For those who wanted the SummerSlam main event to be just between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, you can thank Nick Aldis.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE Champion CM Punk and Cody Rhodes battled Sami Zayn and Gunther. If the heels won, Punk would have to face Rhodes, Gunther and Zayn in a Fatal Four-Way.
The entrances for all of these top stars takes forever and ever.
Before the bell even rings, Gunther and Rhodes and Punk and Zayne pair off and pound on each other.
CM Punk! CM Punk!
Rhodes takes it to Zayn working over his left arm. He holds it so Punk can leap down on it.
Zayn backs Punk into a corner so that Gunther can lay in some shots and tag in. Punk gets knocked to the floor. As Zayn distracts the official, Gunther takes it to Punk on the floor.
Gunther slams Punk down hard on the ringside barricade, right on his back. Rhodes helps Punk to his feet and back into the ring.
Zayn lays the punches and chops in on Punk.
Punk hits Zayn with a flying elbow smash from the top rope and an Anaconda Vice. Rhodes stops Gunther putting him in a figure four. Gunther pokes Punk in the eye so Sami can escape.
Exploder sends Punk into a corner. The crowd boos. Sami hits his Helluva Kick but before he can take advantage Rhodes drops him with the Cross Rhodes. Gunther clotheslines Rhodes. Punk hits a GTS on Gunther. Everyone is down.
Gunther puts Punk in a sleeper. Punk’s nose is bleeding. Punk tags while in the sleeper. Rhodes drops Gunther with a Cross Rhodes. Rhodes covers Gunther. Sami knocks Punk into Rhodes and the official taking Robinson out.
An angry Zayn haymakers Punk and then Rhodes as well. Punk sends Sami out of the ring with a Go To Sleep. Punk and Rhodes double-team Gunther with haymakers.
Rhodes goes for the Cody Cutter as Punk holds Gunther. Gunther escapes. Cody collides with Punk instead. Punk is down on the apron.
Gunther retrieves the championship hitting Rhodes in the head with it. Gunther powerbombs Rhodes.
An official runs down to make the count but Nick Aldis pulls him out of the ring stopping the count.
Gunther is irate! Aldis nails Gunther with the belt. GTS from Punk. Punk puts Rhodes on Gunther. Aldis slides the official back into the ring to make the count. The SummerSlam main event will stay the same.
That was the main event but that wasn’t the end of the broadcast.
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson came to the ring with Roman Reigns. After all the pomp and circumstance, Reigns says this is where greatness acknowledges greatness and NYC is the home of WWE. He babbles on and on about basketball and the Knicks. Whatever. Yawn.
He presents Brunson with his own championship belt.
Seth Rollins interrupts the perpetual boredom. Tyrese Haliburton comes out with a steel chair to Seth Rollins music. Rollins attacks Reigns from behind as Haliburton distracts everyone. Rollins puts the boots to Reign. Rollins warns Brunson to stay out of things. Rollins super kicks Reigns in the face.
“I don’t acknowledge a damn thing! This is my world! This is the end for you!” says Rollins.
As Rollins is about to stomp Reigns, Brunson steps in the way shaking his head. Rollins threatens to drop Brunson. Brunson dares him to do so.
“This is my house!” says Brunson.
Reigns Superman Punches and spears Rollins. Rollins and Haliburton splits the scene.
Yawn.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Results: July 18th, 2026
Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Jacy Jayne is at ringside for Fatal Influence. Paige and Brie batter Reid around. When Henley takes control Jayne starts doing a Yes! chant. Paige gets guillotined over the top rope as Hanley German suplexs her.
Michael Cole runs down Fatal Influence’s history as a faction and individuals. Cole keeps reiterating that 15,000 are packing Madison Square Gardens.
Jayne keeps interfering. Brie and Henley battle on the floor. As Paige rolls up Reid, Jayne leaps up onto the apron in full view of the official and rolls Reid on top of Paige for the three count. Henley is bleeding from her mouth.
Winners: … and new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid)
Cathy Kelley speaks with Sami Zayne backstage. He is trying to choose his words very carefully. He doesn’t want to call himself a victim but he keeps getting screwed. Zayne is angry that Punk and Rhodes just agreed to a championship match in the middle of the ring when he spent years earning a title shot. Gunther appears. He warns Zayne to stay out of his way and not ruin SummerSlam for him.
Trick Williams is shown in the audience.
The crowd chants:
Whoop That Trick!
Liv Morgan, Dominik Mysterio and JD speak to Jackie Redmond. JD says all the fun ends tonight.
Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh – No DQ Match
Danhausen drives out in his duster. He is wearing New York Knicks colours. JD rolls out of the ring as Danhausen tries to curse him. Dominik leaps up on the apron. JD attacks Danhausen from behind. On the floor, JD throws Danhausen into multiple barricades and a steel post.
Danhausen! Danhausen!
JD and Dom takes turns smashing Danhausen’s head off the announce table.
Back in the ring, JD takes over suplexing and whipping Danhausen into corner after corner.
Dom wipes his feet on Danhausen’s Knicks’ jersey.
Dom you suck! Dom you suck!
Danhausen fights back with some chops and punches in a corner. A brainbuster gets JD a two count.
JD wipes his butt on the jersey. He lays it over Danhausen as he goes for a splash but misses. Danhausen puts on the jersey.
Danhausen no-sells JD’s punches. He inverted atomic drops and clotheslines JD. Dom runs into the ring. He gets suplexed.
Danhausen has JD in his finished but Dom attacks him. They begin double-teaming him. Dom holds Danhausen as JD head butts him. JD rips the jersey off Danhausen.
Dom shoves JD a la the Dudley Boys and they pull out a table from under the ring. Mini-Hausens appear. They splash and beat on JD and Dom until they fight back. Mini-Hausen into the barricade. Mini-Hausen into the steel steps.
Danhausen takes his caged, stuffed cat and puts it in the Cloning Machine.
Dom slides a table into the ring. The Judgment Day clobber a Mini-Hausen in the ring. They are about to put him through a table when the cloning machine activates.
Karl-Anthony Towns from the New Yorks Knicks steps out leading the way to the ring.
Danhausen curses JD and Dom. Towns chokeslams JD. Towns chokeslams Dom through the table. Danhausen puts Dom away.
Winner: Danhausen
Cathy Kelly interviews a hilariously disheveled Lyra Valkyria backstage. She cannot stop thinking about how Bayley needed to be who she needed to be. After tonight, Bayley will be out of her head forever.
Lyra Valkyria versus Bayley
Lyra charges at Bayley right away. Bayley slaps Lyra. Fight goes to the floor. Bayley suplexes Lyra off the apron to the floor. Bayley hits Lyra with an elbow.
Lyra nose starts bleeding. The producers try to keep Lyra off camera. She is brought a towel to wipe away the blood. The crowd boos. None of it helps as Lyra is still bleeding out.
Lyra starts slamming Bayley’s head into the mat. Lyra is thrown to the floor so she can wipe up more of the blood as some medical person gives her more towels.
What a way to kill a match, WWE.
The crowd starts booing even more!
Lyra hangs Bayley over the top rope hitting her with a leg drop from the top rope.
Lyra puts Bayley in a submission chokehold. Bayley falls unconscious. Blood is still pouring out of Lyra’s nose. Lyra kicks Bayley over and over until she falls out of the ring to the floor.
Lyra is about to leave. She stops. She shoves Bayley into a steel post and puts on the chokehold again.
Lyra adjusts the steel ring steps. She gives Bayley a Nightwing onto the steps and finally leaves.
I like this version of Lyra much better.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria
CM Punk and Cody Rhodes versus Sami Zayn and Gunther – If Zayn and Gunther win, SummerSlam becomes a Fatal Fourway
Winners: CM Punk and Cody Rhodes
