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Cruiserweight Title Match: Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gular
Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick are barred from ringside, as per the change made over the last 24 hours. Gulak takes Alexander to the mat with a single leg, and Alexander gets free to put us back at neutral. Gulak has a very patriotic, red, white, and blue set of tights on, which look glorious as he punches Alexander in the ribs. Alexander tries a flippy headscissors, but Gulak blocks and shoves him off. Alexander follows up with a dropkick, and they head out to the floor wher Alexander unloads some punishment on Gulak before sending him back in. Alexander tries to come in with his swinging DDT through the ropes, but Gulak catches him coming in with a boot to the face, then goes to the floor and gives Cedric a neckbreaker off the apron. Gulak rams Cedric into the apron, then they go back in and Gulak gets a neck vice as we...go to commercial?
We're back, and Cedric eats a short clothesline from Gulak for 2, then we go back to the chinlock. Gulak gets a hanging neck crank similar to the Gory Special, but Alexander gets free and hits a springboard flatliner, and both men are down. Cedric is up first and hits a lariat/bulldog combo, and now he mounts a fiery comeback. Gulak tries to break the momentum by heading to the floor, but Cedric takes him out with a somersault dive. Cedric goes for a springboard something, but Gulak shoves him off the top rope and Cedric bounces off the top turnbuckle at a sick angle, and Gulak quickly gets the dragon sleeper over the top rope, breaking at 4 and then covering for 2. Cedric avoids the Gulock and knocks Gulak silly with a palmstrike, but Gulak responds with such a hard slap that Cedric goes blank, staggers backward, and a leapfrog is countered to a sunset flip by Gulak for 2, Cedric counters that for 2, Gulak gets a backslide for 2, Cedric hits a springboard enziguiri, Gulak counters to an anklelock, then they trade pinning combinations and reversals until Cedric folds Gulak over with a schoolboy for 3.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
EXCELLENT match, and a great showing from both guys. Gulak lost nothing by being defeated here.
We go back to the panel, who send us to Rosenberg and JBL, who say that that match made them fans all over again, then start talking about the Smackdown Women's Title match. JBL hated triple threats when he was champion, and Carmella's at a big disadvantage here. He says Becky has the momentum, but Rosenberg thinks Charlotte being here will work to Carmella's advantage. JBL says not to underestimate Carmells, because she's a survivor and people who survive find ways to keep surviving.
We see a video package of the AJ Styles-Samoa Joe match, then Renee introduces Joe, who congratulates her on becoming a two-income household again. Renee asks him if he's gone too far, but Joe says he doesn't fear retaliation, because he has AJ where he wants him, and if what he said isn't true, why is AJ so upset? Booker T says he's been in the ring with both of them, and asks Joe what his biggest advantage is tonight. Joe says he has AJ mentally broken. He's in AJ's head, and he's taking advantage of that. Lawler says there's an old saying: happy wife, happy life, and asks if AJ needs to win this for Wendy. Joe says he definitely has to, just like he's won all of them for Wendy...or has he? Otunga asks what AJ's biggest weapons are, and Joe says it's no secret that AJ is an explosive, dynamic athlete, but every time he's been in the ring, Joe has put him out. Tonight at Summerslam, it'll be no different. Joe says AJ has mistakes and transgressions in his life, and all he has to do is let Joe fix them. He can hand him that title, or Joe can take it out of his unconscious hands, because he's putting AJ to sleep tonight.
We go to Rosenberg and JBL, who say Joe is a smart and dangerous man who knows AJ very well. This match never had to happen on this stage, but it did, and JBL congratulates AJ for breaking his record for longest-reigning champion in Smackdown history, and calls him the Shawn Michaels of this generation. They mention that Joe has beaten AJ before, and he could do it again tonight.
We go to Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman, and Corey Graves for our next match...
Raw Tag Team Title Match: The B-Team vs The Revival
The Revival quickly takes out Dallas' knee and give Axel the Shatter Machine, and things are looking bad for the B Team really early on. The Revival spends the next several moments working Bo's knee over, but Bo dodges a charge and Dawson runs shoulder first into the post, allowing Dallas to roll him up for 2. Wilder tags in and knocks Axel back off the apron before the Revival hits a kneedrop variant of the Demolition Decapitator for 2. Dallas finally manages to break away and make the hot tag, and in comes Axel to clean house on Dawson. He boots Wilder coming off the top rope, Dawson gets an O'Connor Roll for 2, then small packages Axel, but Wilder snaps Dallas down on the top rope, and Dallas stumbles backward and knocks Axel on top of Dawson, leading to the pinfall.
Winners: The B-Team
Match was okay, but the fans are really into the B-Team. I wish they'd find something better for the Revival to do. And the Authors of Pain, for that matter.
We go back to the panel, who can't believe they slipped on a banana peel and snuck away with another one. They run down the card, then we see Ronda Rousey warming up backstage. Charly Caruso catches Alexa Bliss coming into the arena, but Alexa blows her off and says she isn't talking.
The panel discusses the Raw Women's Title match, and Booker says Ronda may be overconfident. Otunga says Alexa has a game plan, and Renee asks about the comparison between Brock and Ronda, and Booker says she has the chance to shock the world by going from one thing to another if she can pull it off tonight.
Finally we shift to the main event, and see the video package hyping Brock vs Roman. Rosenberg and JBL discuss whether Roman has a problem with Brock because he's not here very much, or because he's dominant when he is. Tonight is the make or break for Roman's career, and if not for Brock Lesnar, Roman would have been an unstoppable champion. George Foreman might have been remembered as the greatest boxer of all time if he hadn't been born during Muhammad Ali's time, and Rosenberg says that Brock has won all their matches, but there's always been something hinky. JBL says it doesn't matter because wins are wins, and he's never shown that he could beat Brock because he's not on Brock's level. Brock destroyed Cena here a few years ago, he beat Roman AND Joe and Strowman last year. JBL says this is it for Roman, he's not getting another shot if he doesn't do it tonight. They discuss whether Brock is overlooking Roman and is always looking forward to UFC, and JBL says he is because nobody's ever been both WWE and UFC Champion, and Brock has a chance to make history, and that's Roman's only chance.
We go back to the panel, who talks about how just the fact that they spend so much time talking about Brock Lesnar eats at Roman, and what it would be like if Brock somehow manages to walk out with that title tonight.
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are backstage, and they're...WALKING! And that's it for the Kickoff Show, Summerslam 2018 starts now, and we'll have a separate post for live coverage of that, so check it out, and I'll see you there!
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