Since its inception, SummerSlam has been one of the most important shows of the year for WWE. This year was no different, as SummerSlam marked a major change for many of WWE's biggest stars.
Titles changed hands, factions split, and one of wrestling's biggest stars returned after many months out of the spotlight.
In many ways, SummerSlam not only laid the foundation for the rest of the year, but also the long road to WrestleMania 41 in 2025 in Las Vegas.
If you want to immerse yourself in the wild world of WWE, you've come to the right place. Let's take a look at everything you need to know about the current state of affairs.
New champions in office
The full list of WWE Champions can be found here
Gunther, who set the record for longest reign as intercontinental champion at 666 days, defeated Damian Priest to become world heavyweight champion. Years ago, there were reports that Vince McMahon had lost faith in Gunther as a major WWE player, despite him being the cornerstone of the now-defunct NXT UK. With McMahon seemingly out of WWE for good amid sex trafficking and abuse scandals now under federal investigation, Gunther finally had his full chance to shine and didn't disappoint.
After he led the Intercontinental Championship to the top with a record-breaking reign that also included plenty of fantastic games, fans were ready to accept Gunther as the top champion. After defeating Priest, he now has the chance to prove it. His first title defense has already been confirmed as he will defend the title against WWE legend Randy Orton at the Bash in Berlin on August 31st.
Nia Jax also captured a world title at SummerSlam by defeating Bayley to win the WWE Women's Championship. This year was a fantastic year of redemption for Jax, who was once banned from WWE and was viewed by many as reckless and dangerous in the ring. However, she demonstrated a steady hand and delivered the best work of her career both in the ring and on the microphone in 2024. After winning the Queen of the Ring tournament, Jax punched her ticket to a title match and made amends by ending Bayley's reign.
Two more titles changed hands at SummerSlam: LA Knight defeated Logan Paul to win the United States Championship and Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn to become Intercontinental Champion.
Knight's long career journey now has a defining moment with a main squad championship victory. There was a point where Knight was perhaps one of the two or three most dominant men in WWE, but some of the power was lost when he failed in an attempt to defeat then-undisputed champion Roman Reigns. However, Knight finally achieved a major championship, and none too soon considering he is just months away from his 42nd birthday.
Breakker is on the other end of the spectrum, he's about to turn 27 and is being treated as a monster powerhouse that will be a cornerstone of WWE programming for the next decade, if not longer. Zayn is a popular figure in wrestling and is coming off a victory over Breakker, but Breakker's SummerSlam victory was inevitable and now it's up to him and the WWE not to mess up his momentum.
What's going on with The Bloodline?
Roman Reigns returned at SummerSlam and destroyed the new-look Bloodline, which has nothing to do with the group he formed with his cousins, the Usos, in 2021. Upon his return, Reigns Solo cost Sikoa his WWE Undisputed Championship match against Cody Rhodes.
After Reigns lost the title to Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, he disappeared from WWE television. Sikoa decided to fill the leadership vacuum, kicking Jimmy Uso out of the group and leading a new bloodline with Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and the group's breakout star Jacob Fatu. For as evil as the group was under Reigns, Sikoa's version added a mix of wild unpredictability and an instability rooted in Sikoa's attempt to hide his insecurities as the true new version of “the man” in the group.
Sikoa had also declared himself the new “tribal chief” and told Paul Heyman that Reigns would never come back. He would pay a heavy price for these actions, and now it's Reigns versus Sikoa – or, more likely, Reigns' Bloodline versus the Sikoa version.
This could be his first big moment at Survivor Series: Wargames. It's easy to see Sikoa, Tonga, Loa and Fatu taking on Reigns, Jey and Jimmy Uso and a surprise partner (Rhodes?) within WarGames.
What about Judgment Day?
Judgment Day underwent a major overhaul during SummerSlam. While it's been clear for months that Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley are moving away from the group's heel roots, they're officially out. Priest lost the World Heavyweight Championship when Finn Balor repeatedly interfered to help Gunther, and Ripley lost her match with Women's World Champion Liv Morgan when Dominik Mysterio turned his back on her and helped Morgan win, then subsequently one-upped Morgan Kiss shared match.
On the one hand, it's hard to feel sorry for Priest and Ripley. Mysterio is in the group because Priest and Ripley manipulated him into turning his back on his own family, and they never really addressed those actions while turning to the babyface side. But Ripley and Priest have resonated with the masses now more than ever.
The new Judgment Day, as introduced on Raw after SummerSlam, is Balor, Mysterio, Morgan, JD McDonagh and Carlito. These five will likely have long months ahead of them as Priest and Ripley will seek revenge at every turn.
What other storylines will dominate the coming months?
The problems between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre are far from resolved. McIntyre won her match at SummerSlam when Punk lost focus because of the bracelet his wife made for him, which McIntyre stole. When Punk saw the bracelet on special guest referee Seth Rollins' wrist, he lost concentration and, instead of finishing McIntyre, attacked Rollins. This opened up the opportunity for McIntyre to land a low blow and finish Punk off.
Obviously the story is far from over and McIntyre had the bracelet again against Raw, leading Punk to break free from a confrontation with Rollins in the ring to hunt down McIntyre.
Punk leaving the ring proved to be a bad thing for Rollins, as he was blindsided by Bronson Reed. To make a name for himself, Reed launched a brutal attack on Rollins, including unleashing six tsunamis. Rollins was spitting blood and it's certain that Reed completed an important storyline by attacking. That's good, because Reed needs the opportunity to see if he can be an important player, and Rollins needs an opponent who can work while he gets back into ring shape after his return from injury against Priest was an unusual one bad Rollins match.
With the first SmackDown after SummerSlam taking place on Friday, fans are sure to get a glimpse of what's to come for the “blue brand.”
