WWE SummerSlam 2023: Seth Rollins Escapes The Judgement Day While Retaining The World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins managed to keep his World Heavyweight Championship reign alive at SummerSlam on Saturday night against Finn Balor, despite heavy interference from the rest of The Judgement Day. After both men managed to kick out of the other's finishers, Balor ordered Damian Priest to slide him the Money in the Bank briefcase and distract the referee on the opposite end of the ring. But the plan backfired as Rollins nailed Balor with another Curb Stomp just as "The Prince" crawled his way over to the briefcase. Rollins then stared down a visibly frustrated Priest and walked out with his title.

Rollins' win marked his 20th successful championship defense since becoming the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion back in May. Who should get the next shot at "The Visionary?" Tell us your pick in the comments! 

SETH ROLLINS RETAINSSSSSSSSS WHAT A MATCHHH pic.twitter.com/2OWrV6Xw3O

— iBeast (@ibeastIess) August 6, 2023

Finn Balor Claimed He Didn't See His SummerSlam Match With Seth as "Full Circle"

The callbacks to Rollins and Balor's SummerSlam 2016 match were obvious from the start, as Balor had the words "Seven" written in tape on the injured shoulder he suffered in the original match, while Rollins arrived wearing the same vest he wore to the ring for that match. However, Balor claimed during an interview with ComicBook on Friday that he didn't buy the narrative that their latest match would bring his story "full circle."

"I feel like the media are turning this into a very full circle moment for myself and Seth," Balor said in an interview with ComicBook at a media junket on Friday. "But really, for me, I'm just treating this as another day at the office and I've been doing this for a long time. I approach every match in the same, the same way with the same amount of attention and focus and that will be the same thing going at SummerSlam tomorrow."

Midway thorugh the match, Balor would go so far as to hit Rollins with the same Buckle Bomb on the outside apron that forced him to relinquish the Universal Championship in 2016 due to a surgery-requiring shoulder injury. Thankfully, Rollins did not suffer the same injury when he took the move.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight wins the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey (MMA Rules)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther def Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
• WWE Women's Championship: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Rules)