LA Knight, Iyo Sky and The Real Winners and Losers From WWE SummerSlam Match Card

SummerSlam 2023 delivered multiple big matches and moments that changed the overall picture in WWE. From the opening bout of Ricochet vs. Logan Paul to the main event between Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso, each contest mattered.

Ricochet made an impact by pushing Logan Paul as much as Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns before him. He looked like a top star in the making.

Cody Rhodes earned the respect of Brock Lesnar with a definitive victory. Now, he may be able to finally turn to dethroning The Tribal Chief.

LA Knight won a largely meaningless Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal, but at least he finally got the victory he needed to get on the right track. No one else in the match can say the same.

Ronda Rousey walked into a battle with Shayna Baszler, hoping to prove a point but left in dubious standing. And Drew McIntyre could not push Gunther as much as many expected.

Finn Bálor hoped to complete his story with Seth Rollins with a definitive victory, but instead looked a fool by the end. The same can be said for Bianca Belair, Asuka and Charlotte Flair, who were all overshadowed by Iyo Sky's successful title cash-in.

Jey Uso fought hard to dethrone Roman Reigns and take the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship. But Jimmy Uso, not The Tribal Chief, took it all away from him.

It was not a great night for everyone in WWE. For each victor, there was a loser as well. The following are the real winners and losers of SummerSlam 2023.

Winner: Ricochet

Ricochet walked into his match with Logan Paul hoping to prove he can be a bigger solo star than he has been in WWE to date. Over 18 minutes, he competed at the highest level, pushing The Maverick to his limit.

While Paul won, it was not without controversy. The Maverick could not outwork The One and Only. He was not faster or stronger. He simply had more friends with less scruples.

Logan cheating with a hidden pair of brass knuckles to win protects Ricochet enough to set up a rematch or set the stage for The One and Only to go after other big names.

The World Heavyweight Championship is not out of reach after this showing. No one can deny that The One and Only will push any of WWE's top champions to their limit.

Hopefully, this is only the beginning of a push for Ricochet that finally allow him to showcase his talent at the highest level.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes lost the most important match of his career at WrestleMania 39. But he won the second-most important at SummerSlam 2023, and it feels like a statement that will allow him to win when it matters most next time.

The American Nightmare overcame a furious attack from Brock Lesnar before taking him down clean with a series of Cross Rhodes. Afterward, The Beast Incarnate clearly passed the torch to his rival just as The Rock once did for him.

This feud has not been a home run for either man, but the end result was genuinely potent. There is no doubt at this point that Rhodes is the biggest babyface in wrestling.

He will be perfectly suited to challenge Reigns on a stage worthy of both men. That could be WrestleMania 40, but WWE does not need to wait that long. Both men have never been bigger stars.

Loser: Most of the Field in SummerSlam Slim Jim Battle Royal

While the story of the SummerSlam Slim Jim Battle Royal was all about LA Knight, there was room to put over other talent. Instead, it felt like just about everyone else was a footnote.

Omos got to look dominant for a time, but this was at the expense of Apollo Crews, JD McDonagh and more. It was only once he was out of the running that the action really kicked off.

However, even at that point, heels like Bronson Reed and Karrion Kross did not look dominant forces when they could have. AJ Styles again took out Kross in their one-sided feud, and Reed was the first to go down when Knight went into high gear.

While Knight and Sheamus had some history to play on, the two heels or Grayson Waller would have benefited more from the spotlight.

The rest of the talent from Austin Theory to Santos Escobar might as well have been eliminated off screen. So many wrestlers looked like afterthoughts in this Battle Royal without stakes.

Winner: LA Knight

LA Knight has finally won a PPV match. That is a step in the right direction. While the Battle Royal had no stakes and a messy story, what mattered at the end of the day was WWE committed to The Megastar.

Arguably the most popular man on SmackDown, the stage is set for him to finally get the push he needs. He may not have earned a title shot yet, but he has to be the next challenger for Austin Theory after Santos Escobar.

If that is not the immediate plan, WWE could even go bigger and have Knight face Roman Reigns. He won't win, but the company can continue building his aura by pitting him against WWE's biggest star.

The Megastar is obvious money. He can make anything work, no matter where he goes next.

Loser: Ronda Rousey

On her way out of WWE, according to Wrestling News, Ronda Rousey will have wanted to put over Shayna Baszler in a match fans would remember. But a flat crowd reaction to this MMA-style bout took away from a solid build and a physical performance from both women.

The Queen of Spades leaves the match with more credibility and the possibility to be a babyface or heel in the long term, but few will remember the match that got her there.

The Baddest Woman on the Planet has had a rough year in WWE. If she does come back to WWE, she will need to figure out what did not work in her second run.

She was once the top woman in the company, putting on unique physical matches with top names. At this point, no one expects Rousey to perform at the level necessary to work PPVs.

Loser: Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre returned months after WrestleMania 39 hoping to get his revenge against Gunther. WWE made him feel unstoppable on the road to SummerSlam, possibly the man who could finally dethrone the intercontinental champion.

Instead, The Scottish Warrior fought hard before losing definitively. The Ring General hit another gear that even McIntyre could not match.

As Gunther continues to inch closer to breaking the record as the longest-reigning IC champion of all time, the Scot was considered the biggest hurdle left for him.

At this point, though, McIntyre does not even have an argument for a rematch. He is directionless. He is too talented to stay that way, but this was supposed to be a much better night for a two-time world champion.

Loser: Finn Bálor

It looked like the stars were finally aligning for Finn Bálor. He had Seth Rollins on the ropes and The Judgment Day at his back to make sure he rolled to the finish.

However, miscommunication and dissension among the top stable in WWE (following the end of The Bloodline as a cohesive force) cost him everything, and it's now unlikely The Prince will ever be world champion again.

To his credit, he worked his best singles matches in at least a year, going back to the original magic of his first battle with The Visionary seven years ago at SummerSlam in 2016.

It just wasn't enough. Clearly, WWE is still not ready to move away from Rollins at the top, and Bálor will not be the workhorse to replace him.

The extra salt in the wound is the continued struggles between The Prince and Damian Priest. It looks like these two will not be working together for much longer, and it's likely Bálor is the odd man out.

Winner: Iyo Sky

Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair went to war, but it was Iyo Sky who emerged victorious. The EST of WWE pulled off the initial win, but The Genius of the Sky stole her moment thanks to the Money in the Bank briefcase.

While it would have been nice to see Sky run with the contract for a while longer, it was appropriate for her to win with the help of Bayley one year after Damage CTRL first arrived on the scene.

Dakota Kai coming in afterward further solidified this as the moment the stable could rewrite its legacy. The Role Model put aside her own aspirations to give her friend a special moment.

It has been a long road to the top for Sky. She first signed with WWE in 2017 and won the NXT Women's Championship in 2020, defending it in great matches for nearly a year.

When she lost her title, many expected a quick call-up to the main roster. Instead, she nearly left the company before she got her shot. She is still one of the top women's wrestlers in the world and will carry the WWE Women's Championship well.

Hopefully, this will also revitalize the image of Damage CTRL while establishing Sky as a reliable big match performer for WWE for years to come.

Loser: The Bloodline Story

No story has been more important to WWE than The Bloodline saga. This is the company's biggest angle, producing TV ratings on SmackDown that were unthinkable in the recent years.

It has also produced steadily great matches. Roman Reigns has fully and completely committed to telling stories in the ring from the opening bell to the close.

While all the pieces were in place for Reigns vs. Jey Uso to continue that legacy, this 36-minute slog did not remotely live up to other recent Tribal Chief title defenses.

The stipulation was supposed to be Tribal Combat, a hardcore one-on-one clash to decide who was the rightful man at the top of The Bloodline. Instead, both Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso interfered to save Reigns after a one-sided battle in Jey's favor.

At every stage this year, fans have assumed the next challenger would be the one to defeat The Tribal Chief. However, every man falls due to overwhelming interference where Reigns looks less and less dominant.

Saturday's main event put the entire Bloodline formula under a microscope, and it didn't come out looking strong. An unnecessary Jimmy heel turn and a match that went twice as long as it needed made this a low point for WWE's biggest angle.