Watch the live WWE SummerSlam Kickoff Show (above) starting at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/5:00 Central.
WWE United States Championship
The Hurt Business is banned from ringside
Apollo Crews (c) vs. MVP
The bell rings, and MVP quickly takes Crews down and goes for a knee bar. Crews immediately grabs the bottom rope. Crews applies a waistlock, but MVP turns it. Crews drops back and rolls him up for a one count. Crews catches him with a sunset flip for another one count. Crews goes for a punch, but MVP rolls out of the ring. Crews taunts MVP in the ring.
MVP takes a moment before getting in the ring. MVP stops to tie his shoe, but it was just a distraction so MVP could blindside him. Crews quickly slingshots over him and hits a dropkick. Crews connects with a hip toss and applies an arm bar. MVP fights up and backs him to the corner. Crews charges him, but MVP hits a back body drop over the top rope. Crews hits the steel steps headfirst on the way down.
MVP goes outside and bounces Crews off the commentary table. MVP puts him in the ring and punches him back. MVP goes for a running big boot in the corner, but Crews moves. Crews kicks him in the back of the neck and goes to the top rope, but MVP shakes the ropes to crotch him up there. MVP then executes a superplex, but he hurts himself on the landing. MVP takes a moment to recover before covering Crews for a two count. MVP punches him, but Crews reverses a whip. MVP holds the ropes, so Crews clotheslines him over the top rope. Crews then wipes MVP out with a summersault plancha. The referee counts to nine, but they both get back in before being counted out.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1297667466202677248?s=20
They exchange punches in the ring with Crews coming out on top. Crews wildly clubs MVP to the corner and stomps away at him. Crews rips off MVP’s nasal strip and avalanches him twice. Crews connects with a spinebuster and follows up with a standing moonsault for a near fall. MVP fights a Toss Powerbomb and goes for a Playmaker. Crews gets out and hits a Toss Powerbomb for the win.
Winner by Pinfall and still WWE United States Champion: Apollo Crews
Bobby Lashley and WWE 24/7 Champion Shelton Benjamin angrily run down to the ring, but Crews escapes.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1297667923872489472?s=20
Not much of a match with Apollo Crews and MVP. No real drama to it. Just a paint-by-numbers exercise. After seeing Crews easily pin MVP on #WWERaw this week, it was tough to even get into this. #SummerSlam Kickoff
— Wrestleview.com (@wrestleview) August 23, 2020