WWE ‘SummerSlam’: Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar Stun in Sin City

Las Vegas was scorching hot this weekend, and not only because of the weather. More than 51,326 descended on Sin City for SummerSlam 2021 at Allegiant Stadium as John Cena returned to WWE to battle Roman Reigns for the Universal championship. 

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The “Summer of Cena” ended on a devastating note with Reigns retaining the gold. This night didn’t end there with Brock Lesnar making a shocking return at the end of the show. When cameras stopped rolling, Lesnar proceeded to hit Cena with an F5 thus sending fans home with much to talk about. Here’s how the rest of the evening and weekend shook out. 

The Man Returns to Town

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Lesnar wasn’t the only unexpected appearance of the evening. With Sasha Banks out of her SmackDown women’s championship match, Becky Lynch came back around to face Bianca Belair. “The Man” spent more than a year away becoming a mom, marrying fellow superstar Seth Rollins, and by the looks of it, getting in top shape.

The stadium erupted seeing their favorite “Lasskicker” again. Lynch disposed of the Banks’ original replacement Carmella before facing Belair. She defeated her in short order in a move that left the audience unsure how to think, given how popular the champion had been.

Back on the Throne

Lynch wasn’t the only belt to change hands at the “Biggest Party of the Summer.” Charlotte Flair is back on her throne winning the Raw women’s title. She was decked out in Thanos-inspired ring gear, perfect for the occasion considering she won over champ Nikki A.S.H. (Almost a Super Hero). 

Sheamus and Damian Priest put on one hell of a United States championship match. After receiving the mainstream rub from Bad Bunny at WrestleMania, Priest proved to be a performer who can more than handle his own. Randy Orton and Matt Riddle, collectively known as RK-Bro, took the tag titles from Omos and AJ Styles.

Feeling Nostalgic

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Edge took fans back with an entrance inspired by the Brood, the vampire-like faction he was a part of toward the end of the 1990s. From a quality standpoint, his victory over Seth Rollins was definitely up there for match of the night. Hall of Famer Goldberg clearly went in the hero against WWE champion Bobby Lashley. Vegas didn’t get the memo — they cheered as Bobby Lashley beat up on Goldberg to the extent he couldn’t continue, and then took on his teenage son as well. Savage. 

Legends and New Faces Hype the Show

WWE welcomed select media to Park MGM Las Vegas for a round of in-person interviews with talent ranging from legends to emerging new faces. Damian Priest talked about teaming with Cena on an untelevised match after a recent episode of Raw. Jinder Mahal reflected on his road back to the ring after a series of injury setbacks against Drew McIntyre, Nikki A.S.H., and Doudrop also made the rounds. For the latter two, you can hear what their big SummerSlam moments meant to them above.

From Doudrop basically telling off Eva Marie to Nikki having a great match with Charlotte and Rhea Ripley, they each had their respective times to shine. WWE Hall of Famers Jimmy Hart and Ted DiBiase reflected on past SummerSlam events, mainly 1992, the year the event was held before more than 80,000 fans in Wembley Stadium. DiBiase also told a story of surprising a fan at the WWE Superstore by signing a million-dollar championship replica. Speaking of the store, top items were creepy Lilly dolls, Drew McIntyre branded light-up swords, and a cool Queen Charlotte Flair shirt likened to Game of Thrones. 

The Stars Were Out

Mario Lopez and Tiffany Haddish conducted backstage interviews with RKO-Bro Randy Orton, Matt Riddle, and Damian Priest. After getting stunned by Kevin Owens at WrestleMania, boxer and social media maven Logan Paul was back ringside at a WWE show. Fresh off the Olympics in Tokyo, gold medalists Gable Steveson and Tamyra Mensah-Stock soaked in the pageantry of SummerSlam. Raine Cruz won the TikTok ring announcer search, getting the chance to ring announce during the Big E and Baron Corbin match on the SummerSlam. 

Later in the night, the red carpet was rolled out during the SummerSlam After Party at the Delano. Haddish and Lopez joined Nikki Bella, and brother JJ Garcia, Eva Marie, The Miz and Maryse, the Street Profits, Belair, and many others to celebrate history being made. Bachelor couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell made SummerSlam a date night. James is an avid WWE fan, happy to witness Edge’s Brood entrance, Bobby Lashley’s win, and Lesnar’s return. Perhaps Demi Burnett won’t be the last person from the Bachelor world we see on WWE TV.

For more great interviews and content from SummerSlam, check out my YouTube channel.