10 New Directions For WWE After SummerSlam 2023
Judgment Day's implosion, brother vs. brother and...Cody Rhodes finally bagging gold?
SummerSlam 2023 was arguably the first time WWE pulled into reverse gear on The Bloodline story.
Jimmy turning on his brother Jey after everything they've just been through together doesn't make a lick of sense. What part of The Usos beating Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa at Money In The Bank made this booking plan logical? It was done simply for the sake of it, and that's not good enough for a story this carefully layered.
People are rightly p*ssed about it, but The Bloodline tale has earned some patience due to the overall quality of it. Besides, WWE has another PLE to load up less than one month from now, and the Payback theme fits this sibling rivalry. Don't be shocked to see Jimmy vs. Jey in Pittsburgh on 2 September then.
How about all of the other stories? Well, Damage CTRL will surely split, Bianca Belair joining up with a newly-formed faction sounds fun, and Cody Rhodes gunning for the World Title might be unavoidable. If he does, then Seth Rollins is in trouble (but at least he's free of Judgment Day...for now).
Here's where company booking goes next after a so-so SummerSlam.
10. Bayley Turning On IYO SKY
Sorry in advance, Damage CTRL fans.
IYO SKY cashed in MITB to win the WWE Women's Title at SummerSlam. Then, the teary champ celebrated with her pals Bayley and a returning Dakota Kai. The biggest surprise here wasn't IYO's cash-in; no, it was the fact Bayley and Dakota didn't smash her face in and split the group.
WWE is surely keeping that on ice for TV. They've been teasing friction for the longest time now, and it'd make sense if Shotzi successfully got inside Bayley's head and caused her to lash out at SKY. Jealousy will take over for the so-called leader of the group soon anyway.
IYO vs. Bayley would be a fine scrap for Payback. Alternatively, assuming she's healthy enough to make it happen, some sort of three-way involving Kai (and thus every member of CTRL) would be a fun sprint. After that, who knows? Keeping IYO interesting without weekly promos could be quite the challenge.