Seth Rollins retained the gold at WWE SummerSlam, and the cracks continued to form within The Judgment Day.
Rollins defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor at WWE SummerSlam. The bout was a rematch of their clash at WWE Money in the Bank, where Damian Priest somewhat cost Balor the contest.
At WWE SummerSlam, Rollins played mind games with Balor before the bell rang. He came to the ring wearing the same vest he wore when he faced Balor at WWE SummerSlam 2016. The bad blood was boiling right when the match started, as the foes traded blows.
Rollins and Balor had each other scouted early and often. They countered each other’s moves, as Balor evaded a Pedigree, while Rollins dodged the Coup de Grâce. Balor targeted Rollins’ arm in the early stages of the bout, but the champion persevered. The match took a turn when Priest came to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase. He hit Rollins, and Balor got a two count with a Pedigree.
Priest subsequently argued with Balor over the briefcase. Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley came out and got involved, too. Rollins tried to fight Priest off, and he got a near fall with a Stomp. The champion then dove onto Priest at ringside, and the distraction helped Balor take control with a Coup de Grâce. In the end, Priest argued with the referee after he slid his briefcase into the ring. Rollins then hit Balor with a Stomp on the briefcase for the win.
Priest stared Rollins down after the bell. Likewise, Balor glared at Priest, and tensions continued to rise within the Judgment Day.
Catch up on our coverage of WWE SummerSlam here.