| SummerSlam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | August 23, 2020 | ||
| City | Orlando, Florida[a] | ||
| Venue | WWE ThunderDome atAmway Center[a] | ||
| Attendance | 0 (behind closed doors)[Note 1] | ||
| Tagline | You'll Never See It Coming | ||
| WWE event chronology | |||
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| SummerSlam chronology | |||
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The 2020SummerSlam was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreamingevent produced byWWE. It was the 33rd annualSummerSlam and took place on August 23, 2020, from theWWE ThunderDome, hosted at theAmway Center inOrlando, Florida, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. The event was WWE's first pay-per-view to be broadcast from the ThunderDomebio-secure bubble. It was also the first SummerSlam since2011 to not featureBrock Lesnar, who competed in the main event match for the past six years and in2012. Additionally, it was the first SummerSlam since2009 to featureMVP.
The event was originally scheduled to take place at theTD Garden inBoston,Massachusetts, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Boston mayorMarty Walsh announced the suspension of all large-scale gatherings and that no permit would be issued for an event that could draw a large crowd before September 7. Since mid-March, WWE had presented the majority of their shows from theWWE Performance Center in Orlando withno fans in attendance due to the pandemic. With the move to the Amway Center, SummerSlam was the first major WWE event held outside of the Performance Center since March, although still without fans physically in attendance; fans were instead able to attend and be seen virtually on LED boards in the venue through the ThunderDome arena staging. This also marked the last SummerSlam to be held in a traditionalarena, as all future events have been held instadiums.
Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, which was the main match for SmackDown,"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeatedBraun Strowman in aFalls Count Anywhere match to win theUniversal Championship for a second time. Following the match,Roman Reigns returned following a five-month hiatus and attacked both men, turningheel. In the penultimate match, which was the main match for Raw,Drew McIntyre defeatedRandy Orton to retain theWWE Championship. In other prominent matches,Mandy Rose defeatedSonya Deville in aNo DisqualificationLoser Leaves WWE match, andAsuka defeatedSasha Banks to win theRaw Women's Championship for a second time after losing her match againstBayley for theSmackDown Women's Championship in the opening bout. The event was also notable for the in-ring debut ofRey Mysterio's sonDominik Mysterio, who foughtSeth Rollins in astreet fight in a losing effort.
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SummerSlam is an annualprofessional wrestlingevent produced every August byWWE since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer",[1] it is one of the promotion's original fourpay-per-views (PPV), along withWrestleMania,Royal Rumble, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".[2] It has since become considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania.[3][4] Announced on August 8, 2019, the 2020 event was the 33rd SummerSlam and featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. In addition to airing on pay-per-view worldwide, the event was available tolivestream on theWWE Network.[5]
As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, WWE had to present the majority of its programming for Raw and SmackDown from abehind closed doors set at theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida beginning mid-March,[6] although in late May, the promotion began using Performance Center trainees to serve as the live audience,[7] which was further expanded to friends and family members of the wrestlers in mid-June.[8] SummerSlam, as well as the preceding night'sNXT TakeOver event, were originally scheduled to take place inBoston,Massachusetts at theTD Garden.[5] On May 8, the ongoing pandemic forced Boston mayorMarty Walsh to suspend all large-scale gatherings until September 7, effectively canceling WWE's planned events in the city.[9][10]
Wrestling journalistDave Meltzer reported that the promotion was open to moving SummerSlam to September if it meant having fans in attendance.[11] However, an advertisement that aired duringThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules confirmed that SummerSlam would still be taking place on August 23, but with no reference to a city or venue.[12] AlthoughPro Wrestling Insider had reported that the event would be held at the WWE Performance Center,[13] the promotion put out an official statement on July 23 that the announcement of a new location would be forthcoming. WWE also stated that refunds would be issued at original point of purchase.[14]PWInsider then reported that WWE were looking into hosting SummerSlam on acruise ship or on abeach.[15]
On August 17, it was made official that SummerSlam would emanate from theAmway Center, a larger venue also located in Orlando. This made SummerSlam the first major WWE event to be held outside of the Performance Center since March. WWE also entered into an agreement with the Amway Center in which all future broadcasts ofRaw,SmackDown, and PPVs would be held at the venue "for the foreseeable future". Along with the move, WWE partnered with the full-service fan experience company The Famous Group to provide a "virtual fan experience", abio-secure bubble dubbed theWWE ThunderDome, which was first utilized for the August 21 episode ofSmackDown. Drones, lasers, pyro, smoke, and projections were utilized to make the wrestlers' entrances "better than WrestleMania". according to WWE Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn, who further noted that "We can now do things production-wise that we could never otherwise do". They also installed nearly 1,000 LED boards in the Amway Center to allow for rows and rows of virtual fans, who could register for a free virtual seat. Arena audio was also mixed with that of the virtual fans so that chants from the fans could be heard.[16][17][18]
The event comprised eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[19][20] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Monday Night Raw andFriday Night SmackDown.[21]
AtMoney in the Bank,Braun Strowman retained theUniversal Championship againstBray Wyatt, who wrestled as his Firefly Fun House character.[22] After being absent for a few weeks, Wyatt returned on the June 19 episode ofSmackDown, but was interrupted by Strowman. Wyatt stated their rivalry was just getting started before appearing as his old cult leader persona ofThe Wyatt Family, which formerly included Strowman and from where Strowman had originally made his WWE debut.[23] This led to a non-title match between the two called the Wyatt Swamp Fight at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules,[24] where Wyatt, fighting as his old Eater of Worlds self, defeated Strowman, who disappeared somewhere in the swamp. As Wyatt tried to leave himself, he was pulled back into the water, only for his alter ego The Fiend to appear.[12] On the followingSmackDown, Wyatt stated that his old Eater of Worlds self was done for now and that The Fiend had been unleashed.[25] The following week, Wyatt said that The Fiend wanted the Universal Championship and that no one was safe until he got it, which was made evident later that night when The Fiend attackedAlexa Bliss, Strowman's old tag team partner from Season 1 ofMixed Match Challenge.[26] On the August 7 episode, The Fiend tried attacking Bliss again, who seemingly showed affection for The Fiend, causing him to back off. Strowman then appeared on the TitanTron, stating he did not care about Bliss and that he emerged a monster from the swamp. Strowman then accepted The Fiend's challenge for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.[27] The following week saw Strowman attacking Bliss to lure out The Fiend, who appeared in the ring to confront Strowman.[28] On the August 22 episode ofTalking Smack, the stipulation was changed to aFalls Count Anywhere match.[29]
On the July 27 episode ofRaw,Randy Orton cut a promo listing many of his accolades before declaring that he wanted theWWE Championship again. He then issued a challenge to championDrew McIntyre for a title match at SummerSlam. Later that night, McIntyre accepted Orton's challenge and then defeatedDolph Ziggler in anExtreme Rules match in a rematch from The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, preventing Ziggler from earning the title opportunity. Following the match, Orton attacked McIntyre with an RKO.[30]
On the July 20 episode ofRaw,Andrade andAngel Garza lost toRaw Tag Team ChampionsThe Street Profits (Montez Ford andAngelo Dawkins).[31] The following week, Andrade and Garza won atriple threat tag team match to earn a title match at SummerSlam.[30]
AfterUnited States ChampionApollo Crews repeatedly declinedMVP's offer to join his faction, later dubbedThe Hurt Business,[32][33] the two faced each other in a non-title match on the June 29 episode ofRaw that was won by MVP. After the match, Crews was brutally attacked by MVP's teammateBobby Lashley.[34] The following week, MVP unveiled a new United States Championship belt and stated that he would face Crews for the title at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules.[35] At the event, however, Crews was unable to compete due to failing his pre-match physical thanks to Lashley's attack. MVP then declared himself winner by forfeit and unofficially claimed himself as the new United States Champion.[12] Crews, sporting the older United States title belt, returned on the August 3 episode ofRaw where he formally faced MVP in a title match where Crews retained. Celebrating his victory, Crews later stated in a backstage interview that he would give the old belt to his children while he kept the new belt MVP introduced. MVP then demanded a rematch for SummerSlam and Crews accepted.[36] On the August 17 episode, Crews defeated The Hurt Business'Shelton Benjamin, thus banning Benjamin and Lashley from ringside during the title match at SummerSlam, which was set to occur on the Kickoff pre-show.[37]
Following several weeks ofSeth Rollins tormenting and tauntingRey Mysterio, the two finally faced each other at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules in an Eye for an Eye match in which one opponent had to extract an eye of the other to win the match, which was won by Rollins.[12] Mysterio's sonDominik appeared on the July 27 episode ofRaw to confront Rollins and his discipleMurphy for Rollins' actions, as well as for Rollins gloating about it. Although Dominik attacked Rollins and Murphy, they eventually overpowered Dominik untilAleister Black came out to Dominik's aid. The brawl, however, resulted in Murphy injuring Black's eye using the corner of the steel steps.[30] The following week, Dominik challenged Rollins to a match at SummerSlam. Later, after Rollins and Murphy taunted commentatorTom Phillips (which led to fellow commentatorSamoa Joe defending Phillips), they were both attacked from behind by Dominik with a kendo stick. Rollins then accepted Dominik's challenge.[36] During the contract signing the following week, in which Dominik also signed a contract to officially become a WWE wrestler, Rollins stated that Dominik could use any kind of weapon he wanted. After Rollins defeatedHumberto Carrillo, Rollins and Murphy attacked Dominik with kendo sticks.[38] Their SummerSlam match was later made aStreet Fight.[39]
At The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, theRaw Women's Championship match betweenSasha Banks and defending championAsuka ended in controversy when Asuka inadvertently spat green mist in the referee's face, which led toBayley removing the referee's shirt and counting the pin for Banks to unofficially win the title.[12] The following night onRaw, WWEChief Brand OfficerStephanie McMahon stated that neither Banks or Asuka won at Extreme Rules and announced a rematch between the two for the following week in a match where the title could be won by pinfall, submission, disqualification, or count out.[31] During the ensuing match, Bayley attacked Asuka's tag team partnerKairi Sane backstage. Asuka then left the match to check on Sane, resulting in her losing by count-out, thus Banks won the title for a record fifth time.[30] On the August 3 episode, Asuka demanded a rematch for the title, however, Banks stated that she had to defeat Bayley to earn the match at SummerSlam,[36] which Asuka did the following week.[38] On that Friday'sSmackDown, as Bayley did not have a challenger for herSmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam, Stephanie McMahon announced a triple brand battle royal for the following week, featuring wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, andNXT, with the winner facing Bayley at the event.[27] Surprise entrant Asuka won the battle royal, thus double booking Asuka to face theWWE Women's Tag Team Champions in singles matches for their respective singles titles.[28] On the August 21 episode ofSmackDown, both Banks and Bayley facedNaomi in aBeat the Clock Challenge to determine the order of their respective title defenses against Asuka with the loser defending first; Banks subsequently won as she defeated Naomi, who in turn defeated Bayley.[40]
At the onset of 2020, a romance began betweenMandy Rose andHeavy Machinery'sOtis. They were set to have aValentine's Day date, however, Dolph Ziggler arrived first, stealing the date with Rose.[41] Prior toWrestleMania 36, it was revealed that Rose'sFire and Desire tag team partnerSonya Deville had conspired with Ziggler to sabotage the date by sending a fake text to Otis that Rose was running late.[42] Otis then defeated Ziggler at the event with the help of Rose, who also attacked Deville.[43] Rose then entered into a months long feud with Deville, who claimed that Rose was all looks and no talent. This culminated on the July 31 episode ofSmackDown where Deville attacked Rose backstage and cut some of her hair off.[26] Rose, now sporting shorter hair, then challenged Deville to aHair vs. Hair match at SummerSlam, which Deville accepted.[28] The following week, Rose had a change of heart, thinking there was still some good in Deville, and asked to put their rivalry behind them. Deville instead raised the stakes and changed the stipulation of their match to ano disqualification match where theloser leaves WWE.[40] This stipulation change was brought about due to a real life incident involving Deville; her home had been broken into by a stalker in Florida.[44] Her lawyers cited it was not a good idea to have a shaved head while in court.[45]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| English commentators | Michael Cole(SmackDown) |
| Corey Graves(SmackDown) | |
| Tom Phillips(Raw) | |
| Samoa Joe(Raw) | |
| Byron Saxton(Raw) | |
| Spanish commentator | Carlos Cabrera |
| Ring announcers | Greg Hamilton(SmackDown) |
| Mike Rome(Raw) | |
| Referees | Danilo Anfibio |
| Shawn Bennett | |
| John Cone | |
| Dan Engler | |
| Darrick Moore | |
| Eddie Orengo | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Ryan Tran | |
| Interviewers | Kayla Braxton |
| Sarah Schreiber | |
| Pre-show panel | Charly Caruso |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | |
| Peter Rosenberg | |
| Renee Young | |
| Booker T |
During the SummerSlam Kickoff pre-show, Apollo Crews defended the United States Championship against MVP with MVP's stablemates Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin banned from ringside. In the end, Crews performed aToss Powerbomb on MVP to retain the title. Following the match, Benjamin and Lashley came down to the ring to attack Crews, however, Crews escaped.[46]
The actual pay-per-view opened with Bayley (accompanied by Sasha Banks) defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Asuka. In the end, Asuka attempted to attack Bayley, who was teetering on the ring ropes, however, Bayley moved out of the way and Asuka inadvertently knocked off Banks, who had been standing on the ring apron to try and distract Asuka. Bayley then performed a roll-up on Asuka to retain the title. Following the match, Bayley and Banks attacked Asuka.[47]
Next, The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) defended the Raw Tag Team Championship against Andrade and Angel Garza (accompanied byZelina Vega). The climax saw Vega stand on the ring apron to distract the referee. Garza performed aSuperkick on Dawkins, who bumped into Vega knocking her off the ring apron. Dawkins then performed aPowerbomb on Garza and Ford performedFrom the Heavens on Garza to retain the titles.[47]
After that, Mandy Rose faced Sonya Deville in a no disqualification match where the loser would leave WWE. During the first half of the match, Rose and Deville fought at ringside, where Rose performed a flyingLariat on Deville off the announce table. Deville attacked Rose with a chair and slammed her head on the announce table. Rose performed threeRunning Knees, aFairytale Ending, and a fourthRunning Knee on Deville to win the match. Following the match, Otis came out to celebrate with Rose where Rose performed her own rendition ofThe Caterpillar, Otis's finisher.[47]
In the next match, Seth Rollins (accompanied by Murphy) fought Dominik Mysterio (accompanied by his father, Rey Mysterio) in a Street Fight. This was Dominik's first match as a WWE wrestler. Dominik performed aRussian Legsweep on Rollins from the top turnbuckle onto table below. Later on, Rey Mysterio tried to interfere but Dominik told him not to do so. Later on, Rollins handcuffed Rey to the second rope. In the end, Rollins performedThe Stomp on Dominik in front of Rey to win the match.[47]
Next, Sasha Banks (accompanied by Bayley) defended the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka. During the match, Banks performed aPowerbomb from the ring apron on Asuka. Asuka applied anAnkle Lock on Banks, who rolled through. Asuka countered aSuperplex attempt into aDDT on Banks for a nearfall. Asuka performed aMissile Dropkick from the top rope on Banks for a nearfall. Banks attempted aFrog Splash, but Asuka moved out of the way. Asuka then applied theAsuka Lock on Banks, who countered into a pinning combination for a nearfall, after which, Banks applied theBank Statement. As Banks brought Asuka to the middle of the ring, Asuka countered into theAsuka Lock, but Banks escaped. The end saw a similar situation from the event's SmackDown Women's Championship match occur, with the roles of Banks and Bayley switched, however, Bayley moved out of the way. Asuka then attacked Bayley, but as Banks attempted theBank Statement, Asuka reversed into theAsuka Lock to force Banks to submit, thus winning the title for a second time.[47]
In the penultimate match, Drew McIntyre defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. In the climax, after a back-and-forth contest, Orton attempted aPunt Kick on McIntyre, however, McIntyre countered with a powerbomb. As McIntyre attempted aClaymore Kick on Orton, Orton avoided it, however, McIntyre performed a backslide pin on Orton to retain the title.[47]
In the main event, Braun Strowman defended the Universal Championship against "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match. During the match, the two fought up the entrance ramp and inside the gorilla position. In the closing moments, Strowman used a box cutter to cut the top ring canvas to expose the wooden flooring. The Fiend countered an attack from Strowman and performed aUranage and two consecutiveSister Abigails on Strowman onto the exposed wood to regain the title for a second time. After the match, a returningRoman Reigns (in his first appearance in five months) appeared and performed aSpear on The Fiend. Reigns then performed aSpear on Strowman, who was staggering at ringside, and attacking him with multiple chair shots. Reigns then returned to the ring to execute anotherSpear on The Fiend before hoisting up the Universal Championship belt.[47]
Dave Meltzer rated the WWE Championship match 4.25 stars, the highest of the night. Meanwhile, the main event received 1 star, the lowest of the night. Elsewhere on the card, the kick-off show match received 2.25 stars, the SmackDown Women's Championship match received 3.25 stars, the Raw Tag Team Championship match received 2 stars, the Loser Leaves WWE match received 2.75 stars, and the street fight and the Raw Women's Championship match received 3.75 stars.[48]
The following night onRaw, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre gloated how he had defeated "the greatest wrestler ever" with a wrestling move, and stated that he knew that Randy Orton wanted a rematch. As McIntyre made his exit, Orton attacked McIntyre and delivered two Punts to him. Later, McIntyre attacked Orton during Orton's match against the debutingKeith Lee and the brawl ended with Orton delivering a thirdPunt to McIntyre, taking him out for the next couple of weeks.[49] On the August 31 episode, Orton earned himself another title opportunity against McIntyre for the WWE Championship atClash of Champions.[50]
Sasha Banks challenged Asuka to a rematch for the Raw Women's Championship, but as alumberjack match. However, Banks was unsuccessful in regaining the title, thus ending their feud.[49] However, the two faced each other again atSurvivor Series on November 22, but as a champion vs. champion match with Banks as SmackDown Women's Champion,[51] where Banks was victorious.[52]
Dominik Mysterio teamed with his father Rey Mysterio in a tag team match against Seth Rollins and Murphy, but the match ended in a disqualification after Retribution attacked the Mysterios.[49] On August 28, a rematch was scheduled forPayback.[53]
On August 24, United States Champion Apollo Crews was scheduled to defend his title against The Hurt Business' Bobby Lashley at Payback.[54] OnRaw that night, the two had an arm wrestling match that Crews won when he took a cheap shot by stomping on Lashley's foot.[49]
The day after SummerSlam, it was announced that new Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt would defend the title against Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns in ano holds barredtriple threat match atPayback.[49] Subsequently onSmackDown, it was revealed that Reigns aligned himself withPaul Heyman.[55]