Gunther delivered quite the moment at WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, as the Ring General not only retained his World Heavyweight Championship but also retired a WWE legend in Goldberg at the same time. On tonight’s Monday Night Raw, Gunther sat back and watched five of WWE’s best battle it out in a gauntlet match to get a shot at his Championship at SummerSlam. That turned out to be only one major reveal from the match, as by the end of the night, WWE’s biggest superstar also made their long-awaited return to the ring, and you’ll never guess who they helped along the way.
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Bron Breakker vs Penta
Breakker started off the match against Penta, and while Breakker got the first strike, Penta soon recovered and knocked Breakker to the mat with a crossbody. Breakker picked up immense speed and hit Penta with a monster clothesline, but Penta pulled the ropes down to send Breakker to the floor and then knocked Breakker down again after a flawless dive.
Back from break, Penta had collided with the steel steps, and Breakker got him back in the ring only to taunt him a bit, which backfired after Penta got on a roll with a few strikes. Breakker cut that momentum off though with a slam and a cover attempt, though Penta got back into the fight with a sling blade and an impressive meteroa right to Breakker’s chest. Penta brought down Breakker for a 2-count but got met with a knee strike to the head, only to then get hit with a spear in mid-air, which would end Penta’s time in the match.
Breakker vs Knight
It was then LA Knight’s turn to enter the gauntlet match, and Knight was aggressive right from the start, lighting Breakker up with a host of strikes and stomps before hitting a big slam for a 2-count. Knight worked on Breakker’s shoulder and arm, and then slammed that same shoulder into the ring post. Knight kept slamming the arm around the ring post to wear it down even further, and it was clearly working, as Breakker faltered when he tried to lift up Knight.
Knight hit a sliding kick that knocked Breakker into the announce table, but Breakker turned the tables and slammed Knight’s ribs into the announce table before targeting the ribs again back in the ring. Knight mounted a comeback, but Breakker sent him back to the mat soon after, and the ribs were clearly posing some issues for Knight.
Knight and Breakker would both collide and knock each other to the mat after a double clothesline. Knight hit a huge flying elbow from the top rope and went for the cover, but Breakker was able to kick out at 2 and a half. Knight then countered a Breakker and almost got the win again, but Breakker raked the eyes and then hit a gutbuster that once again targeted the ribs. Breakker hit a spear and closed the book on Knight, moving on to the next opponent.
Breakker vs Jey Uso
Jey Uso was the next opponent to enter the ring, and he was encountering a worn-down Breakker. Jey went right at Breakker and connected with big strikes before clotheslining Breakker to the floor, and a dive ensured that he stayed there. Jey then ran back his entrance theme right after, and that seemed to backfire on him, as Breakker took over control of the match soon after.
Despite the miscalculation, Jey got back on track with a flying crossbody on Breakker, and Jey kept up the offense and almost got a 3-count. Breakker then hit the Breakkensteiner from the top rope and went for a cover, but Jey managed to kick out. Breakker built up speed but got clocked with two superkicks and a spear from Jey, and yet he managed to kick out of the cover. Jey went up for one more move, but Bronson Reed interfered and pulled Jey down, setting him up for a spear from Breakker, which gave him the win.
Breakker vs. CM Punk
Punk immediately charged at Breakker with strikes, a slam into the corner, and a bulldog that knocked Breakker to the floor. Back from break, Punk was still in control, slamming Breakker down and then throwing him into the corner turnbuckle. Breakker caught Punk’s next move off the top rope though, slamming him down and giving himself a chance to regroup.
Breakker connected with a vicious knee strike before taunting Punk in the corner, and then Breakker brought down Punk with back-to-back suplexes, though it wasn’t enough to keep Punk down. Punk went for the GTS, but it was countered into a backbreaker from Bron, which led to more taunting. Breakker got caught by a kick to the face, but Breakker then hit the Breakensteiner once more, only to have it countered into a pin for a 2-count.
Breakker got rocked with a kick to the side of the head, but Punk couldn’t make the cover. After an exchange of strikes, Punk hit a neckbreaker and a running knee, but Reed then tried to interfere again, only to get kicked to the floor. Punk set up for an elbow drop and went for the pin, but Breakker kicked out, only to get locked in the Anaconda Vice. Reed ran in and then hit an elbow drop on Punk, breaking up the hold. That drew out Jey Uso, who hit a superkick on Reed and brought him down to the floor. Breakker set up for a spear on Punk, but Punk kicked him in the head and hit the GTS, and after the 3-count, Punk moves on to SummerSlam to face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
A Long-Awaited Return
After the match, Reed charged at Punk but got saved again by Jey, though Breakker speared Uso and then speared Punk as well. Reed then dragged Punk to the corner along with Uso, setting up for a Tsunami. That’s when Roman Reigns made his glorious return and ran to the ring, hitting Reed with a Superman Punch and then hitting Breakker with a spear.
Reigns picked up Reed right after and slammed him down before hitting another Superman Punch on Breakker, and now it was Reed’s turn to get a spear. Reigns stood tall in the center of the ring and then helped up Jey, though he didn’t extend a hand to Punk. Reigns stared down Heyman and his new crew as Raw came to a close, and now the OTC is finally back in the mix.
It is interesting that while he didn’t help Punk up off the ground, he did in fact help Punk by interfering in the match at all. That can also be traced to his hate of Seth Rollins, as Rollins is the one who pulled off the double cross at WrestleMania 41. Now Reigns is back for some revenge, though it remains to be seen when Rollins will actually return to make that collision actually happen.
What did you think of Reigns’ return, and what do you hope to see him doing at SummerSlam? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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