MINNEAPOLIS In a weekend of wrestling, was WWE able to nail SummerSlam 2026?WWE's second largest event wrapped at U.S. Bank Stadium on Aug. 1-2 and delivered the signature surprises and returns it has become known for, but it all comes down to whether the overall show was able to live up to the high standard of the event's history. For the most part, it did. Night one got everything off to a hot start, with night two closing it out in great fashion even if there were some oddities along the way. Now, it's time to rank and grade all 12 matches of SummerSlam and see how successful the weekend was.1. World Heavyweight Championship match: Roman Reigns vs. Seth RollinsThe end of a long rivalry ended in the ultimate fashion. Both stars told the story of their journey to this moment, with several callbacks leading to a captivating battle that kept you on the edge of your seat. They left it all out on the line, and yes, it was a finisher-palooza in the final minutes, but you can't deny this was the perfect main event and perfect way to end a storied legacy. Grade: A2. Women's World Championship match: Liv Morgan vs. Iyo SkyThe bar was set high right off the jump in what was a welcoming surprise to the event. Sky is always in her bag, but Morgan really stepped up her game in her first title defense of this reign. The Judgement Day intervention was inevitable and not needed, but it didn't overtake the match. The ending sequence was one of the best finishers of the entire weekend. Grade: A-3. Undisputed WWE Championship match: CM Punk vs. Cody RhodesYou'd hope the in-ring chemistry would be there, and total pros definitely create magic. There were moments where it felt like the match was dragging or left you confused, but when the action was happening, it was really going. Randy Orton's comeback was a good spot to set the course for Rhodes, yet you just wish it was a clean finish. Grade: A-4. Hell in a Cell match: Oba Femi vs. Brock LesnarThere was no match that had the intensity of this heavyweight affair. The electricity was palpable and you were wowed with everything that was done. The cage wasn't used as much as it could have, but the brutality it calls for was there. Ripping up the ring was a good twist, and even with the great ending for Femi, it looked like he missed throwing Lesnar down on the exposed wood. Still, bonus point for the passing of the torch. Grade: A-5. Intercontinental Championship match: Chad Gable vs. PentaA lot of people picked this bout to be the best one of the weekend. It certainly was great, but didn't get as much love nor time it could've gotten. In the limited time, Gable and Penta were able to make the most of it, pulling all sorts of moves out to build toward the hometown star's crowning achievement. Grade: A-6. Ladder match for Interim WWE Women's Championship: Chelsea Green vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lash LegendMulti-person ladder matches are always going to be great. This one didn't produce many of those viral moments you expect, and there wasn't anything that stood out for the majority of it. However, the ending sequence was executed very well, with it all building toward Green's victory. Grade: B7. Match to be No. 1 contender for Undisputed WWE Championship: Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther vs. Kevin OwensBy far the best surprise appearances of the weekend. You didn't expect Gunther to get another match, but Owens coming back to wrestling was incredible. Zayn really sold the disbelief well, and all of these stars are great in the ring. They got the chance to do so, but this was all about Owens showing he has not slowed down one bit. Grade: B8. Gunther vs. Nick AldisYou shouldn't have been surprised by Aldis' in-ring ability, but he did do really well. It would have been nice to see him get more time on offense since Gunther controlled the majority of the match, but you got to credit Aldis for putting up a valiant effort despite years without a match. Grade: B-9. LA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys vs. The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu)This match made you fall in love with Sikoa even more. He stole the show and was definitely a standout performer of the weekend. Keys didn't really get a chance to break through and he had a tough moment with Jimmy Uso on the top turnbuckle that didn't help. Grade: B-10. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) vs. Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and PaigeIt was hard to stay locked into this one when the taunting stood out more than the actual wrestling. Fatal Influence actually looked pretty good, but the veterans really seemed all out of sorts, and it didn't help Brie Bella was legitimately hurt. Grade: C-11. United States Championship match: Baron Corbin vs. Trick WilliamsOh boy. Williams is such a charismatic star and has the right stuff, but this performance was extremely clunky, and Corbin wasn't any better, doubting whether this return is really a good idea. There was way too much dead space and everyone looked confused a lot. Lil Yachty had to save the day with something memorable, but this really hurt the United States title. Grade: D+12. Human Monies on a Pole Match: Danhausen vs. Dominik MysterioIf you're still trying to figure out what this was, you're not alone. This match wasn't meant to be serious and should be taken as pure entertainment, but this was just full of chaos that left you wondering if this was really worth it. The comedy of it was great, but not really something meant for a SummerSlam match. Grade: D-This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SummerSlam 2026 match grades: Ranking all 12 matches, best to worst