The main event of SummerSlam weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota featured one of the longest standing rivalries in modern WWE history — old Shield stablemates, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, at it again. This time, it was for the world heavyweight championship, the third unique world title they’ve fought over through the years.
But it was about more than that. Rollins came in saying he needed to prove he’s more than the number two guy, standing in the shadow of the guy CM Punk was tasked with making look strong all those years ago. Reigns, meanwhile, simply needed to let go of the past, the betrayal that led to the end of The Shield, and set the stage for his ascension to being the top guy he is today.
You won’t be surprised to learn they tore the house down.
They didn’t reinvent the wheel in doing so. They simply broke out all their best stuff while knowing each other well enough to be ready for almost all of it.
It was about who wanted it more. And it was clear all throughout they both wanted this more than anything. That’s what gave it so much juice when they kicked out of every pinfall attempt. They had all of Minnesota in the palm of their hands.
They were throwing buckle bombs, using each other’s finishers, everything. It was everything they had, and everything the other guy had too, and it never seemed to be enough. They even had a callback to their former third, Dean Ambrose, with both using his signature WWE moves.
It was still a Reigns match, of course, so there were referee bumps.
And when that happened, Rollins did like he did all those years ago and grabbed a chair. Rollins had the chance, and hesitated to take it. Reigns knocked him down. Then, he had the same chance. It was time to decide if he could finally let it go.
And they squared up once more.
Reigns got the better of the exchange, ultimately hitting multiple Spears to finally get the best of his old friend. He remains the world heavyweight champion, and has seemingly put his demons to rest.
This was one hell of a main event showcase.
After, Reigns stood in the middle of the ring and offered his fist. Rollins put the old Shield mask down in the ring, and they stood together as one.
That’s the end of this story.
Get complete SummerSlam results and coverage of the entirety of night two by clicking here.