Zayn has to tell him he was right. If Zayn wins, Kross will have to say he was wrong about Zayn.
It has been quite a while since Roman Reigns competed in a match. The last time fans saw him, Paul Heyman was giving him a low blow, allowing Rollins to win the triple threat match that included Punk at WrestleMania 41.
Reigns came back to help Jey Uso from a Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker beatdown. It set up for what’s to come at SummerSlam – a gigantic tag-team match.
Reed and Breakker got the last laugh on "Monday Night Raw." Reed put Uso down for the count, and Breakker speared Reigns through a barricade. Reed, then, stole Reigns’ shoes.
It will be an all-out brawl when these four get into the ring.
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