Triple H opened Night Two of SummerSlam by welcoming the crowd to the biggest SummerSlam in history and said that if they thought the previous night was crazy, they hadn’t seen anything yet. This set the stage for one of the most unique match cards in history, which included a triple threat match, a ladder match, a steel cage match, a no disqualification match and a street fight between John Cena and Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship.
Here were the matchups that took place on Night Two in New Jersey over the weekend:
Women’s World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley vs. IYO SKY vs. Naomi (c):
Naomi tried to let IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley fight it out, but both turned on her, teaming up early. Their alliance ended when Ripley accidentally hit SKY, giving Naomi control. She unleashed her unhinged offense, biting Ripley and slamming SKY.
Naomi aimed to prove she’s more than just a champion: she wants to be the best in the world. SKY and Ripley regrouped, took her out and then faced off, trading big moves with neither gaining the edge.
Naomi broke up a pin and brawled with Ripley outside, as SKY hit a moonsault on both. SKY delivered corner meteoras and attempted her finisher, but Ripley stopped it. Naomi hit Ripley with a split-legged moonsault, then SKY followed with Over the Moonsault.
Naomi tossed SKY out, but Ripley recovered and hit Riptide, only for SKY to break up the pin. Ripley dominated briefly until SKY nailed a sunset flip powerbomb onto Naomi.
Ripley hit an avalanche Riptide on SKY, but Naomi stole the win with a surprise roll-up to retain her title.
Winner and still Women’s World Champion: Naomi
WWE Tag Team Championship TLC Match: Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomaso Ciampa) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) vs. Fraxiom (Axiom and Nathan Frazer) vs. Andrade and Rey Fenix vs. The Wyatt Sick6 (Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis) (c):
Legendary TLC teams the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz watched on, while the rest of the Wyatt Sick6 (Uncle Howdy, Eric Rowan and Nikki Cross) stood on the stage.
Fraxiom made the first climb, but the Wyatts stopped them with chairs. The Profits dropped Gacy on a ladder and stacked four tables. Fenix stood on Andrade’s shoulders to reach the belts, but was stopped. MCMG, Gargano, Fenix, Ford and Axiom each drove opponents through tables in rapid succession with three frog splashes and a spanish fly.
LeRae tried grabbing the titles for Gargano but was stopped by B-Fab, who was then suplexed off the ladder by Cross. LeRae climbed again but was accidentally knocked off by Gargano and crashed through a bridged ladder.
Rowan ran in but was taken out by the Profits. Ciampa nearly grabbed the belts but was left hanging after Frazer pulled the ladder. Gargano saved him as teams battled atop ladders. Uncle Howdy came to the ring and shoved everyone off, sending #DIY through stacked tables.
Andrade powerbombed Howdy off the ladder onto another ladder, but the Sick6 recovered. They took out Andrade and Fenix, and Gacy climbed the ladder to retain the titles.
Winners: Wyatt Sick6 (Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis)
Women’s Intercontinental Championship Match: Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch (c):
Lynch entered with new music; Valkyria was focused, knowing a loss meant she could never challenge for the Intercontinental title again. They quickly turned to weapons, Lynch with a kendo stick and Valkyria with a crowbar, brawling around ringside. Valkyria sent Lynch over the announce table and dropkicked her while seated.
Lynch took control, choking Valkyria with a chain, slamming her into steel steps and unloading with kendo stick shots. She zip-tied Valkyria’s hands and beat her with tools, but Valkyria fought back. She got her arms over Lynch’s head and around her body, landing a belly-to-belly, no-hands moonsault, and a fire extinguisher blast to Lynch, then escaped the zip ties. She returned the beating with a kendo stick and hit a Nightwing off the steps.
Back in the ring, Valkyria ran into an exposed turnbuckle, and Lynch hit a Manhandle Slam onto chairs, but Valkyria kicked out. Lynch punished her further with chair shots and a stomp from the announce table. She went for the crowbar, but Bayley stopped her. Lynch tried to convince Bayley to turn, but they fought instead.
Valkyria hit a leg drop out of nowhere through a table. In the ring, Bayley tried to punch Lynch with a chain but accidentally hit Valkyria. Lynch capitalized with another Manhandle Slam to win and end Valkyria’s title hopes for good.
Winner and still Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch
United States Championship Steel Cage Match: Jacob Fatu vs. Solo Sikoa (c):
The two Samoan cousins sized each other up, with Fatu using his explosive offense to take the early advantage until Sikoa reversed his momentum and hurled him into the cage.
Sikoa then brutalized Fatu using the cage. He teased walking out but chose instead to mock his cousin with a Samoan Spike, which Fatu dodged before flooring him with a lariat. Fatu took control, landing multiple signature moves, including two moonsaults, but Sikoa kicked out.
As Fatu built momentum, MFT members Talla Tonga, JC Matteo, and Tonga Lao interfered, but Jimmy Uso emerged from the crowd to even the odds, until Talla Tonga took him out. Sikoa tried to escape through the cage door, but Fatu stopped him and had it locked.
They battled atop the cage until the MFTs joined in, with Talla handcuffing Fatu to the cage. JC Matteo unlocked the door, but Fatu broke free, stopped Sikoa and kicked the door into Matteo. As they fought near the exit, Talla kicked the door into Fatu’s face, allowing Sikoa to escape and retain his title.
Winner and Still United States Champion: Solo Sikoa
Post match Jimmy Uso superkicked JC Matteo and threw him inside the cage with Tonga Loa and Jacob Fatu. Fatu then destroyed the two and did a moonsault off the top of the cage onto both men.
Men’s Intercontinental Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Dominik Mysterio:
On the 20th anniversary of Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero’s ladder match for custody of Dominik, both Mysterio and AJ Styles paid tribute with special gear and entrances, Mysterio in a luchador mask, Styles in a Guerrero-style lowrider.
Styles wasted no time attacking. After some back-and-forth, Mysterio hit a Michinoku Driver and attempted the Three Amigos, but Styles countered with a brainbuster. Mysterio landed a 619 and went for a frog splash, but Styles got his foot up and locked in the Calf Crusher.
Both men tried to “lie, cheat, and steal”. Mysterio removed a turnbuckle pad, slammed a chair on the mat, tossed it to Styles and dropped, faking a foul. Styles responded by wrapping the chair around his neck and doing the same. With no disqualification called, both resorted to low blows.
Styles reapplied the Calf Crusher, but earlier Mysterio had secretly loosened his boot to escape. After Styles accidentally hit the ref, Mysterio used the boot as a weapon, then hit a frog splash to retain the title.
Winner and still Men’s Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio:
WWE Championship Street Fight: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena (c):
Both men made grand entrances. Before Cody Rhodes appeared, his father Dusty Rhodes’ voice echoed through the arena. Rhodes rose from the stage wearing his skull mask. John Cena, returning for the first time in months, hyped the crowd with his full entrance, running to the ring and interacting with fans and cameras.
They began with a hug, followed by a slugfest. Rhodes showed rare aggression, while Cena played to the crowd, taunting NBA Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who was in the crowd, and using his crutches as weapons. Cena brought steel steps into the ring but was slammed onto them before retaliating by hurling them at Rhodes. They traded chair shots, with Rhodes gaining the upper hand.
Cena fought back with his signature “Five Moves of Doom,” but Rhodes escaped the Attitude Adjustment, countering with a Bionic Elbow and Cody Cutter. Cena hit an AA out of nowhere, but Rhodes kicked out. Desperate, Rhodes used a piledriver, banned but legal under street fight rules.
Cena nearly ended it with another AA, but couldn’t capitalize. Rhodes landed a pop-up powerbomb, only for Cena to trap him in the STF. Rhodes escaped, threw Cena over the barricade, and the fight spilled into the crowd. Cena struck with a mic and sunset flip powerbomb, then delivered an AA through the Spanish announce table. It still wasn’t enough.
Fired up, Cena charged but was dropped by Cross Rhodes. Cena kicked out again and hit a top-rope leg drop and a fourth AA, but Rhodes still survived. Cena brought in a table, and the brawl continued into the crowd where Rhodes suplexed him onto a barricade. They disappeared under the stage, reemerging as Cena hit an AA on the steel.
Back in the ring, Rhodes sent Cena through a table and hit another Cross Rhodes, but Cena kicked out. Frustrated, Rhodes unhooked the bottom turnbuckle and struck Cena in the head. The crowd booed, an unusual sound for Rhodes, as he hesitated, conflicted. He went for another shot, but Cena countered into the STF using the rope.
Rhodes escaped and hit three consecutive Cross Rhodes, yet Cena kicked out at 2.99. Rhodes grabbed the WWE title to use as a weapon, but Cena hit another AA, then climbed for a top-rope super AA. Still, Rhodes wouldn’t stay down.
After surviving eight AAs, Rhodes and Cena crashed through a table during a super AA attempt. As Cena leaned on the ropes, Rhodes stared at him, saluted, and hit one final Cross Rhodes to win the match, end Cena’s farewell SummerSlam, and reclaim the WWE Championship.
Winner and New WWE Champion: Cody Rhodes
Post-match, Cena handed Rhodes the title in a passing-of-the-torch moment. Rhodes left Cena in the ring, and the former champion took in the moment with the fans chanting “thank you Cena”. What happened next shocked the crowd even more than last night’s Seth Rollins Money in the Bank cash-in.
For the first time in two years, the Beast Incarnate, the most vicious and brutal rival of all Cena’s foes, returned. Brock Lesnar’s signature music echoed throughout MetLife Stadium as the Alpha Male of our species walked out to the stage. Cena looked like he saw a ghost as Lesnar approached the ring.
The two stared each other down. Cena readied himself for a fight, and Lesnar removed his cowboy hat and charged the ring. Cena went for the first strike, but Lesnar dodged and hoisted Cena onto his shoulders for an F5.
That concluded the first ever two-night SummerSlam, with a record-breaking attendance of 113,722 people across both nights.