4 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SummerSlam Night 2 (Review & Results)
UPS…
4. Gable Finally Wins The Big One
Let’s put it this way: if Chad Gable didn’t win the Intercontinental Championship on the back of his excellent mask-versus-mask match in AAA while competing in his hometown decked out in the local football team’s colors, he should have asked for his release outright, and WWE should have been banned from putting on wrestling shows for five years.
But Gable did capture the IC title Sunday night, defeating Penta as the conclusion of a redemption arc for the former Olympian that began in January 2025 when he lost to Penta in the luchadore’s WWE debut match.
The match itself was a bit of a letdown, as they seemed to speed-run through the sequences, not giving a lot of time for things to register or build. There was a real opportunity to build sympathy when Gable injured his shoulder, and fans were behind him the entire time, but they kept charging ahead.
Everything built to Penta snapping Chad’s arm with the Sacrifice and then repeatedly going for the Mexican Destroyer to finish the challenger, but Gable kept countering and going for an ankle lock. This finally bore fruit when Penta went to the well again, and Gable picked the ankle in midair and twisted away, grapevining the leg to earn the tap-out.
Fans were treated to a nice moment with Penta belting Gable before leaving, and Chad’s family coming in to celebrate… marred slightly by then closing with an in-ring commercial for Mug Root Beer with the mascot handing Gable soda cans to drink.
All told, this delivered exactly what was expected, but it certainly didn’t hit the ceiling of what was possible.