The centerpiece event of WWE’s summer calendar, WWE SummerSlam 2025, commenced Saturday evening at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
As SummerSlam expanded to a two-night extravaganza for the first occasion, Night 1 provided a strong commencement, concluding with a whirlwind as CM Punk captured the World Heavyweight Championship, only to be immediately undermined by Seth Rollins, who seized the Money in the Bank contract and stole Punk’s climactic moment once more.
Saturday night’s proceedings unfolded with a sequence of tag-team encounters, commencing with Roman Reigns and Jey Uso defeating Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker in the opening bout of the evening. Subsequently, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss clinched the Women’s Tag-Team Championships by triumphing over Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez, marking one of the two title changes of the night.
After two robust yet relatively brief matches, featuring Sami Zayn’s victory over Karrion Kross and Tiffany Stratton’s successful defense of her WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill, one of the night’s unexpected highlights emerged in a contest widely dismissed as a mere promotional endeavor. In a tag-team showdown against Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre, musician Jelly Roll remarkably stole the spotlight, executing one of the most significant celebrity maneuvers in WWE history and further elevating the expectations for crossover stars venturing into the realm of professional wrestling. Despite enduring the pin, Jelly Roll defied skepticism and demonstrated his rightful place within a WWE ring.
Following a 30-minute main event that saw Gunther and Punk contend for the World Heavyweight Championship, resulting in a title change, the evening’s most significant surprise occurred as Rollins’ theme music reverberated, initially suggesting the authenticity of his knee injury. Rollins then discarded his crutches, shed his knee brace, and sprinted to the ring to cash in the Money in the Bank contract on an exhausted Punk. Rollins assaulted and pinned his longtime adversary, securing the top championship of “WWE Raw.”
Here are the complete results from SummerSlam Night 1:
Seth Rollins utilizes the Money in the Bank contract, defeating CM Punk to seize the World Heavyweight Championship.
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Standout moment: Rollins discarding the crutches
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Assessment: This will undoubtedly provoke divided reactions, as it marks the second instance this year where WWE executed a noteworthy swerve involving potentially real-life occurrences. In a week that witnessed WWE peeling back the curtain like never before with the release of “Unreal” on Netflix, Rollins’ cash-in reinforces the enduring presence of kayfabe. Regardless, the execution was masterful, even with a degree of predictability that had been surfacing in recent weeks. This lays the groundwork for the Punk-Rollins “fight forever” rivalry to persist throughout 2025 — and potentially beyond. Historically, WWE formulates plans backward from WrestleMania, and I believe there exists a credible path for Punk to win the Royal Rumble and subsequently secure another main-event showcase.
CM Punk def. Gunther in 30:18 to claim the World Heavyweight Championship.
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Standout moment: Punk’s concluding offensive surge
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Assessment: Individually, Punk and Gunther possess remarkable talent, a fact few wrestling enthusiasts would contest. This match featured compelling storytelling and technical precision, but to be candid, it felt somewhat protracted as a closing act. Gunther had never fully regained the momentum or threat he possessed prior to WrestleMania 41, rendering his title loss here logical. The aftermath involving Rollins suggests that Gunther may be absent from the main-event picture on “Raw” for a period — and one could argue that he needs a change of environment and a transition to “SmackDown.” We know Punk’s trajectory, and he experienced a significant moment, but ultimately it didn’t attain the heights of his WrestleMania 41 match or even his match against John Cena earlier this summer.
Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre def. Jelly Roll and Randy Orton in 17:05
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Standout moment: Paul’s splash onto Jelly Roll
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Assessment: Credit to Jelly Roll for enduring that substantial bump. As I mentioned previously and in our live coverage — that was arguably the most significant celebrity bump we have ever witnessed. Jelly Roll also continued to demonstrate that the era of WWE celebrity crossover has undergone a complete transformation, with these “outsiders” investing the necessary effort to impress on these prominent stages. Beyond that, minimal alterations will occur for the trajectories of Orton, McIntyre, or Paul, all of whom should remain on the periphery of the main-event picture for the remainder of the year. This was arguably the most entertaining match of Night 1.
Tiffany Stratton def. Jade Cargill in 7:03 to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.
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Standout moment: Cargill catching Stratton mid-air
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Assessment: Both women projected strength in this concise, yet decisive match. Despite Cargill’s defeat, she demonstrated her ongoing development with each ring appearance and possesses such immense power that she will consistently generate moments of awe. Stratton continues to be crafted into a dominant champion — remaining undefeated in 2025 — with her potential next challenger emerging from Bianca Belair or, should WWE seek to invigorate the top-heavy “Raw” women’s division, one of the losers from Night 2’s triple threat.
Sami Zayn def. Karrion Kross in 8:09.
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Standout moment: Zayn spiking the steel pipe
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Assessment: The progression of this match suggests a conclusion to the Zayn-Kross feud. Similar to what we observed on Saturday Night’s Main Event last month, this match could have benefitted from additional time on an episode of “Raw” rather than being incorporated into this card. I would have even preferred to see the Giulia vs. Zelina Vega Women’s United States Championship match from Friday’s “SmackDown” in this slot.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair def. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez in 13:35 to secure the Women’s Tag Team Championship.
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Standout moment: Bliss saving Flair after Pop Rox
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Assessment: Bliss and Flair possess considerable momentum, and this victory should provide the impetus that WWE’s women’s tag-team division sorely requires. This was a genuinely strong, entertaining match that illustrated the potential of this division when star power and compelling storytelling are involved. As for Perez and Rodriguez, their narrative hinges significantly on the Judgment Day and the eventual return of Liv Morgan, mitigating the impact of a loss here. Perez, in particular, remains arguably the most significant main-roster breakout of 2025.
Jey Uso and Roman Reigns def. Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker in 21:05
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Standout moment(s): Reigns’ and Reed’s dives out of the ring
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Assessment: The subsequent developments for these four men are directly intertwined with Rollins’ cash-in from later in the evening. Breakker and Reed revert to being Rollins’ subordinates, potentially vying for tag-team or mid-card titles to strengthen the faction. As for Reigns, he undoubtedly has unfinished business with Rollins and Paul Heyman, enabling him to immediately insert himself as a challenger whenever he desires. There were instances in this match where Reigns sacrificed himself to safeguard Uso, which could indicate his return to leading a Bloodline-esque faction or — perhaps more likely — he elevates Uso by bestowing upon him the Ula Fala. Uso should be capable of working his way back into the main event on “Raw” again, even if it serves as a stepping stone to a Reigns vs. Rollins showdown.
