After the usual intro and shows of Superstars walking backstage, we went live in the arena, where Finn Balor made his way to the ring.
He talked about how he won the Universal Championship during his first SummerSlam and how he had to give the belt up immediately due to an injury. Sami Zayn came out and said he needed to get something off his chest.
He talked about feeling like he was screwed out of the title and how he should be in the main event of SummerSlam instead of fighting for a title shot.
Zayn said Balor is great and should have been a champion multiple times by now, but this is his moment, not Balor’s. They were going to leave it at that, but Gunther ended up attacking both men out of nowhere.
Nick Aldis came out to fight with Gunther after he took out both men a second time. He had The Ring General locked in a cloverleaf until several officials separated them.
Balor’s promo portion of this segment was pretty straightforward, but the interaction with Zayn was more interesting. Both men made some good points, but Zayn did a great job coming across as the angrier of the two.
The stuff with Gunther and Aldis felt a little tacked on, but it was a good way to inject some energy into the opening segment.
Notable Moments and Observations