WWE SummerSlam 2026: Biggest Winners & Losers

The 2026 edition of SummerSlam is officially in the books. Titles were defended, tables were broken, and a torch was passed from "The Beast" to "The Ruler." You can read about the Night 1 results, the Night 2 results, and what we loved and hated from both the 8/1 and 8/2 editions of SummerSlam.

All that is left, are the winners and the losers. Some winners are losers, not tonight though, all the losers were losers in and out of the ring. Some losers, like Brock Lesnar, were winners though. As always, it's a kind of vibes-based system that can skew a little wide. One winner didn't even wrestle on the show.

Enough of my introductions. Let's talk SummerSlam Winners & Losers.

Whether you believe that Brock Lesnar is guilty of the accusations in Janel Grant's lawsuit against him, Vince McMahon, and others, or you believe that he is a wrestling superstar who has been hamstrung by false allegations, the former WWE Champion has seemingly rode off into the sunset, following a storybook retirement. He passed the torch to Oba Femi, did the honors, and then some, hugging and praising the former WWE NXT Champion with what will likely be his last moments in a WWE ring, and now his career can be tied up with a nice bow.

This is not a quality judgment, this is just cold, hard fact, Brock Lesnar won the weekend. Lesnar paid tribute to The Undertaker, in a match that cemented his place in the lineage of WWE asskickers, and one that continues with Oba Femi, who is poised to conquer the next 20 years of WWE programming. Femi's success, and there will be plenty, will ultimately be Lesnar's success, as Lesnar's success was Undertaker's. Lesnar held out long enough to escape the slings and arrows of public opinion, did the right job, at the right time, and now he will be immortal.

Sami Zayn has enough history with Kevin Owens and Gunther, that I think he ultimately survived the fact that his match was steamrolled to add two extra guys, to what was supposed to be a showcase #1 Contender's match between Zayn and Finn Balor. Balor, on the otherhand, looked like a fourth wheel, along for the ride, and there to provide a certain NXT Black & Gold nostalgia factor.

Turning Finn Balor and Sami Zayn's match into a short four-way dance was just a goofy decision, and Balor better have some kind of make-good on the horizon because he looked like an out-and-out geek on Sunday. It was a fine match. Kevin Owens coming back put a lump in my throat. I even think the right guy won, considering the circumstances. I just think that Finn Balor got the sh** end of the stick on this weirdly booked opening match.

Chelsea Green has been something of a punchline for much of her WWE career. She's a game, talented woman, who seems to get swept away in some of the more ridiculous ideas in the company. She makes all of them, good, bad, and in-between, work. For this, she has been greatly rewarded.

You do not win a wrestling title. It is something given to a wrestler by a promoter. There are some times where you can sit back, and just enjoy a wrestling moment for what it is, and sometimes you have to look at a moment like Chelsea Green's win on Sunday and say, "I'm glad someone finally sees what I've been seeing." Like Susan Lucci finally winning a Daytime Emmy, Chelsea Green has made so many other women look good, that seeing her on top of the mountain is a downright inspiring moment. Like her husband before her at WrestleMania 32, she showed up in a major PPV clusterf*** ladder match, and she walked out the shock of the night, champion. If anyone can make the goofy nature of an "Interim" Women's Champion work, it's her.

Penta is probably one of the most popular stars WWE has at the moment, but just like AAA as a whole, he has been forced to play second fiddle for the emotional journey of Chad Gable. Say what you will about the controversial match between El Grandes Americano, it was at least an epic match that works as a pure spectacle, as long as you don't think too long about its implications for the future of lucha libre. Sunday's match between Gable and Penta was lackluster. It ended just as it was getting going, so that Gable would have time to do a rehash of his post-match speech from the El Grande Americano unmasking, and then drink a frosty Mug Root Beer.

Much like Balor, it felt like Penta was getting the rough end of the deal on this "SummerSlam Moment," but it's twice as egregious, considering how popular the former Intercontinental Champion is. The moment reeked of short-term opportunism, and I don't see it ending well for Gable or for Penta.

People simply could not stop saying Arik Cannon's name this weekend. That might be an exaggeration, but if I had a nickel for every time his name came up on WWE programming this weekend, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's wild that it happened twice.

For those who don't know, Cannon is a staple of the Minnesota wrestling scene, as well as the midwestern scene in general. A veteran, who has been in the business for decades, and has rubbed shoulders with everyone from CM Punk to Danhausen to Ethan Page and numerous others. Punk shouted Cannon out during the SummerSlam festivities on Saturday, and then Danhausen also brought up Cannon during the Sunday post-show. His name was met with understanding from the announce team.

Even in the ultra-processed TKO era, there are these little glimmers that remind you how thin the veil between "Sports Entertainer" and "Pro Wrestler" really is. 

To a certain extent, Sunday felt like Seth Rollins's retirement. He was in a long, drawn out, lore-filled contest with Roman Reigns. The story was that Rollins was the one guy who Reigns couldn't beat. The entire thing was a long march to the obvious conclusion, where Reigns finally beats Rollins, and puts the ghosts of The Shield behind him. That's all well and good for Reigns, but it leaves Seth Rollins with f***all to do.

I guess Rollins can get back into his feud with The Vision, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, "Meh."

Rollins was ultimately Reigns's main antagonist. Now that he's been defeated, I'm honestly surprised he didn't disappear like a ghost, and reappear in AEW. It felt uncomfortably final, considering Rollins is one of WWE's main pillars, especially since "Raw" stars keep migrating to "SmackDown." Him and his wife, Becky Lynch, have teased nearing the ends of their careers, so I get tying up loose ends, but it feels like this one might've been tied up a little too hastily.