Recaps
OLTL Recap – Jan 2 – Jan 6th

Courtesy/ABC
Bo and John arrive at Statesville where they learn the power went out at midnight, thanks to some sabotage from the inmates. The doors opened and the prisoners attacked the guards and escaped. The warden has never seen a perfectly executed escape like this, but fortunately they have the ringleader, Mitch Laurence, in custody. He set off the bomb to open the front gates, but it exploded in his face, hence the bandages.
Little do they know, Mitch is really at Llanfair where he immediately grabs Natalie, who tries to scream. Mitch, who is dressed as a prison guard, coos that it’s good to see his “wife.” Natalie says that Jared was her husband, but Mitch killed him! When Mitch sneers that Jared deserved to die, Natalie attacks him. Unfortunately, Mitch gets the upper hand and puts Natalie in a choke hold. He asks where Jessica is, but Natalie refuses to say. Mitch then wants to drag Natalie upstairs, but she pleads with him not to as she thinks of Liam. Mitch hears Liam crying and wants to see him. Clint calls out to Natalie and is horrified to find Mitch with Natalie. Clint orders Mitch to leave, but Mitch refuses. Not without Jessica! He pulls out a gun. Clint isn’t scared and wrestles with Mitch for the gun. Unfortunately Mitch knocks Clint unconscious.
At La Boulaie, Blair and Todd share a kiss outside on the patio. Blair is cold, despite the heat from that kiss, so Todd opens the door to the cabana. Let’s chat! Blair says it’s too soon for her to embark on another romance, but Todd urges her to forget about Tomas. 2012 is their year — or it could be if Blair lets it. He knows they belong together, so what is keeping them apart? Blair looks into Todd’s eyes; it’s him! She reminds him of all the times he destroyed their past relationships/marriages. Todd insists that he is different, so Blair makes Todd promise not hurt her again. Todd shakes his head; that’s not realistic! He can promise that he loves her and their children and will look after them. Isn’t that enough? Blair admits she loves Todd, but she can’t quite get involved with him yet. However, this isn’t a “no,” but a “maybe.” She gently kisses him and opens the door. Time to go! Meanwhile Starr opens the door, expecting to see James, but finds a shivering Cole instead. Cole explains the chaos at the prison and how he escaped. All he could think about was seeing her and Hope! Cole knows Starr is with James not, but refuses to leave until he sees Hope. Starr thinks that is crazy, but Cole just wants five minutes with his daughter — five minutes when he can forget that he killed Elijah. Suddenly the door opens and Hope enters! As Cole cuddles with Hope, Starr demands that he leave and she will take him to the police station. Cole says he can’t go back and pulls out a letter from his presumed dead father. Cole tells Starr that Marty is now with Patrick — and he wants to join his parents! Starr points out that if Cole goes on the lam, he may never see Hope again. Desperate Cole begs Starr to hide him. Conflicted Starr glares at Cole, but covers for him when Blair and Todd enter. Starr convinces them to take Hope upstairs while she hides Cole in the cabana. She urges Cole to be careful and turns to go, but Cole grabs her hand.
Blair and Todd finish tucking Hope in. Blair urges Todd to go home and lets him kiss her before he leaves. She reminds him that she didn’t say “no” to them, but just can’t agree to anything tonight. Nora hears someone in her living room. She turns to come face to face with Troy McIver! He grins wickedly; he has missed her! Troy explains he got out for good behavior, which Nora doesn’t believe at all. She attempts to keep the panic out of her voice as she hugs Troy. However, he catches her trying to dial 9-1-1, so he pulls out his gun. Nora tries another tactic with Troy; she warns him that he has made things worse for himself and will get caught. Troy touches Nora’s face; escaping was the only way he would be able to see her again. He pleads with her to say that she loves him and only married Bo because she thought she couldn’t have him! Back at Statesville the warden says they are still trying to identify the prisoners who escaped, especially the ones from Llanview. Unfortunately things are a little primitive; the system is down, thanks to the explosions. John is worried about Natalie and Liam as the warden returns with some of the names of the escapees: Cole Thornhart and Troy McIver! Upset Bo calls Nora to tell her that Troy is missing. He doesn’t miss the strange tone in her voice and asks her to tell him that she loves him if Troy is there. Nora complies, causing Bo to curse. Don’t let Troy take her anywhere! Bo takes some cops and races back home to save Nora.
At the garret, Troy wants to take Nora away, so Nora stalls. Let’s have some wine and talk about them! She sits on the couch. Troy leans down to kiss Nora on the neck as she suggests they eat something. While they wait, they can make plans and celebrate. She holds her breath as Troy contemplates her suggestion. At Statesville John asks the warden: Is he sure that is Mitch Laurence lying in that bed? The warden insists that it is, but John’s spider senses tingle. He pulls the bandages back to reveal one of the guards! At Llanfair Mitch leans over an unconscious Clint and threatens to shoot him. Natalie stops him; she will do anything Mitch wants. Just don’t kill Clint. Mitch’s eyes light up. He grabs Natalie and kisses her. Later John bursts in to find Clint on the floor and no one else in sight. Clint lifts his head to whisper that Mitch has Natalie! The power returns and Viki heads downstairs. She is horrified to learn that Mitch has kidnapped Natalie. Then, Mitch and Natalie are in a church where Mitch has donned monk robes and has tied Natalie up. He calls Llanfair and puts Natalie on the phone. Natalie tries to tell John and her parents that she is in a church, but Mitch pulls the phone away and threatens to shoot her. Mitch then tells John that he will exchange Natalie for Jessica — or Natalie dies. They have one hour to make a decision. After Mitch hangs up, Clint demands to know what they are going to do as Jessica enters. She volunteers to give herself up. Naturally Viki and Clint protest, but Jessica remains firm.
Troy has taken Nora to a remote cabin. Troy assures her they are far from civilization and have everything they need for the rest of their lives. Nora struggles to stay calm as Troy shows off the rest of their new home. He reiterates his love for Nora and wants her to accept their new life together. Nora offers weak protests, but finally asks that Troy accept the fact that Nora loves Bo, not him. Naturally crazy Troy can’t; he intends to prove to Nora that she can love him again. Troy immediately pulls back a floorboard to reveal a duffel bag — and some syringes. Back at Bo’s garret, Bo gets an unexpected visitor: Lindsay Rappaport. She warns Bo that Troy is on the loose, but Bo thinks Troy sent her to distract him. She explains she saw Troy reading an electrician’s manual in the prison library, but became suspicious when he said he, Nora and Matthew will be a family again. Lindsay immediately tried to call Bo to warn him, but then the breakout happened. So she decided to warn Bo herself. Bo remains skeptical of Lindsay’s true intentions, but when he hears that Troy mentioned Matthew, Bo realizes he knows where Troy took Nora.
At La Boulaie, Cole stops Starr from leaving the cabana. He has something to say to her. Starr says it has to wait and runs out. She is startled to see James has returned — and Sam, who opened the door to him. Sam eavesdrops while James tells Starr about the Statesville prison break. James is convinced that Starr has heard from Cole, but Starr stonewalls him. The doorbell rings and it’s the authorities looking for Cole. They want to search the premises, including the cabana! Suspicious Sam heads to the cabana where he orders Cole to freeze using a toy gun. Cole is supposed to be in jail! Sam orders Cole back into the cabana where Cole tries to convince him to stay quiet about seeing him. However, John made Sam a “deputy” so Sam is sorry, but he has to arrest Cole. Outside the cops approach the cabana. They draw their guns and enter to find Sam, alone. They escort Sam to the main house as Cole hides behind a screen, relieved. After the cops leave, James turns to go, but not without reminding Starr that harboring a fugitive is against the law. Alone Starr begs Sam to keep Cole’s presence a secret, but naturally the little boy can’t help himself when James returns. Sam, who has been taught not to lie, admits that Starr is keeping a huge secret from James. Meanwhile Starr heads to the cabana to check on Cole. Emotional Cole blurts that he still loves Starr and kisses her!
Nora stares in horror as Troy holds up a syringe; this will help her forget Bo! Nora backs away. She doesn’t need that; Lindsay already gave that to her and it caused her to lose her memory! Troy gently guides Nora to the couch. At Bo’s garret Bo tells Lindsay that he knows now where Troy took Nora: a remote shack on Llantano Mountain. Lindsay insists on tagging along. They arrive just as Troy is about to plunge the syringe into Nora’s arm. Bo has a plan and asks for Lindsay’s help. Just as Troy is about to inject Nora, Lindsay bursts in. Stop! Lindsay announces that Bo is dead; she killed him! Nora chokes back a sob as Bo creeps around to the other side of the cabin, ready to ambush Troy. Lindsay convinces Troy that he doesn’t need to drug Nora anymore. Troy lets his guard down long enough for Bo to clock him on the head! The men wrestle as Lindsay unties Nora. Bo gets the upper hand and punches Troy. Nora flies into his arms as Lindsay explains she lied about killing Bo to help them! Troy’s eyes flutter open as Lindsay says if Nora wants to thank her, she can give her a pardon. Troy grabs his gun as Nora and Lindsay throw themselves to the ground. Bo raises his gun and it’s a stand-off! We hear a shot.
At Llanfair John agrees to let Jessica trade herself for Natalie. They leave as Viki and Clint watch anxiously. Ford bursts in to check on Jessica, worried that she took Ryder somewhere but he is too late. Viki and Clint tell him that Jessica went to exchange herself for Natalie. Later they turn on the TV to learn that Allison Perkins also escaped! Allison then shows up a Llanfair and points a gun at Viki and Clint as she orders Clint to put his phone down. She brags that she orchestrated the breakout at Statesville, not Mitch! Mitch would be nothing without her! Allison gloats about all the dirty deeds she has done for Mitch, including switching Viki’s daughters. You know, that it’s practically impossible for a woman to have twins fathered by two different men. Viki stares at her. Allison refuses to reveal what she knows. She says she came here to give them an “ending” and aims her gun at them. Viki turns to Clint and whispers that she loves him. Clint does the same as Viki closes her eyes. Shots ring out. At the old church Natalie doesn’t believe that Jessica would sacrifice herself for Natalie, but Mitch says that Jessica will if she wants Natalie to live. Natalie tries to manipulate Mitch. Mitch knows that Jessica split into another alter when he tried to rape her and says that the he will have another heir. Mitch gets a gleam in his eye as he approaches Natalie. He thinks Natalie could be the mother of that heir! Mitch gets Natalie on the floor and is about to rape her when John enters, gun raised. Jessica follows close behind. She calls Mitch, “Father,” and asks him to let Natalie go. She goes to Mitch’s side, despite John and Natalie’s protests. Mitch throws Natalie to John as Jessica hesitantly takes Mitch’s hand and spits in his face! Angry Mitch raises his gun to shoot Jessica, but Ford appears out of nowhere to tackle Mitch! As Natalie and Jessica scream, John shoots!
At La Boulaie James wants to know what secret Starr and Sam are keeping from him. He convinces Sam to blab by saying Starr could get in big trouble. Sam asks James to check the cabana, but he didn’t hear it from him! Cole kisses Starr in Dorian’s cabana. Starr returns the kiss, which proves that some part of her still loves him! Starr breaks the kiss, claiming she can’t do this. She is with James! Cole tries to convince Starr to admit she still loves him when James bursts in. Angry James can’t believe that Starr lied to him! Starr explains she helped Cole because it was the right thing to do as Cole adds he wants to find his parents. James thinks they are both being foolish. When he mentions Hope, Cole realizes James is right. He has to leave and will contact her when it’s safe. Starr tearfully hugs Cole, not knowing when she or Hope will see him again. Sam plays with his toys in the living room when he gets a surprise visitor: Hannah O’Connor, the girl who tried to kill Starr and James because she was obsessed with Cole. Sam stands to scream for Starr, but Hannah clamps her hand over his mouth. She tells Sam that everything will be fine as long as he tells her where Starr is. Sam replies with a nice “take a hike” and bites Hannah’s finger! Hannah whips out her gun and grabs Sam as Todd enters. Todd orders Hannah to leave Sam alone, but Hannah threatens to shoot him unless Todd tells her where Starr is. Luckily Starr enters, flanked by Cole and James. Cole immediately appeals to Hannah’s heart. Now that they are both out, they can be together. He only came here to say good-bye to Hope. Hannah looks tempted and even releases Sam, but she knows Cole still loves Starr. Sam kicks Hannah as Hannah is about to shoot Starr! Cole stands in front of Starr and James as Hannah fires!
On Llantano Mountain Troy grabs his gun to fire at Bo, but Bo proves to be the quicker shot. He hits Troy’s hand, knocking the gun to the ground. Nora runs into Bo’s arms, relieved that he is alive. While Bo ties Troy up, Lindsay tells Nora how she helped Bo track them down. Humbled Nora can’t believe that Lindsay would risk her freedom to help her. Lindsay sighs; she owes Nora, remember? Still, that doesn’t stop Lindsay from asking what will happen to her next. Nora believes Lindsay has changed. She tells Lindsay that she forgives her; can Lindsay do the same? Unfortunately, Nora can’t overlook Lindsay’s original sentence, but her testimony combined with Bo’s should be able to get Lindsay an early parole. Bo gives Lindsay the keys to Troy’s car. He trusts her to drive Troy’s car back to town, which stuns Lindsay. Later Bo collapses and Nora sees that he has been shot! She screams for Lindsay, but she is gone. Nora tries to staunch Bo’s wound, but stops when she realizes that Troy is a doctor. She begs him to help Bo, adding she will do anything as long as he saves Bo. Ever crazy, Troy says that Bo has to die so that they can be together. Nora freaks out. She is so sorry, but she doesn’t love Troy. She loves Bo; she can’t live without him! Moved, Troy looks into Nora’s eyes. He asks Nora to untie him — and to trust him.
At Llanfair, Viki tells Clint she loves him and closes her eyes as Allison pulls the trigger. A vase explodes behind her, both scaring and confusing Clint and Viki. Allison cackles; she reminds them that she swapped Natalie and Jessica so that Mitch’s daughter (Jessica) could grow up in the lap of luxury while Natalie grew up in a trailer park. Or so Mitch thinks! Being the good disciple that she was, Allison had to sometimes resort to making Mitch believe certain things in order to keep him calm — sometimes those things weren’t true. With a flourish, Allison announces that both Jessica and Natalie are Clint’s daughters. She fixed the DNA tests! Clint and Viki can’t believe it. They think this is yet another one of Allison’s manipulations. Allison makes them sit as she reveals that Dr. Walter Balsom told her that Viki was having twins. Both of whom were fathered by Clint. So when Mitch entered to get the babies, Allison lied. She told him one of the girls was his. Viki can barely dare to believe as Clint continues to express his doubt. Angry Allison fires her gun — and hits Viki’s side! At the church Mitch and Ford continue to fight for control of the gun. John tries to intervene, but Mitch fires upward, causing a heavy chandelier to fall on Ford! Horrified Jessica rushes to Ford’s side, but Mitch jabs a gun into her ribs. Natalie helps Jessica move the chandelier off of Ford as John calls for an ambulance. Mitch grabs Natalie, saying he will allow Ford to get help as long as Natalie comes with him! As paramedics whisk Ford away, Mitch tells John that he intends to make Natalie his wife again. Together they can start a new family — and religion. Natalie looks at John, her eyes begging him to shoot Mitch. As soon as she nods her consent, John fires his gun.
At La Boulaie; Hannah shoots Starr, but Cole leaps in front her, taking a bullet to his shoulder. Todd tackles Hannah as Starr rushes to Cole’s side. Blair finally hears the commotion and goes to get the car to take Cole to the hospital. As Starr weeps over Cole, James holds Hannah at gun point. Hannah cries, upset over Cole, but Starr punches her. Blair returns to help Cole into the car as James notes how close Starr and Cole still are. With Todd and James’ help, Cole is taken to the hospital as Starr points a gun at Hannah. Todd returns to handle Hannah, allowing Starr to go to the hospital with Cole. Alone Hannah asks for some ice for her chin, but Todd threatens to kill her. She wouldn’t be the first person! He reveals that he killed Irene, who still haunts him about the other thing that he has done. Todd smirks; oh what the hell. He’ll tell Hannah because she is certifiable! Before Todd can confess, cops arrive to apprehend Hannah.
At the hospital Cole is rushed into the ER while Blair and Starr watch anxiously. Starr tells Blair how Cole ended up at La Boulaie and got shot by Hannah. They head to the chapel to pray where Starr sobs that Cole could die. Blair gently urges Starr to pray. Starr kneels and what comes out is a song: “One Life to Live.” As we hear Starr’s poignant ballad, we see Nora untie Troy and Troy tend to Bo’s wounds while Nora hovers. At Llanfair we see Allison skip joyfully away as Clint struggles to call 9-1-1. Unfortunately, his heart gives out and he collapses beside his beloved Viki. James arrives at the hospital where he sees Jessica with an unconscious Ford. Blair struggles to hold back her tears as she watches Starr pray. Todd arrives to comfort her. John fires his gun and Mitch falls to the ground. Natalie rushes into his arms and John kisses her passionately.
Recaps
WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night Two: Top 5 Takeaways

Sunday night’s second night of WWE SummerSlam delivered one of the greatest matches of all-time, a match of the year candidate or even the decade. For those in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, watching on ESPN limited or Netflix around the world, the August 2 main event between former Shield members turned rivals, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins closed out a story 12-years in the making in a classic main event.
In fact, the second night of SummerSlam, (we previously gave our recap of night one here) was a vast improvement in the two-day event, dubbed ‘The biggest event of the summer.” Led by the incredible performances and masterful in-ring storytelling by Reigns and Rollins, who went 33 minutes in a spellbinding match-up with so many near pin falls, that whether you were watching at home or in the crowd, you would jump to your feet!
Let’s take a look at how things went down and give you our 5 top takeaways from the night on the six-match card, kicking it off with Roman Reigns defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins.

Photo: WWE
ROMAN AND SETH WRESTLING SOULMATES HONOR THEIR BROTHERHOOD
Right from the ring entrances, Seth Rollins paid homage to the Shield, complete with the facial mask, white version of their black vests, and more. When the Shield debuted back in 2012, it was the trio of Reigns, Rollins and Dean Ambrose (now Jon Moxley, AEW) who protected a then heel-ish CM Punk.
After Rollins delivered a chair shot to Reigns in 2014, and the group split up, Seth has always had Roman’s number, defeated him, and has been inside Roman’s head for his betrayal. The main event played on that aspect of the story throughout. With each delivering their patented moves: The Stomp from Seth, and a Superman Punch from Roman. However, neither man could truly get the upper hand on the other in a main event that lasted 33 1/2 minutes, truly a gift for the fans and the longest bout of the night.
There was plenty of trash-talking between the two, which heightened the story and made the ending all the more powerful. In addition, there were throwback moves of Dean Ambrose thrown into the mix. But then, here’s how it all came to a conclusion. When the referee got knocked out, Rollins decided to grab a chair from ringside. He was going to use the same weapon he used on Reigns 12 years back, that led to the turn against the OTC. However, Seth hesitated. Roman got back up and had Seth on the ring ropes ready to use the chair on him. Seth told him to just get it over with. Roman put the chair down. Then, they went punch for punch. After hitting a final spear, Roman pinned Seth for the win as the referee finally came to. At the end of the match, both titans were exhausted and slumped in opposite corners of the ring.
However, in the most touching moment, Roman got up and went to the middle of the ring. The OTC extended his arm and fist, just like in the days of The Shield, as a peace offering to Rollins. Next, Seth got up and went and joined Roman. The two did a fist bump as a show of respect and the story was brought to a fitting ending.

Photo: WWE
KEVIN OWENS RETURNS AFTER 17 MONTH RECOVERY FROM NECK SURGERY, BECOMES NUMBER ONE CONTENDER
Sami Zayn cannot catch a break! Just when he thought his number one contender match was between himself and Finn Bálor, think again! Before the match started, the newly reinstated SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis came out and announced that he is adding Gunther … and Kevin Owens!
When Zayn saw that his best friend (and sometimes rival) was back and healthy enough to wrestle in a fatal-four way, his jaw dropped in probably one of the most classic moments of the night. Once the bell rang, Owens came in ready to show he could still go, complete with his reverse somersaults, stunners and more. KO dominated the four-way match up, all leading to him pinning Zayn to become the number one contender to face Universal Champion, CM Punk!
During the WWE Post Show, Owens had emotional moments with commentator and former wrestler, Big E, who suffered a career-ending neck injury and surgery, Kevin explained it was just a few weeks ago, that the doctor’s finally cleared him to return to the ring. An amazing comeback story!

Photo: WWE
BARON CORBIN TAKES THE U.S. TITLE FAST
In another comeback, Baron Corbin has had many ups and down over his tenures with the WWE, and in what was Corbin’s first WWE match in nearly two years, he faced Trick Williams for the United States Championship and right hand man rapper Lil Yachty.
The match broke down when Yachty went for the “Trick Stick” (a kendo stick) and went to hit Corbin in the back with it, but that backfired. Corbin put Lil Yachty through a table, hit Williams with the title belt, before landing his signature End of Days finishing move. With plenty of shady tactics, Baron Corbin was your new U.S. Champ.
From the looks of it, Trick’s run as the titleholder was beginning to become stale. So, WWE strapped the belt quickly on heel Baron Corbin. Will it be a long reign? Stay tuned.

Photo: WWE
GREEN WITH ENVY
This victory by Chelsea Green in the women’s ladder match to decide the interim WWE Women’s Champion, was a nod to the fans. WWE actually listened to the resounding love for Green over the past year and in turn had her grab the title above the ladder and become the current champ, while Rhea Ripley is currently out with injury.
Green bested Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green, Lash Legend, Jade Cargill, and the hometown girl Tiffany Stratton. The ring gear worn by the gals, tore down the house with Cargill paying homage to Minneapolis music legend, Prince. But even more notably, the stunning outfit worn by Flair, which paid tribute to the little girl she had befriended named Scarlett who recently died of cancer. The women turned it out for this ladder match and you could make a case for any of them to have won the belt, but in a feel-good moment, it belonged to Green.

Photo: WWE
MINNEAPOLIS’ OWN CHAD GABLE FINALLY IS A CHAMP
The second best match of the night was delivered by the Intercontinental Championship bout between Penta and the hometown boy, Chad Gable, Going into the match-up, Penta was the IC champ. However, Gable is finally getting acknowledged for the wrestler he is after his enduring run in a a mask as the heel-ish, El Grande Americano.
Gable’s three children and his wife and parents were in U.S. Bank Stadium, so if there was any time to pull the trigger in favor of Gable this was it. Penta and Gable delivered high-flying moves and solid wrestling fundamentals that wowed the crowd. Gable was working with a seeming shoulder injury throughout the match and was somehow cut open on his face.
The match came to an emotional conclusion when Penta was caught in Gabe’s patented ankle lock and taped out. That led to the tears and the emotional celebration with Chad and his family inside the ring.

Photo: WWE
While not in our top five takeaways, the other match of the night featured Danhausen (who is one of the hottest WWE superstars with the fans) and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio in the first-ever “Human Monies on a Pole Match.”
Once again, it featured the minihausens coming out to protect their guy after much shenanigans from Dom and the Judgment Day’s J.D. McDonaugh. Danhausen and the minhausens got an assist from Joe Hendry and Dirty Dom was on the short end of the stick in this one.
You can check out the full WWE SummerSlam Sunday 2026 video highlights below. Followed by the Michael Fairman Channel’s “What’s Up? Wrestling” podcast that went live immediately following SummerSlam night two with our own post show reactions.
So, what did you think of SummerSlam night two? Did you love the Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins epic match and conclusion to the Shield storyline? What were your favorite moments of the match card? Let us know via the comment section below.
Recaps
WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night One: Top 5 Takeaways

Night night one of WWE’s SummerSlam on August 1, saw the return of “The Viper,” Randy Orton, the passing of the torch to Oba Femi, and SmackDown GM, Nick Aldis getting back into the ring after 3 years to take on “The Ring General’ Gunther. These were just a few of the major moment from the six bout match card.
Emanating from U.S. Bank stadium in Minneapolis, the match-ups had several ups and downs that either got the crowd into an electric frenzy or deadly quiet. The WWE creative was smart to kick-off night one with the Women’s World Championship match between the champion Liv Morgan and Ivo Sky, who put on a great show.
Both women brought their A -game, but Liv Morgan showed why she is the champ, while Iyo Sky remains the best overall female wrestler on the current roster. Here are our five top takeaways from Night 1 of SummerSlam:

Photo: WWE
RANDY ORTON AND CODY RHODES FEUD UP NEXT
The match between CM Punk, the current Undisputed World Heavyweight, and Cody Rhodes, the former champ, had most fans booing Rhodes and cheering for Punk. However, both men displayed some heel-ish moves throughout the bout.
When Rhodes missed a Cody Cutter and hit referee Charles Robinson instead, chaos ensued. Punk was out of the ring, so too was Robinson on the other side. Cody was in the ring laid out flat. Eventually, Randy Orton does a run-in out of nowhere and delivers the RKO to Rhodes, winks at the camera, and slinks out of the ring and runs out of the arena site unseen by Punk and Robinson.
Next, Punk rolled back in the ring and hit a third GTS on Rhodes to retain the title. In the end, there was no clean pinfall for Rhodes vs. Punk. It should be noted that Punk also missed a moonsault maneuver that looked sloppy, which has been fodder on social media.
So, what does this do for Punk and Rhodes moving forward? It leave us with Punk moving on to face new challengers for the title, and Cody and Randy Orton to walk back the start of their feud that got messed up once WWE inserted Pat McAfee into the storyline at WrestleMania 42, which the WWE Universe was a hard pass on.
Can Orton and Rhodes now have a proper feud? Will there be a double turn comig? Randy (who the crowd was cheering for) actually being the face and Cody having had it with all the shenanigans used against him, just finally giving in and turning full heel? Stay tuned.

Photo: WWE
OBA FEMI WAS PASSED THE TORCH
Femi got quite the moment after he won the third match of his trilogy against Minnesota’s own Brock Lesnar, The Ruler beat The Beast Incarnate inside Hell in a Cell.
While there were five straight F5s in a row and Femi was taken to Suplex City, it appeared Lesnar had this under control especially after he exposed the wooden boards under the ring mat and apron. Next, Lesnar delivered a Tombstone piledriver paying homage to The Undertaker who Lesnar had defeated in two Hell in a Cells. However, the move left Femi unfazed. Suddenly, Femi was back up and shortly thereafter pinned Brock and won the math.
As he was exiting the ring, Lesnar broke character to hug Femi and called fo a mic and announced himself as the “past” and The Ruler as the “future” of WWE. Clearly, Lesnar gave the crowd in attendance and the millions around the world, his stamp of approval for Femi and passed the torched.
It should be noted we did not get Lesnar officially retiring in his home state, so he may be back. Meanwhile, Oba is clearly the WWE’s handpicked star who is having a rapid ascension to the top. Is it just a matter of time before Oba takes on Roman Reigns and wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from him?

Photo: WWE
NICK ALDIS CAN STILL GO
Aldis, who came out to Oasis’ “Morning Glory,” and had excellent ring gear to boot, showed that after three years out of ring action that he can still turn it out and against Gunther, no less. The crowd chanted “you still got it” during the match.
However, in the end Gunther was eventually able to put Aldis down. After the match, Aldis got to share in the moment with his young son, Donovan and is wife, Mickie James inside the ring, to celebrate Aldis’ return to the ring if even for one night.
During the Post Show on ESPN, Triple H reinstated Aldis as the SmackDown GM, and tore up Aldis’ resignation letter, so Nick was still a part of the WWE in his managerial position moving forward.

Photo: WWE
THE BELLA TWINS SHOULD HAVE STAYED RETIRED DUE TO INJURIES
As we predicted, during the trios match between the Bella Twins and Paige v. Fatal Influence with Jacy Jayne, it would be Paige tho took the pin from Jayne. With that, the Bella Twins went back to full heel-mode, when Niki Bella who just returned after suffering from a broken ankle attached Paige.
Brie Bella could not get in to the beatdown because earlier in the match she suffered a serious shoulder injury which will now keep her out of action. If the plan was to have an evil Bella Twins run, now that Niki is back, well that just fell apart with the ill-fated timing of Brie’s injury.
This is a case where Hall-of-Famers want to get back into the ring later in their careers and things don’t go as smooth as planned. Now it remains what the WWE will do. Obviously, Niki will feud solo with Paige.

Photo: WWE
SOLO SIKOA IS GREAT AS A BABYFACE, DON’T RUIN IT!
The actual moment of the night belongs to Solo Sikoa who got the the last laugh on the Usos. Sikoa mocked Jey Uso’s Yeet chants and moves specifically when Jey runs it back with the audience, by having Jey’s theme music play and imitating him.
Later, via Samoan Spike to Jimmy Uso, he stopped a 1D attempt while L.A. Knight hit the BTF on Jey for the victory. Jacob Fatu, who teamed wiht the Usos had the coolest entrance of the night with his werewolf mask and antics. Royce Keys who teamed with Knight and Sikoa also got to show off some of his power moves to help his team secure the win.
You can check out the full SummerSlam Saturday 2026 night one highlights below.
So, what was your top takeaway and moment from night one of SummerSlam? Favorite match? Least favorite match? Let us know via the comment section.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: If Jason Leaves the Mob, What Will He Do Next?

As had been teased since Jason Morgan’s (Steve Burton) captivity by the WSB and his release on General Hospital, he is clearly having issues speaking about what happened to him, after he was dragged away from Port Charles when he took the fall for Rocco (Finn Carr) who shot WSB director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Now. as Jason tries to reacclimate to life back in Port Charles, he has already displayed that he wants to do better for his son, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) and the people he loves and to show up for them.
In addition, things took a turn on the Friday, July 31 episode where after Sonny (Maurice Benard) questioned Jason if he was having an issue with Ric (Rick Hearst) working side by side with his half-brother, Jason had something to say.

Courtesy/ABC
An emotional Jason tells Sonny, “I can’t work for you anymore.” The moment left Sonny dumbfounded, and viewers won’t know the pick-up of the conversation till Monday’s August 3 episode of GH.
Could it be that this time Jason will cut ties with Sonny and the mob for good? If so, it would be the end of an era for Jason and Sonny, sort of the Batman and Robin of GH with a twist.
Previous teases from the GH co-head writing team of Chris Van Etten and Elizabeth Korte, and Burton himself on his podcast That’s Awesome ,seem to indicate there is a change coming for Jason that sends him off in a different path in his life.
However, we should learn Jason’s reasons shortly, and if Sonny can talk him back into the mob, or can just wish Jason the best and let him go. But now the question becomes, if Jason exits life as Sonny’s right hand man and henchman, what do you see him doing with his life? We do know that Jason is aware that Dr. Tristan Roberts (Dean Geyer) has tied to the WSB, since he escorted him to Port Charles via Jakarta on the plane which may be a clue.
Weigh-in below: Do you want Jason to go work for the Quartermaines and truly join the family in full? Do you see him doing something to help those in need, or do you see him going undercover with the WSB to expose some of the treacherous things they perpetrated on him and others, or do you see Jason doing something completely different with his life? If so, what? Let us know your hopes and thoughts for Jason in the comment section below.
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