Trick Williams Beats Laredo Kid at Madison Square Garden With Trick Shot

Q: Will Gunther and Sami Zayn defy predictions and crash the SummerSlam main event tonight?

Yes, they could—but only if they beat CM Punk and Cody Rhodes tonight at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The stipulation is clear: a Gunther and Sami Zayn victory at Madison Square Garden would add them to the Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, turning the currently projected CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes main event into a Fatal 4-Way. So they cannot “crash” SummerSlam tonight in the literal sense, because SummerSlam is scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2; what they can do tonight is earn their way into that match. That said, the available reporting and predictions lean the other way. The preview points to Punk and Rhodes surviving the tag match, despite their uneasy alliance, which would keep the SummerSlam title picture unchanged. Gunther and Zayn have momentum and storyline logic on their side—Zayn is a recent former champion after his brief June reign, and Gunther remains central to the title feud—but no confirmed result is available yet. There is at least a plausible upset path. Commentary around the match has suggested that tension between Punk and Rhodes could cost them, opening the door for Zayn and Gunther to steal the win and force WWE to expand the SummerSlam main event. So the short answer is this: they can defy predictions tonight, but only by winning the tag match, and as of now there is no result confirming that they have done it.

3 articles · Updated · Sports Illustrated · Jul 19

Trick Williams opened WWE Saturday Night's Main Event with a win over Laredo Kid, finishing the match with his Trick Shot knee strike at Madison Square Garden.
Laredo Kid controlled long stretches with his speed, a top-rope missile dropkick and a senton to the floor, but missed a corkscrew moonsault that gave the Men's United States champion his opening.
Oba Femi then joined Stephanie McMahon in the ring and said he has no fear heading into his SummerSlam Hell in a Cell match, declaring Brock Lesnar will be locked inside with him.
The New York card still centers on SummerSlam stakes, with CM Punk and Cody Rhodes facing Gunther and Sami Zayn in a tag match that would turn Punk-Rhodes into a 4-Way title bout if they lose.