WWE SummerSlam 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena vs. Baron Corbin

Result: John Cena defeats Baron Corbin via pinfall.

Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

It’s the first show without Baron Corbin’s Money in the Bank briefcase, which he unsuccessfully used on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live. This is also a chance for John Cena to end his SummerSlam losing streak that’s lasted since 2011.

Cena played a lot of cat and mouse to start the match. Not something usually seen from the Face That Runs the Place, until it caught up to him with a vicious clothesline from Corbin.

These two clubbed each other a handful of times, looking stiff and rough. It wasn’t anything technical, but a solid match to get the night started.

For Cena, it’s an easy win that may transition him to Raw. He’s advertised for it’s No Mercy pay-per-view in September, so the “free agent” status may come into play. Oh, and that six-match losing streak at SummerSlam is over.

For Corbin, it’s a bad look. He lost the briefcase on Tuesday and a match in about 10-15 minutes five days later. His immediate future is in doubt, and it may be a while before WWE gives him something serious to do on SmackDown Live.