SummerSlam Night 1 ended some storylines, while potentially creating new ones. CM Punk emerged victorious over Cody Rhodes in an Undisputed WWE Championship match between two superstars in the midst of their second stints with the promotion. But the surprise return of Randy Orton will likely have Rhodes’ attention on “SmackDown” over the next few months.
In the main event at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Oba Femi won his first Hell in a Cell match, handing former University of Minnesota wrestler Brock Lesnar his first loss inside the structure. Femi has had an impressive debut year in WWE, defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania in April, winning King of the Ring in June and vanquishing “The Beast” inside the Cell. As Femi’s star continues to rise, where will he go next?
Elsewhere on the card, Liv Morgan defeated Iyo Sky to retain the WWE Women’s World Championship; Nick Aldis fought valiantly in a loss to Gunther; The Bloodline fell to the trio of Solo Sikoa, LA Knight and Royce Keys; and Fatal Influence defeated Paige and The Bella Twins — after which both Bella Twins turned on Paige.
Here are the biggest takeaways from a busy opening night in Minneapolis.
Has Lesnar passed the baton to Femi for good?
There was one way for the Night 1 main event to end: Femi had to conquer Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell, establishing Femi as WWE’s biggest force for years to come.
Lesnar had one of the most dominant WWE main roster debut years in 2002, when he won King of the Ring and had a dominant win over The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. This time, Lesnar was in The Undertaker’s role, losing to Femi, who has taken the spot of WWE’s “next big thing.” The comparison was even clearer when Lesnar hit Undertaker’s Tombstone Piledriver on the exposed wood under the ring canvas, but Lesnar could not clinch the win.
Femi, this year’s King of the Ring tournament winner, passed up on his title shot in favor of a rubber match with Lesnar. Now that his issue with “The Beast” is done, Femi could set his sights on the World Heavyweight Championship, which will be on the line Sunday, when Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins square off. Femi vs. Reigns or Rollins would be a top draw for an upcoming WWE premium live event.
Femi could continue to follow the paths of The Undertaker and Lesnar, who both won their first WWE titles in their second years on the main roster. Femi is on that trajectory, too.
On the other side, is this the last we will see of Lesnar? We asked that question after WrestleMania 42, where he took off his gloves in the ring after his loss to Femi. Lesnar did no such thing this time, but he got on the microphone after the match to anoint Femi as the future of the promotion and himself as the past. Losing Hell in a Cell in Minnesota is a fitting ending for the man who has been a WWE force for years.
Cody Rhodes has a Randy Orton problem … again
Punk retained the Undisputed WWE Championship in a grueling win over Rhodes. The match took a turn after Rhodes accidentally took out referee Charles Robinson with a Cody Cutter off the top rope. The misstep allowed “The Viper” Randy Orton to slide into the ring and hit an RKO on an unsuspecting Rhodes.
While this is not the last time Punk and Rhodes will tangle in the ring, they both will have opponents to keep them busy in the short term. Punk will find out his next opponent Sunday, when Finn Bálor and Sami Zayn meet in a No. 1 contender match. Each wrestler offers an interesting feud for Punk, who lost his Undisputed title to Zayn in July and clashed with Bálor before that.
Punk and United States champion Trick Williams also had an interesting exchange on “SmackDown” recently, hinting that Williams’s “lemon pepper steppers” could be walking in Punk’s direction soon. Gunther is also looming, especially after defeating Nick Aldis on Saturday.
Rhodes’s path leads him right back to his WrestleMania opponent. Orton hadn’t been seen since his loss at Allegiant Stadium, and much of the criticism of that match was because of Pat McAfee and singer Jelly Roll’s involvement. With neither celebrity in the picture now, a mentor vs. student feud could emerge between Orton and Rhodes and carry them into Survivor Series.
How far will Solo Sikoa’s independent run take him?
The unlikely alliance between Sikoa and Knight paid off, as the pair — along with Keys — beat Fatu and The Usos. Sikoa was the focus of the buildup to the match. The reformed Bloodline was recruiting him while he was trying to convince Knight to work with him.
For the moment, Sikoa is operating alone after resisting The Bloodline and picking up the win Saturday. This babyface run for the one-time Bloodline enforcer and former MFT leader has been a hit with the audience. For example, one of the loudest spots of the night was when the Minneapolis crowd helped Sikoa run back the Yeet to taunt Jey Uso. After the match, Sikoa offered Knight an embrace. Knight was hesitant but decided to accept. Could this be a sign of trust between the two?
Sikoa now has momentum on “Raw.” This feud with The Bloodline isn’t likely to end just yet, but it will be interesting to see how the crowd’s support for an independent Sikoa may play into upcoming developments. He could emerge as an eventual challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship, contested between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on SummerSlam Night 2.
