Cliff Notes – WWE injury exposed as fake in ruse of the century at SummerSlam
- Seth Rollins, initially thought to be injured, made a dramatic return at SummerSlam, surprising fans by cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase to become World Heavyweight Champion.
- The twist was dubbed the ‘ruse of the century’ as WWE successfully misled audiences about Rollins’ injury status, which had been questioned online.
- CM Punk, who had just won the title moments earlier, was defeated by Rollins, continuing their longstanding rivalry and leaving fans stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
WWE injury exposed as fake in ‘ruse of the century’ at SummerSlam
Seth Rollins delivered one of the biggest twists of the year at SummerSlam (Picture: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
A major WWE superstar thought to be injured just a few weeks ago made a sensational return at SummerSlam.
Last month at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Seth Rollins’ match against LA Knight appeared to be cut short as the Visionary landed awkwardly on his knee, which has a history of issues.
In the headline match of the first night of SummerSlam, CM Punk toppled GUNTHER to become World Heavyweight Champion, marking his first world title since capturing AEW gold in September 2022.
However, Rollins music hit as he made his way onto the stage with crutches, which he threw aside to huge cheers from the crowd.
Commentators branded it the ‘ruse of the century’ as he cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase to beat Punk and become World Heavyweight Champion.
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While there had been rumblings online that the injury wasn’t as legitimate as it first seemed, WWE had gone to great lengths to fool everyone.
The Visionary tricked everyone to win the World Heavyweight Championship (Picture: Elsa/Getty Images)
CM Punk had won the title just moments earlier (Picture: Elsa/Getty Images)
The same weekend he appeared to get hurt, Rollins was seen backstage at WWE Evolution on crutches, while he even used them in public with his four-year-old daughter Roux.
Backstage after his return, the new champ’s real life wife Becky Lynch jokingly asked if her social media posts were ‘misleading’.
Viewers were stunned by the twist, and loved having the wool pulled over their eyes days after Netflix documentary WWE Unreal revealed the inner workings of the wrestling world.
He beat GUNTHER in an intense main event battle (Picture: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
Rollins and Punk’s longtime feud continued (Picture: Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
‘Seth Rollins is the greatest of all time [yo he] had me fooled #WWESummerSlam,’ wrote @f1wintersolider on X, while @CoachJCaraway shouted: ‘SETH ROLLINS YOU LYING SNAKE‼️ #SummerSlam’
Fan @Jbridgeman12 said: ‘He’s shocked the world!! Seth Rollins cashes in his MITB briefcase on CM punk and is the new world haveyweight champion. They fooled us all. Fantastic. #SummerSlam’
And @boulidamkenza quipped: ‘Becky Lynch watching Seth Rollins win the title like a proud villain mom who taught her kid to fake cry in public just to skip the line at Disneyland. 😭🎢 #WWE #SummerSlam2025’
WWE SummerSlam 2025 night 1 results
SummerSlam night 1 was an evening of new champions, celebrity matches and high drama as WWE did what it does best.
In the opening match, Seth Rollins’ allies Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed lost to the Original Bloodline members Roman Reigns and Jey Uso in a blistering battle.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss turned their alliance of convenience into gold as they beat Roxanna Perez and Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s Tag Team Titles.
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair also won gold at SummerSlam (Picture: Heather McLaughlin/WWE via Getty Images)
Elsewhere, Logan Paul sent Jelly Roll through a table (Picture: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
The Grammy Award-winning star delivered in the ring (Picture: Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)
Sami Zayn beat Karrion Kross, meaning the latter will have to admit he was wrong about the underdog’s true nature, while Tiffany Stratton retained the WWE Women’s Title in a brief win over Jade Cargill.
Grammy Award-winning singer Jelly Roll showed up in a big way, getting sent through a table in his WWE debut.
However, he and Randy Orton still lost to Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul, with the musician even being the one to take the pin.
Then, it was time for the main event, with CM Punk beating GUNTHER before losing the World Heavyweight Championship just minutes later to Seth Rollins.
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