WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results: Winners And Grades From Ford Field – Forbes

The WWE SummerSlam 2023 results were largely predictable, with a twist or two, on a lively show. SummerSlam advertised an eight-match card with four championships on the line.

Jey Uso challenged Roman Reigns in the main event for the WWE Universal Championship and the title of Tribal Chief, GUNTHER defended his near-historic Intercontinental Championship reign against the returning Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor and Asuka defended her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Bianca in a Triple Threat Match.

SummerSlam also advertised a co-main event of Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.

Friday’s broadcast of WWE SmackDown garnered an overnight viewership of 2.151 million viewers per fast national data.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results | August 5

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight Wins Slim Jim Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey
• GUNTHER def. Drew McIntyre | WWE Intercontinental Title
• Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor | WWE World Heavyweight Title
• Bianca Belair def. Charlotte Flair and Asuka | WWE Women’s World Title
• Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair | WWE Women’s World Title
• Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso | WWE Universal Title

WWE SmackDown Ratings

• August 4, 2023 | 2.151 million (Fast National Data)
• July 28, 2023 | 2.323 million
• July 21, 2023 | 1.23 million (FS1)
• July 14, 2023 | 2.309 million
• July 7, 2023 | 2.561 million

• WWE SmackDown Venue: Ford Field (Detroit, Mich.)
• WWE SmackDown Tickets Distributed: 50,608
• Available Tickets: 1,080

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Winners and Grades

Logan Paul Def. Ricochet

This match began with Logan Paul shining Ricochet’s bald head before Ricochet promptly launched into acrobatics.

WWE shrewdly cut to a shot of Samantha Irvin looking disappointed. A Logan Paul win could be made more entertaining by how she chooses to announce his name.

Logan Paul toyed with this crowd and got heat better than some seasoned pros in the business.

Paul and Ricochet hit a Spanish Fly off the apron, though Ricochet lost his footing on the landing.

As advertised, there were some great high spots in this match including a flying neckbreaker and an impressive tornado DDT counter from Logan Paul.

Paul won with brass knuckles, and to her credit, Samantha Irvin was a real pro in doing the ring announcement.

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet Grade: B

Cody Rhodes Def. Brock Lesnar

WWE was late on the pyro for Rhodes’ “whoa” pose, which was a blessing in disguise because then you could hear just how loud fans were screaming.

Cody vs. Brock had a wild start as Cody pounced on Lesnar before taking a scary-looking German suplex.

Brock Lesnar utterly dominated the first half of this match until Cody Rhodes removed a turnbuckle padding mid-suplex and managed to gain the upper hand without it.

Rhodes eventually used the exposed turnbuckle by shoving Brock Lesnar into it. He then capitalized with a Kimura lock and Ford Field just about melted down for it.

WWE aired multiple Philadelphia-related segments to promote WrestleMania 40, and the Detroit crowd booed these vignettes at every turn.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar Grade: A-

WWE SummerSlam Battle Royal

LA Knight finally got his big moment, winning this match to the biggest pop of the night. For more information on the Slim Jim Battle Royal, click here.

The announced attendance for SummerSlam was 59,194.

Slim Jim Battle Royal Grade: B

Shayna Baszler Def. Ronda Rousey

Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey had a tall task of following an emotional LA Knight win, and fans largely sat on their hands as they opened the match with holds. Rousey ate a head kick, to a decent reaction, but when they returned to holds and ground-and-pound, there were slight chants of “boring.”

Baszler sold an arm injury, which brought out WWE doctors, but Rousey laid waste to the doctors, which did get a reaction. Unfortunately, this was followed by chants of “LA Knight” and “this is boring!”

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler Grade: D

GUNTHER Def. Drew McIntyre

GUNTHER, wearing maroon tights and boots, was dressed like an oversized Daniel Bryan.

McIntyre and GUNTHER wasted no time delivering brutal, hard hits in a back-and-forth match. Unlike its predecessor, fans were really into this.

Between the nearfalls and Drew McIntyre’s countdown, there was a lot of counting in this match.

A chop-fest between GUNTHER and McIntyre received a standing rousing ovation before GUNTHER ate a Claymore kick, which he kicked out of.

GUNTHER won clean with a combination of moves—splash, clothesline and power bomb.

Drew McIntyre vs. GUNTHER Grade: B+

Seth Rollins Def. Finn Balor

This match was filled with mind games before the opening bell. Balor walked out with the word “seven” painted over his surgically repaired right shoulder, while Rollins walked out wearing remnants of the gear he wore when he injured Balor in 2016.

Rollins vs. Balor entered a new level of psychology as soon as Balor began working over Rollins’ shoulder. This inevitably led to Balor hutting a buckle bomb into the barricade, and the landing wasn’t all that clean.

Fans were going absolutely nuts during the final sequences of the match, beginning when Damian Priest interfered with the Money in the Bank briefcase, followed by Judgment Day. The briefcase backfired on Balor as Seth Rollins curb stomped Balor onto the case for the win. Mistake.

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins Grade: B+

Bianca Belair Def. Asuka Charlotte Flair; Iyo Cashes In

Bianca Belair walked out drinking a C4 Energy drink. It would be the ultimate endorsement for the WWE partner if she won this match.

Bianca, Charlotte and Asuka made the Triple Threat match look easy. They seamlessly transitioned in and out of sequences and high-flying moves.

The crowd was noticeably tired compared to the other matches, but there was still a lot of reactions for key spots.

Late in the match, there were a series of WWE doctors and referees attending to Jey Uso on the outside. The camera shot Belair selling, and it appeared to be part of an angle. Belair came limping back just in time to break up a Figure 8.

Charlotte took advantage of Belair’s injury with a Figure 8, but Asuka broke it up with mist to the face.

After a heroic win by a hobbled Bianca Belair, Iyo Sky successfully cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. Dakota Kai joined Damage CTRL for the celebration.

Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair Grade: A

Roman Reigns Def. Jey Uso; Jimmy Uso Turns Heel

In a callback to their 2020 feud, Jey Uso wore all white along with a white lei.

This match was heated from the start, with chants of “f u, Roman!” and “Roman sucks!” before the bell even rang.

The main event was paced slowly to start, similar to many other Roman Reigns main events as fans ultimately chanted “we want tables!”

Fittingly, Jey Uso hit Roman Reigns with a Samoan Drop through a table.

Solo Sikoa ambushed Jey Uso in the crowd, and fans didn’t boo as much as they groaned. There were even very light chants of “f-u Solo!” and even louder chants of “we want Jimmy!”

Solo accidentally ate a Spear from Roman Reigns as their inevitable feud comes nigh. Solo even mean-mugged Reigns when Reigns asked Solo to help him up later on.

Just as Jey Uso was going for the win, Jimmy Uso pulled Jey out of the ring as the Usos (not-so) shockingly split.

Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso Grade: B-