SummerSlam‘s main event between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso was competed under “Tribal Combat” rules with both the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and Reigns’ status as “The Tribal Chief” on the line. Like most of Reigns’ matches, the ending was heavily influenced by outside interference as both Solo Sikoa and a returning Jimmy Uso got involved and helped Reigns retain. However, fans have since taken online to point out a noticeable oversight by someone within WWE. When the match was first announced, the rules were explained on WWE.com that there would be no disqualifications and no count outs. But there was also a note that no one was allowed to interfere, something that was clearly ignored.
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It’s unclear what happened here. Were there wires crossed when the WWE.com preview article was written? Did WWE forget they had added this to the stipulation when setting up the match? Or was there originally supposed to be no interference, but plans were changed and the company’s higher-ups hoped that nobody noticed? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Paul Heyman on Roman Reigns’ Run Not Hitting the Halfway Point
Reigns’ “Wise Man” Paul Heyman spoke at the post-show press conference and once again claimed Reigns is in the “third inning” of his dominant run. The same line was used after Reigns retained at WrestleMania 39.
“We are just figuring this stuff out,” Heyman said (h/t WrestleZone). “We haven’t even hit our stride yet. If you want to take the arrogant approach, I’m sure Paul Levesque will tell you all the box office records that have been smashed. Every Friday night when we show up at SmackDown, we’re always told, ‘This is the largest gate of this and the largest gate of that.’ ‘This is the largest premium live event.’ ‘This is the largest WrestleMania.’ Okay, we can sit there and point to what clearly drove all this, and it’s the Bloodline, and when I say the Bloodline, I mean the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
“There is so much more for us to master. It’s a craft, and it’s an evolving craft. It’s an ever-evolving form of entertainment,” he continued. “If you sit there and you think, ‘We got this, this is it, we’re cruising to WrestleMania,’ we’re going to be replaced, and we should be. If you don’t come at this with the greatest ambitions to be much better tomorrow than you are today and much better two days from now, then you’re not here to be the greatest of all time.”
WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results
- Logan Paul def. Ricochet
- Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
- LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
- Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
- Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre
- World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
- WWE Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair
- WWE Women’s Championship: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair
- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)
