If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!

Saturday Night’s Main Event returns to Madison Square Garden for a star-studded, high-stakes tag team match: Cody Rhodes & CM Punk VS Gunther & Sami Zayn!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Brie Bella & Paige VS Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid w/ Jacy Jayne; Fallon & Lainey win and become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
• No Disqualifications: Danhausen VS JD McDonagh w/ Dominik Mysterio; Danhausen wins.
• Bayley VS Lyra Valkyria; Lyra wins.
• Undisputed WWE Championship Stakes: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes VS GUNTHER & Sami Zayn; Punk & Cody win and deny Gunther & Sami their title opportunity.

PLAY BY PLAY

Madison Square Garden can make you or break you.

The most famous arena in the world, the heartbeat of New York. A place where championships are won, icons are born, and moments become memories that last forever. Now, on a red-hot summer Saturday, WWE returns home. Are you ready for Saturday Night’s Main Event?

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Brie Bella & Paige VS Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid w/ Jacy Jayne!

The icons have been going back and forth with the new kids on the block, and now it’s time to put up or shut up! Will the Women’s Tag Division still be on #ScreamMode? Or will the Toxic Cowgirl & Southern Belle be able to bring us all under their Influence?

The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see who really runs things around here!

The teams sort out and Paige starts against Fallon, who rushes up! Paige TOSSES Fallon, but Lainey THROWS Paige down! Lainey rains down fists, she’s actually starting. She mocks Brie and the “YES! YES!” but Paige TACKLES Lainey! Paige rains down fists, tags Brie in, then they double wrench to double mule kick! Jacy protests but the champs hit a DOUBLE CODE BREAKER! Fallon tags in, Brie dodges to arm-drag! And DROPKICK! Brie kicks but Fallon blocks, slips through, and waistlocks. Brie fights free but Fallon DECKS her! Fallon and Jacy both mock the “YES! YES!” while the fans boo.

Fallon goes back to Brie, but Brie blocks the kick to KNEE Fallon! Brie bumps Fallon off buckles, tags Paige, and Paige KNEES Fallon! Brie SLAPS Fallon, then the champs DOUBLE BULLDOG! Paige covers, TWO! Fallon is tougher than that, but Paige headlocks. Fallon powers up and out, Paige ducks ‘n’ dodges to yank Fallon back and mule kick! Lainey sneaks the tag as Paige runs. Fallon wheelbarrows Paige, STUNGUN GERMAN SUPLEX COMBO! Lainey then hurries to rain down fists! And drop a leg! Lainey mocks Paige, “This is MY house!” The fans boo but Lainey drags Paige up to CLUB her back down.

Lainey bumps Paige off buckles, tags Fallon, and they mug Paige in the corner. Fallon ROCKS Paige, Fallon stomps away, then tags Lainey. Lainey ROCKS Paige, soaks up the heat with a bow, then snapmares Paige. Lainey pushes Paige down, stomps her, then clamps on a chinlock. Paige endures, fights up, and JAWBREAKERS free! Lainey staggers, but she keeps Paige from Brie. Paige ROCKS Lainey, Lainey holds on, and repeat! Lainey then kicks low, bumps her off buckles, and tags in Fallon. Fallon sends Lainey in, but Paige ELBOWS Lainey, then BOOTS Fallon! Paige dodges them both, and hot tags Brie!

The fans fire up as Brie DOUBLE LARIATS! Then a LARIAT for Fallon! Brie whips, Fallon reverses, but Brie goes up, around, and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEPS! The fans fire up with Brie, and she unleashes YES KICKS! “YES! YES! YES!” Fallon sputters, flounders, but Lainey runs in! Brie dodges her to ROUNDHOUSE! Lainey sits back, and #BrieMode activates! KNEE for Lainey, then KNEE for Fallon! Brie pushes Fallon out, goes up a corner, and takes aim! MISSILIE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Fallon toughs it out again, but Brie steps over and rolls into the YES LOCK!! Fallon flails, fights forward, ROPEBREAK!

Brie lets go, storms back up, but into an UP KICK! Fallon runs up, YEEHAW FACEBUSTER! Both women are down and the fans fire up! Brie ROCKS Fallon, tags Paige, and Paige runs up! Fallon TOSSES Paige out, Paige ROCKS Fallon! Paige reels Fallon in for KNEE after KNEE after KNEE! Jacy gets on the apron, but Paige DECKS her! The fans cheer, but then Fallon throat chops Paige! Fallon has Paige in the ropes, CLUBS her, then tags Lainey. Fallon runs to SLIDING GERMAN! But Brie THROWS Fallon into barriers! Lainey MOONSAULTS but Brie saves Paige! The fans cheer as Paige then Oklahoma Rolls, but Jacy breaks it up!

The fans boo but Fallon dodges Brie and BOOTS her down! Paige SLAPS Fallon! And THROWS her out! Lainey rolls Paige up, TWO! Lainey ROCKS Paige! Jacy fires up for her team as Lainey brings down the kneepad! SWEET TEA- BOOT from Paige! Jacy gets on the apron again, but Fallon is back! LARIAT! Paige flounders, Lainey runs up, but Paige POSTS Lainey first! Paige and Fallon tug-o-war with Lainey, Brie CLOBBERS Fallon! Paige rolls Lainey, but Jacy tips it over!! Lainey has the cover, FATAL INFLUENCE WINS!

Winners: Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid, by pinfall (NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions)

As savvy as the veterans are, the numbers game wins out! The Women’s Tag Division is now under the Influence, will this just be the beginning of the takeover?

Backstage interview with Sami Zayn.

Cathy Kelley says there’s another massive tag team match later tonight: Cody Rhodes & CM Punk VS Gunther & Sami Zayn. Cathy asks if Sami is ready to talk. We know Gunther had choice words for Sami Zayn last night, does Sami have any thoughts? Sami says he has thoughts, alright. There’s a reason Sami didn’t wanna talk, though, it’s because he wants to choose his words carefully. He doesn’t wanna call himself a victim, that’s not who he is, but with everything that’s happened since he won the Undisputed Championship has been egregious! Everything! Now Cody and Punk are walking into SummerSlam’s main event, and all anyone had to do was say, “When!”

Really? Say when? Sami had to smash his head against a glass ceiling for ten YEARS to find himself in that position, and all they had to do is say when! When Sami called Nick Aldis to say this was wrong, to ask if he should not be part of this, and now he’s in a tag match with a man who says Sami is not on his level. Speaking of, Gunther walks in. Gunther and Sami stare down, and Gunther tells Sami that whatever he does tonight, just stay out of Gunther’s way, and do NOT ruin SummerSlam for him. Gunther leaves, Sami scowls, and there is a water bottle… Sami doesn’t hit it, will he use all his frustration on Cody & Punk in the main event?

No Disqualifications: Danhausen VS JD McDonagh w/ Dominik Mysterio!

Did the Very Nice, Very Evil Overlord take the human moneys The Judgment Day gave him? Did he help the New York Knicks win an NBA Championship? Did he NOT curse Oba Femi for them? Who’s to say on any of those things, but one thing is clear: Danhausen and the Irish Ace are now going to fight with no limitations! Jackie Redmond interviews Judgment Day’s JD, Dom, and Liv Morgan at gorilla, and she knows the match is up next, but she wants to know, is JD worried about whatever Danhausen might have in store? JD says we all agree Danhausen himself is the curse. So now JD will rid us all of that sad buffoon. One way or another, Danhausen’s getting it!

JD makes his entrance, Liv & Dom with him. But will the Luck of the Irish be enough to save the Irish Ace? Or will Danhausen doom Judgment Day once and for all?

The fans cheer as Danhausen is in Knicks orange ‘n’ blue for the occasion. The bell rings and the fans rally behind Danhausen. The two circle, and Danhausen powers it up already! JD bails out of the ring before Danhausen can fire the curse! Dom calms JD down, coaches him up, and then gets on the apron to use the Danhausen jersey as a distraction! The fans boo but JD CLOBBERS Danhausen from behind! JD bumps Danhausen off buckles, CHOPS and ROCKS and repeat! JD sits Danhausen down, digs his boots in, and kicks Danhausen out of the ring. JD then whips Danhausen hard into barriers!

The fans boo but JD drags Danhausen up to whip him into more barriers! And then POSTS him! JD follows Danhausen around the way, SMACKS him off the desk, but the fans rally up! Danhausen throws hands back, but JD SMACKS Danhausen again! Dom gets a shot in because No Disqualifications! The fans boo but JD & Dom take turns bouncing Dnahausen off the desk! Danhausen flops over, JD says the fairytale is over! JD puts Danhausen in the ring, then storms up to snap suplex! Danhausen flounders, JD soaks up heat, then he FALLING AX HANDLES! Cover, TWO! Danhausen toughs it out and the fans rally up.

JD stalks Danhausen while Dom wipes his shoes with the jersey! The fans boo even harder now, then JD whips Danhausen hard in the corner! The fans chant “DOM, YOU SUCK!” while JD ELBOW DROPS Danhausen. JD stomps Danhausen’s fingers, then stands him up to bump off buckles. JD CHOPS, whips corner to corner hard, and Danhausen falls to the mat. JD does push-ups just to taunt Danhausen, then he drags Danhausen up. Danhausen fires body shots, backs JD into a corner, and he CHOPS! CHOPS! Then Danhausen climbs up to rain down fists! The fans count along, Danhausen goes to nine, but JD slips free to trip Danhausen up!

JD suplexes for a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Danhausen survives and the fans rally up again. Dom is annoyed, as is JD, but JD calls to Dom. JD drags Danhausen around, Dom passes him the jersey. The fans boo but JD wipes his butt with the jersey! Then he drapes the jersey over Danhausen, goes up the corner, and MOONSAULT FLOPS! The fans cheer as Danhausen rises up, and puts on the jersey! But JD spins Danhausen around to SLAP him! Danhausen just gets mad! JD SLAPS him again, but Danhausen fires haymakers! Danhausen backs JD down, whips him to ropes, but JD reverses. Danhausen atomic drops! Danhausen runs to LARIAT!

Dom runs up but Danhausen gets him for a NORTHERN LIGHTS! Danhausen runs corner to corner and UPPERCUTS JD! JD flounders, Danhausen winds it up, and he dragon sleepers! But JD victory rolls through! TWO, but JD kicks low! JD reels Danhausen in, suplexes, but gets a STUN-DOG MILLIONAIRE! Cover, TWO! JD survives but the fans continue to rally for Danhausen! Danhausen waits on JD to rise up, and he dragon sleepers! But Dom CLOBBERS Danhausen! The fans boo as Dom stomps away, but there’s nothing they can do under No DQ! JD joins in, Judgment Day is just mugging Danhausen!

Dom stands Danhausen up and JD HEADBUTTS him! Dom keeps Danhausen on his feet, JD HEADBUTTS again! Dom shoves Danhausen down, and then JD RIPS the jersey away!! The fans boo as JD throws down the tattered jersey. Dom shoves JD and says get the tables! The fans boo as now these two try and copy the Dudley Boys! Danhausen gets out of the ring while JD & Dom yank a table out! But MINIHAUSEN is here?! The fans cheer as the rest of the Minihausens appear! FLYING RANA sends JD into Dom! Then a CROSSBODY, and a DOUBLE CROSSBODY! The fans fire up as the Minihausens mug Judgment Day!

Dom & JD shove the Minihausens away, and even BOOT one down! The fans boo but JD & Dom whip a Minihausen hard into a corner! And then whip another one hard into the steel steps! But wait, Danhausen hurries to shove his jersey and the stuffed animal cat into the cloning machine!? JD & Dom get their table in the ring, and they beat up on a Minihausen at the same time! The fans boo but the table is up and ready in the drop zone! Dom drags the Minihausen up, feeds him to JD, but the machine powers up! And with a spark and a puff of smoke, out steps… “KATHAUSEN!” AKA Karl Anthony Towns!

The fans go wild as KAT storms his way to the ring in a brand new “Champhausen” shirt! And they both say, “You! Are! Cursed!” JD runs up, but into a guzel! And a SLAM DUNK CHOKE SLAM! Dom is panicking but KAT guzels him, too! CHOKE SLAM through the table!! The fans are thunderous as Danhausen has JD for the REVERSE DDT! Cover, Danhausen wins!

Winner: Danhausen, by pinfall

Give the assist to Towns, he was definitely bad luck for Dom & JD! Danhausen, Towns, and the Minihausens all celebrate with New York, but will Danhausen be able to leave Judgment Day in the rearview mirror?

Backstage interview with Lyra Valkyria.

Cathy Kelley apologizes for bothering her, she is surely going through a lot of emotions, but could she be willing to share how she’s feeling before her match with former best friend, Bayley? Lyra says y’know what’s funny? What gives her a real laugh? Last time we were here, Lyra & Bayley were fighting for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Funny, right? The real joke is Lyra’s whole career, she wanted to make it to the top, and be proud of how she did it. And now… Here we are! Cathy asks if Lyra will be done with Bayley after tonight. Lyra says she can’t stop thinking about who she might have been if Bayley had just been who Lyra needed her to be.

After tonight, Bayley will be out of Lyra’s head forever. The Morrigan storms off, will she manage to change her fortunes with her own two hands? Or will the Role Model show her how you actually get over failure and heartbreak?

Backstage interview with Bayley.

Jackie Redmond catches The Role Model on her way into gorilla and asks for just a moment of her time. This is an emotional night as Bayley faces her former friend. Everything Lyra said on Raw must still be in her head, how is Bayley feeling heading out there? Bayley says on Monday, she tried to give Lyra grace because Bayley thought Lyra was different. But turns out that Bayley is the different one. She thinks differently than every single person in that locker room, she’s the one who has been making history for over a decade, and she will be the one to end Lyra before she even gets started. Bayley moves on, but is she ready to move on?

Bayley VS Lyra Valkyria!

The bell rings and Lyra runs up! They tie up, go around, and are in a deadlock. Bayley finds a point of leverage to power Lyra to a corner, but Lyra pushes her away. Bayley SLAPS Lyra, Lyra runs up, but Bayley powers her down! Bayley HAMMERS away, then brings Lyra up, but Lyra THROWS Bayley down by her hair! The fans duel as Bayley TACKLES Lyra and rains down shots! Lyra scrambles around, goes to the apron, but Bayley goes out! Bayley spins Lyra around to ROCK her, then brings her to the floor. Bayley tells Lyra that she wanted this, and she CLUBS Lyra on the back! Bayley puts Lyra on the apron, then drags her out again, draping suplex to the floor!

The ring count climbs, Bayley reminds Lyra that she wanted this, but the ref has Bayley back off. Lyra is bloodied from one of those wild shots, and the ref gets a towel. Bayley shows some regret and concern, but then Lyra rushes her! Bayley manage to knock Lyra back down, she throws hands, but Lyra hits back! Lyra fires body shots, then whips Bayley, but Bayley reverses to SMACK Lyra off the apron! Bayley puts Lyra in the ring, brings her around, and THROWS her through the ropes. Bayley hesitates, but she shakes her head and winds up. Lyra SHOVES Bayley away to deny the hotshot! Bayley comes back to grab at Lyra!

Lyra blocks the whip, and she HOTSHOTS Bayley in return! Lyra snarls through her bloody nose and storms up on Bayley. Lyra SLAPS Bayley, drags her around, and THRASHES her around! The fans boo as Lyra looms over Bayley. The ref has Lyra use the towel on her nose again, then Lyra RAMS Bayley into a corner! And again! And again! Lyra whips, Bayley reverses, and Lyra tumbles up, out, and to the floor! The fans rally as Bayley takes aim. Bayley wants after Lyra but the medics are checking Lyra. Between the bloody nose and the wild landing, there’s a lot of concern from the WWE team. But then Bayley DIVES onto Lyra anyway!

The fans fire up as Bayley then gets Lyra in, covers, TWO! Lyra sputters but Bayley eggs her on. Bayley whips Lyra to the ropes, Lyra reverses, and Lyra hits a HIP TOSS! Lyra hurries to get Bayley up, snapmares, then KNEE DROPS! Bayley clutches her face as Lyra tries to get payback on what happened to her nose. Lyra whips Bayley corner to corner, but Bayley reverses. Lyra BOOTS back, then puts Bayley on the ropes to stand on her head! The ref counts, the fans boo, but Lyra backs off. Lyra argues with the ref, mocks the fans cheering Bayley on, but Bayley ROCKS Lyra! Bayley fires forearms again and again, then whips.

Bayley BACKDROPS Lyra, Lyra hobbles away to a corner, and the fans rally as Bayley hurries over. Bayley whips, Lyra reverses, but Bayley goes up, over, and sunset flips it! TWO, but Bayley has the legs! BOSTON CRAB! Lyra endures, reaches out, but Bayley bends Lyra back! Lyra uses that to roll through and throw hands from below! Lyra BOOTS Bayley away, and Bayley goes to the apron. Lyra runs up, but into the HOTSHOT STUNNER! Lyra falls, Bayley goes up, and the fans rally as Bayley takes aim. But Lyra trips Bayley up! Lyra taunts the fans, then goes outside. Lyra brings Bayley around, NECKBREAKER against the crossbar!

Lyra drags Bayley through the ropes, KICKS and KICKS and KICKS, then goes up the corner! GUILLOTINE PERIPETEIA!! Cover, TWO?!?! Bayley survives and Lyra is snarling! Lyra paces around Bayley, drags her up, and the fans rally up again. Bayley ROCKS Lyra, Lyra SLAPS Bayley! And repeat! The fans rally as the shots go back and forth! Lyra KNEES, CLUBS, and runs, but Bayley blocks the leg lariat! BIG back suplex! Bayley then lines up a SUNSET BUCKLE BOMB! Bayley doesn’t stop there, she hooks Lyra up< ROSE- NO, Lyra powers out! But Bayley slips around, BLINDSIDE LARIAT! CROSSFACE!!

Lyra endures as Bayley is trying to make a statement! Lyra claws at the hold, claws at the mat, fights forward, but Bayley kicks at the hand! Then Bayley kicks off the ropes to roll through! But Lyra fireman’s carries! Bayley slips free, but Lyra HOTSHOTS the O’Conner Roll away! The fans rally as Lyra locks in on Bayley. Bayley flounders, eggs Lyra on, so Lyra guzels Bayley! But Bayley clinches! Lyra slips free, takeover, into a BULLY CHOKE!! Bayley endures, reaches out, but Lyra bridges high on the hold! Bayley is fading! Foaming at the mouth even! BAYLEY IS OUT, LYRA WINS!

Winner: Lyra Valkyria, by submission

Lyra lets go, and yet it’s hard to say if any of this made her feel better about things. Lyra kicks Bayley out of the ring like she’s nothing, but then Lyra can’t leave it alone! Lyra drags Bayley up, and she grins as she POSTS Bayley! And then another throw into the BULLY CHOKE!! Bayley sputters, the ref reprimands, but Lyra only lets go when more refs rush out here! Then Lyra moves the steel steps around! The fans boo and the refs reprimands but Lyra still drags Bayley up! Lyra drags Bayley over, fireman’s carries, and she goes up to NIGHTWING DRIVER on the steps!! Lyra stands on Bayley, but the refs shoo her away.

The Morrigan has become dark and vicious, but will this bird of prey soon hunt down that “Shiny Shiny” once again? Will Bayley even be able to return to the ring after all this?

Undisputed WWE Championship Stakes: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes VS GUNTHER & Sami Zayn!

This championship has seen quite a lot of action lately. Night of Champions saw The American Nightmare and Der Ring General both be outmaneuvered by the Last Real Good Guy, only for that reign to last nine days. The Second City Saint won this title in said city, and this might be WWE’s second Summer of Punk! But then, Nick Aldis rather surprisingly put in a stipulation that would let Gunther and Sami have a second chance. If they win, they get added to SummerSlam’s main event to make it a Fatal 4 Way! Can Punk & Cody work together to keep things even? Or will the odds not be in their favor?

Cathy Kelley is with Punk & Cody at gorilla, and she says that after speaking to Sami and Gunther earlier, there is still a lot of animosity between those two. How determined are Punk & Cody to keep SummerSlam 1v1? Cody says well, well, well! Surprised she didn’t ask the age old question, “Can they coexist?” But of course they can, they’re friends, and they have waited for this match for years! And Cody won’t let Punk have any excuses when Cody beats him for reign number four. Tell ’em, Punk! Punk says this guy is trying to out angle Punk… They’ve been friends, brothers, and while tonight they are partners, they will be opponents at SummerSlam.

But this isn’t personal, this is business. Two men at the top of their craft want to prove who is the better man, so they have to make sure it stays 1v1. They will watch each other’s backs so that Cody has no excuses when Punk beats him at SummerSlam. Cody asks who goes out first. Punk said he can go out with Cody but normally, the champ… Okay, Cody’s music hits first anyway. The fans cheer the American Nightmare and sing along with Kingdom, “WHOA~ OH!” Cody gets his pyro, he high-fives the front row fans as he goes to the ring, and we get the second “WHOA~ OH~!” and pyro. Then Punk makes his entrance and fans sing along with Cult of Personality.

Cody sits cross-legged in the ring while the fans join in on, “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME~!” Punk is amused seeing Cody copy him, and he continues to the ring. Gunther makes his entrance now, which the fans boo. That leaves Sami for last but certainly not least. Though, not sure a “good guy” would take a fan’s sign and throw it down just cuz it poked fun at him… But then Sami gets right at Punk, and we continue where things left off last night on SmackDown! Gunther is after Cody, too, and the bell rings! Sami and Punk brawl in one corner, Cody fires off on Gunther in another! Punk whips but Sami reverses to ROCK Punk!

Gunther CHOPS Cody, Punk hits Sami with a NECKBREAKER! Things finally sort out, and Punk tags Cody. Punk holds Sami up for Cody to AX HANDLE! Punk gets a kick in before he steps out. Cody whips and ELBOWS Sami down, then wrenches Sami’s arm. Cody YANKS Sami’s arm, tags Punk, and Punk climbs up to drop an AX HANDLE! Punk brings Sami up but Sami RAMS Punk into the corner! Gunther helps mug Punk, then he tags in. Gunther CHOPS Punk, CHOPS again, then CHOPS again! Punk falls out of the ring, Gunther tags Sami in, and Sami distracts the ref. Gunther goes out after Punk, but Punk CHOPS first! Gunther CHOPS Punk down!

Gunther then drags Punk up to BARRIER BACK SUPLEX! Punk falls into the timekeeper’s area, but the ref misses it from keeping Sami and Cody apart. A ring count climbs, Gunther taunts Punk, but Cody hurries to help Punk up. Cody helps Punk get in the ring at 7 of 10, but Sami drags Punk around to rain down fists. The fans rally, but Sami shouts at Punk that he STOLE the title from him! Sami HEADBUTTS again and again, then he drags Punk up to CHOP! Sami shoves Punk to a corner, CHOPS again, then ROCKS him again and again! The ref counts as Sami fires hands, and Sami stops at 4.

Sami throws off his “Justice For Sami” shirt, then puts Punk up top. Sami climbs while the fans rally, and Punk fires forearms in return! Punk SHOVES Sami down, adjusts, and CROSSBODIES! Both men are down and the fans fire up! The fans rally as Punk and Sami crawl, hot tags to Gunther and Cody! The fans fire up as Cody fires hands on Gunther! Cody runs, ROCKS Gunther, then dodges in the corner! SNAP POWERSLAM! Cody springboards, DISASTER KICK! Sami is back but Cody dodges to JAB, JAB, JAB! Then flip, flop, fly, and BIONIC ELBOW! Gunther back suplexes, but Cody lands out!

Cody springboards again, CODY CUTTER! The fans fire up, and Cody throws the weight belt to the fans! Then Cody DIVES onto Sami! The fans are thunderous as Cody goes back tot he ring. Cody ROCKS Gunther, goes up the corner, and AX- NO, Gunther dodges, ripcords, but Cody ducks the lariat! Cody goes up, up, and SUPER CODY CUTTERS!! Cover, TWO!! Gunther survives, but Cody keeps the fans fired up. Cody then brings Gunther in, dragon sleepers, but Gunther snapmares free. Tag to Sami, he runs up, dodges Cody, and he BLASTS Punk! Then Sami dodges Cody, reels him in, BLUE- NO, Cody fights free!

Cody catches Sami, dragon sleepers, but Sami drops to victory roll! TWO, and Cody swings, but into the BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO! Sami is frustrated but he gets his “Ride or Die” fans fired up. The rest boo as Sami aims from a corner. Sami runs up, Cody dodges the boot! Sami hits buckles, falls back, and Cody crawls his way over. The fans rally, Cody leaps, hot tag to Punk! Punk goes up, and he FLYING LARIATS Sami down! Then he wrenches Sami to SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Punk goes corner to corner to SHINING WIZARD! And BULLDOG! The fans fire up with Punk, he goes up the corner, and Punk smiles. MACHO ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO!

But Punk hurries to clamp on with an ANACONDA VICE!! Sami flails, Gunther storms in, btu Cody intercepts! Gunther CLUBS Cody, lifts him up, but Cody slips free! Cody trips Gunther, steps through, FIGURE FOUR!! Gunther and Sami both flail as they endure! Gunther reaches out, and he CLAWS Punk’s eyes! Sami is free, and then he CLOBBERS Cody to save Gunther! Sami rains down fists on Cody, but Punk is up! Sami catches Punk to a CORNER EXPLODER! The fans boo as Sami goes to the far side, and he takes aim again! HELLUVA KICK!! But Cody snatches Sami! CROSS RHODES! But Gunther ripcords Cody, LARIAT!!

The fans boo but Gunther has Punk now! Ripcord and- NO, Punk fireman’s carries! GO TO SLEEP!! All four men are down and the fans are thunderous again! “This is Awesome!” as Gunther and Cody slowly roll out of the ring. Sami sits up, crawls, but the fans rally for Punk. Punk and Sami crawl, hot tag to Gunther! Cody is still down as Gunther snatches Punk! But Punk slips through, SLEEPER! But Gunther sends Punk into Cody! SLEEPER!! And with body scissors!! The fans are freaking out, but Punk fights up! Punk manages to fireman’s carry! Gunther fires elbows, then slips down, SLEEPER! But Cody manages to tag in!

Cody gets Gunther in a dragon sleeper, CROSS RHODES!! Cover, but Sami CLOBBERS Punk onto them and the ref! The fans boo, but Sami sees the serendipity that just occurred. Sami rains down fists on Punk, tells him this is what he gets for what he did! Sami then pushes Cody down and says Cody was supposed to be Sami’s friend! Sami rains down fists, then he goes back to Punk. The fans boo but Punk fireman’s carries! GTS on Sami! Sami falls, Gunther stands, and Cody ROCKS Gunther! Gunther staggers, Punk CHOPS Gunther! Cody ROCKS Gunther, Punk CHOPS Gunther, repeat! Punk holds Gunther up, Cody runs, but Gunther slips away! Cody flies into Punk!

Gunther BOOTS Cody down! The fans boo but Gunther sees the serendipity that’s in his favor now! Gunther grabs the title belt, brings it into the ring, and he takes aim! Cody stands, into a BELT SHOT!! Cody is down, Gunther tosses the belt out, and he drags Cody around. Gunther reels Cody in, lifts him up, and GENERAL BOMBS!! Gunther covers, another ref rushes out here, and he counts, only for NICK ALDIS to yank the ref out?!? The fans are going nuts as the SmackDown GM then CLOBBERS Gunther with the blet! Punk gives Gunther a G T S!! Punk helps Cody make the cover, the original ref is back, PUNK & CODY WIN!

Winner: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes, by pinfall (the title match stays a 1v1 match)

The sheer evil genius of Nick Aldis! He personally gave Gunther this opportunity, just so he could personally screw Gunther out of it! Now Punk and Cody only have to worry about each other going into SummerSlam! With that, Cody is holding the belt, but he hands it to Punk. Punk and Cody shake hands and hug it out, ready to have a classic in Minneapolis. Though, Punk kinda gets Cody with the strap there as he slings it over his shoulder. Was that an accident? Or is Punk being passive aggressive already?

Jalen Brunson is here!

The “King of New York” and NBA MVP makes his way out from the locker room, down the hall, and wears a custom “OTC11” shirt. The fans cheer the highlight reel, and Jalen walks the halls of MSG highlights, from Muhammad Ali to the NBA to the decades of WWE history. Then he makes it to gorilla, high-fives his guy, Karl-Anthony Towns, then some VIPs and other fans. And then Roman Reigns is there to greet him! Roman says there he is! Is he ready? Jalen says you know it. And together, Jalen and Roman make their entrance to the ring. The fans put up their ones, Roman and Jalen to the same, and the pyro goes off.

Roman & Jalen continue to the ring, high-fiving the fans in the front row as they go. Then they step inside the ring, raise their ones, and the pyro goes off again. The fans cheer “M V P! M V P!” for Jalen and “O T C! O T C!” for Roman. The fans cheer “JALEN BRUNSON!” “M V P!” and Roman nods in respect. Roman gets the mic, the fans cheer for “O T C!” now, and he says, “Well this is something you don’t see every day, now do ya? Some of you are probably wondering, what’re we doing out here right now? And that’s why I’m here to tell ya, this is rare air. This is where greatness acknowledges greatness.” The fans cheer that!

Roman says it is no secret, this city is the home of WWE! The fans cheer that, too! Roman says he won’t lie, every time he comes here, the fans make the Tribal Chief feel like he’s home, too. The fans sing for “Roman, Roman Reigns~!” and chant for “O T C!” Roman says he speaks for everyone when he says 53 years was way too long! And Jalen will tell ya, this is a team sport. It took everybody on the roster. But Roman will be first to say that there’s only one Tribal Chief, and there’s only one Captain. The NBA Finals MVP! NBA Champion! And the King of New York! The fans cheer all that, too! Roman lets them cheer on “Jalen Brunson!” before continuing.

Roman says here in the WWE, every champion needs a belt. So The Tribal Chief made some moves. The fans cheer as a custom blue strap World Heavyweight Championship, with Jalen’s number 11 on the side plates, is brought to the ring. The fans cheer “You Deserve It!” as Roman hands the belt over to Jalen. Roman says not only does Jalen deserve it, this man earned it! The fans cheer that! Roman says now it is complete, and now it is time! “Madison Square Garden…! New York City…! ACKNOWLEDGE US!” The fans indeed cheer as OTC and MVP raise their titles to the sky. But then SETH ROLLINS is here!

The fans are torn as The Architect makes his entrance into Madison Square Garden! NOT! It’s Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers! But he is wearing a Seth Rollins merch shirt and wielding a chair. Jalen shakes his head, but then THE REAL ROLLINS attacks from behind! The fans boo as Rollins stomps away on Roman! Then Tyrese gets the chair to Rollins! Rollins warns Jalen to watch himself, and he aims at Roman! SUPERKICK! Roman falls back down, and Rollins puts the chair on the mat. Rollins says this is HIS world! Rollins doesn’t acknowledge a damn thing about Roman! Rollins puts Roman on the chair and says this is the end!

Rollins aims from a corner, but Jalen shakes his head as he stands in the way! The fans cheer, and Rollins throws off his jacket. Rollins says he could drop Jalen where he stands! Jalen says do it then! This his HIS house, mother lover! And then Roman SUPERMAN PUNCHES Rollins down! The fans fire up as Roman says “OOOAH~!” SPEAR on Rollins!! Rollins flounders out of the ring, Tyrese there to help him up, and these two are in retreat. Roman and Jalen stand tall, but will the OTC still be the WHC after SummerSlam? Or will the Visionary, the Revolutionary, Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins #BurnItDown once and for all?

As one last treat for New York and Jalen, Roman helps him put on that custom title belt while he also gets to hold THE world title belt. Then Roman gets to pick up the Larry O’Bryant trophy, aka the NBA Championship Trophy. These great champions stand tall together, pyro going off again. Will these two get to do this again as champions the next time SNME is in MSG?

My Thoughts:

A great SNME in MSG, but the only reason it was past two hours long was because they let Roman and Jalen take their time even getting out there. That was a really good looking custom belt for Jalen, and by extension the Knicks. I should’ve known Tyrese would join Rollins in trying to ruin the moment, but of course Roman & Jalen turned the tide and stood tall. And Karl-Anthony Towns being Danhausen’s back-up was also fitting, and if I was more into basketball, I would’ve realized the black cat stuffed animal was the foreshadowing. Good win for Danhausen, and hopefully this is all for him and Judgment Day so that we can get back to the story with Miz, Kit Wilson, and Matt Cardona.

Very good women’s tag team championship match, and I figured this would be where Fatal Influence wins. Good stuff in them cheating it like that, it can certainly give Paige & Brie a reason to want a rematch. Maybe if Nikki Bella is 100% in time for SummerSlam, it can be the Bella Twins reigning together like they intended in the first place. Very good promos from Lyra and Bayley before their match, but oof that bloody nose. Seemed to be a simple mistiming of Bayley hitting Lyra and Lyra sitting up, but luckily Lyra was able to power through and finish the match. Good win for Lyra, maybe she and Bayley run it back to make sure there isn’t a mishap next time.

Awesome tag match from Cody, Punk, Gunther and Sami, felt quite a bit like what a Fatal 4 Way from them would’ve been. And turns out, I was right, Aldis did want to set Gunther up for failure like that. This all but says Gunther VS Aldis is happening at SummerSlam, and that’s going to be awesome. And I still hope Johnny Gargano finally gets moving again and helps Sami Zayn do something, anything, to keep his story going.

My Score: 8.8/10