SummerSlam
Promotional poster featuringBrock Lesnar
Promotion	WWE
Date	August 19, 2012
City	Los Angeles,California
Venue	Staples Center
Attendance	17,482[1]
Buy rate	358,000[2]
Tagline	The Perfect Storm
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous Money in the Bank Next → Night of Champions
SummerSlam chronology
← Previous 2011 Next → 2013

The 2012SummerSlam was the 25th annualSummerSlamprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWWE. It took place on August 19, 2012, atStaples Center inLos Angeles,California for the fourth consecutive year. It was the first SummerSlam held since the end of the firstbrand extension, which happened shortly after the2011 event.

Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the pre-show. In the main event, Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H by submission. In other marquee matches, The Miz retained theWWE Intercontinental Championship againstRey Mysterio,Daniel Bryan defeatedKane, andCM Punk retained the WWE Championship againstBig Show andJohn Cena.

SummerSlam is an annualpay-per-view (PPV) produced every August byWWE since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer",^[3] it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".^[4] It has since become considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania.^[5][6] The 2012 event was the 25th SummerSlam and was scheduled to be held on August 19, 2012, atStaples Center inLos Angeles,California for the fourth consecutive year.^[7] It was the first SummerSlam held since the end of the firstbrand split in August 2011, right after theprevious year's event.^[8][7]

The event comprised eight matches, including one on the pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown.^[9][10]

The most highly promoted match, billed as "The Perfect Storm", on the card sawTriple H facing off againstBrock Lesnar. On the April 30 episode ofRaw, Lesnar attempted to renegotiate his contract with General ManagerJohn Laurinaitis. Triple H (in his corporate role asChief Operations Officer) intervened, and declared that the contract Lesnar had agreed to upon re-signing with WWE was still valid and thus Lesnar could not add any other clauses to it. This led to a brawl between Lesnar and Triple H resulting in the latter having his arm broken by Lesnar via theKimura armbar.^[11][12] Triple H returned atNo Way Out, not only addressing Lesnar and the lawsuits brought against WWE, but also challenging him to a match at SummerSlam, in exchange for his dropping the lawsuits that his legal representative,Paul Heyman, made against WWE and Triple H.^[13] On the June 18 episode ofRaw, Heyman made an appearance, rejecting Triple H's challenge on behalf of Lesnar. After further goading from Heyman, Triple H attacked him.^[14] Meanwhile, it was announced that Lesnar would respond to Triple H's challenge on the July 2 episode ofRaw; however, at the event it was announced that he would instead return atRaw 1000 on July 23. On that night, Heyman again declined the challenge, but after Triple H's wifeStephanie McMahon slapped him (due to making remarks about their children), Heyman accepted on behalf of Lesnar.^[15] Then, on the August 6 episode ofRaw,Shawn Michaels made an appearance to announce that he would be in Triple H's corner at SummerSlam.^[16] However, Michaels would not make it to SummerSlam after Lesnar used a kimura lock to break his arm on the August 13 episode.

In another match,CM Punk defended the WWE Championship againstJohn Cena andBig Show in atriple threat match. In recent weeks, Punk claimed that even though he was WWE Champion, he often felt as if he was pushed to the background in favor of stars like Cena and The Rock. AtRaw 1000, The Rock declared he would be getting a WWE Championship shot at the2013 Royal Rumble PPV. That same night, Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to challenge Punk for the title. After Big Show's interference led to a disqualification, The Rock rushed the ring to help fend off Big Show. Punk would then attack Rock, hitting him with a GTS and turning heel for the first time since 2011.^[15] The following week, Cena and Big Show would fight in a number one contender's match for a shot at the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. After Punk's interference led to a no contest, new Raw General ManagerAJ Lee announced that Punk would defend the title against both Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match at SummerSlam.

Daniel Bryan had proposed marriage to AJ on July 16 episode ofRaw, which she accepted and agreed to have the wedding as part ofRaw 1000. However, during the ceremony, AJ rejected Bryan, and it was announced that she was named as the new GM of Raw byVince McMahon, which led Bryan to get angry and destroy the wedding decorations in the ring. He was later confronted and insulted by CM Punk, The Rock, and even guest starCharlie Sheen.^[15] After a loss to Sheamus in a street fight on July 30 episode ofRaw, Bryan underwent a psychological exam (under orders from AJ as retaliation for finding out that Bryan planned on having her committed to a mental institution after they were legally married) and was attacked byKane (who claimed he was Bryan's "anger management therapist"). On the August 6 episode ofRaw, AJ booked Bryan to wrestle Kane at SummerSlam.^[16]

Another match on the card was betweenDolph Ziggler andChris Jericho. AtMoney in the Bank Ziggler won theMoney in the Bank ladder match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship contract, while Jericho failed to win his Money in the Bank ladder match for theWWE Championship contract. The next night onRaw, Jericho interrupted Ziggler's victory speech. Ziggler then put Jericho's recent performances under question, claiming that Jericho "can't win the big ones anymore" and "lost his touch". Jericho responded by nailing Ziggler with a Codebreaker. OnRaw 1000 during a six-man tag team match, Ziggler hit his tag-team partner Jericho, causing him to lose the match.^[15] On the July 27 episode ofSmackDown, Jericho (wearing Ziggler's gear) threw Ziggler in the ring to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus.^[17] On the August 6 episode ofRaw Ziggler facedAlex Riley, but lost due to being distracted by Jericho.^[16] It was announced on the August 10 episode ofSmackDown that Ziggler would face Jericho at SummerSlam.^[18]

In 2011,The Miz andRey Mysterio feuded after Mysterio defeated Miz in a tournament finals to crown a new WWE Champion.^[19] During ahouse show, Mysterio faced Miz again, but during the match, Mysterio was injured, forcing him to undergo surgery and remain inactive, which was blamed on storyline to an attack byAlberto Del Rio.^[20] Ten months later, on the July 16 episode of "Raw", Mysterio made his return attacking Del Rio with a619.^[21] Meanwhile, inRaw 1000, The Miz defeatedChristian to win his firstIntercontinental Championship.^[15] After his return, Mysterio declared his intention to become Intercontinental Champion. During the August 10 episode ofSmackDown, Mysterio defeated The Miz in a non-title match.^[18] Therefore, Mysterio received a title match against Miz at SummerSlam.

At Money in the Bank, afterThe Prime Time Players (Darren Young andTitus O'Neil) were defeated byPrimo & Epico, The Prime Time Players confrontedWWE Tag Team ChampionsKofi Kingston andR-Truth and tried to attack them, to which R-Truth threw a bottle of water at the Prime Time Players' managerAbraham Washington, starting a feud between the two teams.^[22] On the July 16 episode ofRaw, Kingston and Truth successfully defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against the Prime Time Players.^[21] On the August 10 episode ofSmackDown, The Prime Time Players defeated Primo & Epico by disqualification after Kingston and Truth, who were at the commentators table, attacked Washington, earning a WWE Tag Team Championship match against reigning champions Kingston and Truth at the pay-per-view.^[18]

Since April,World Heavyweight ChampionSheamus entered a feud with Alberto Del Rio around the championship after Del Rio defeated Sheamus by disqualification on the April 6 episode ofSmackDown, after Del Rio faked being hit with a steel chair, winning a championship opportunity in the future.^[23] That opportunity was not granted untilOver the Limit, where Sheamus retained against Del Rio, Chris Jericho andRandy Orton.^[24] During the following weeks, the two continued their feud, which directed to a match at No Way Out, in which Dolph Ziggler replaced Del Rio (due to Del Rio suffering an injury on the June 6 episode ofSmackDown), where Sheamus again retained.^[25] When Del Rio returned, they immediately resumed their feud, facing again at Money in the Bank, where Sheamus again defeated Del Rio.^[22] However, Del Rio demanded one more match, which he got after defeating Kane, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan on the July 27 episode ofSmackDown, setting up a match between Del Rio and Sheamus at SummerSlam.^[17] On the August 10 episode ofSmackDown, Del Rio attacked Sheamus with the help of fake policemen that Del Rio himself hired,^[18] in revenge for Sheamus stealing his car earlier that week on the August 6 episode ofRaw,^[16] leading toBooker T, the newly appointed General Manager ofSmackDown, to cancel the match between Del Rio and Sheamus for the title, angering Del Rio. However, the following week onSmackDown, after Del Rio defeated Chris Jericho, Sheamus asked for the match to be reinstated, which was accepted by Booker T.^[26]

On the August 13 episode ofRaw, it was announced thatJersey Shore personalityPauly D would be the social media ambassador for the event.

WWE legendMick Foley was scheduled to face the debutingDean Ambrose at the event. Ambrose had accused Foley for being the cause of a lost generation atWrestleMania Axxess and would to continue to insult him onTwitter. However, Foley was not cleared to compete by his doctors, he announced his final retirement, and the match was scrapped. Ambrose would make his debut later in the year as part of the stableThe Shield.^[27]

Prior to the pay-per-view,Antonio Cesaro, who had been accompanied byAksana, defeatedSantino Marella to win theUnited States Championship after aNeutralizer.^[1]

The first match that aired from the show pittedChris Jericho againstDolph Ziggler. Jericho's rib injury came into play when it cost him too much time to cover Ziggler after performing afrankensteiner on Ziggler. Ziggler was very close to victory after raising his knees when Jericho tried for theLionsault and then executed theZig Zag for a near-fall. Jericho executed aCodebreaker, but the momentum from the move knocked him out of the ring. Jericho made Ziggler submit to theWalls of Jericho to win the match.^[1]

The second match in the pay-per-view was betweenDaniel Bryan andKane. Kane went crazy after Bryanslapped him in the face. Kane's anger opened things up for Bryan, but he was unable to apply theNo Lock. Bryan attempted adiving headbutt, but Kane grabbed him by the throat when he landed and then performed thechokeslam. Kane was still angry about the slap and decided to give him theTombstone Piledriver instead of going for the win. Bryan was able to reverse the move into asmall package on Kane to win before immediately fleeing to the back. Following the match, Kane was shown tearing apart the backstage area while searching for Bryan.^[1]

Next was theIntercontinental Championship match between the championThe Miz and challengerRey Mysterio. During the match, Mysterio was able to execute the619 but missed when he triedDroppin' Da Dime on The Miz. A few moments later, The Miz executed theSkull Crushing Finale to get the win.^[1]

TheWorld Heavyweight Championship was on the line next withSheamus defending his title againstAlberto Del Rio. Rodriguez threw a shoe to Del Rio, but Sheamus caught it instead and hit Del Rio with it. He then executed anIrish Curse on Del Rio and pinned him to retain the championship, but Del Rio had his foot on the ropes, which should have resulted in a rope break, but refereeMike Chioda didn't see that and thus allowed Sheamus to retain his title.^[1]

The next match was for theWWE Tag Team Championship betweenR-Truth andKofi Kingston and the number one contendersThe Prime Time Players (Darren Young andTitus O'Neil). Kingston got rid of O'Neil with aflying body press outside of the ring. Inside of the ring, R-Truth performed theLie Detector on Young to get the win.^[1]

A triple threat match was up next, which sawCM Punk defending hisWWE Championship againstJohn Cena andBig Show. Big Show dominated the match, but Cena and Punk were able to eventually wear him down. Punk trapped Big Show's head in aKoji clutch while Cena put Big Show in theSTF, which caused Big Show to submit. Because of the confusion over who won the match,AJ Lee came to the ring and restarted the match. Cena was able to execute theAttitude Adjustment on Big Show. Punk however, then tossed Cena out of the ring and pinned Big Show to get the win and keep the title.^[1]

In the final match,Brock Lesnar (accompanied byPaul Heyman) facedTriple H. Lesnar was focused on the arm of Triple H which he broke a few months ago. He slammed Triple H on his arm on top of the announcers table. The referee refused to start the count when Triple H was outside of the ring. Lesnar controlled the match until Triple H tossed him stomach-first into the announcers table. Lesnar had some major problems with his stomach that led to him retiring fromUltimate Fighting Championship. After many knees to the gut, Triple H performed aPedigree for a near-fall. Lesnar got back into the bout with a blatantlow blow. He then connected with theF-5, but Triple H was able to kick out. Lesnar then put Triple H in theKimura lock and refused to break it when Triple H reached the ropes. Triple H got out with a few shots to the body and then performed another Pedigree. When he went for the pin, Lesnar put Triple H in the Kimura lock again and the fallen Triple H could do nothing but submit. Following the match, Triple H seemed to be completely beat, and the announcers wondered whether he was going to retire.^[1]

The following night onRaw, Dolph Ziggler challenged Chris Jericho to a rematch, to which the general manager AJ Lee made official, with the added stipulation that Ziggler's Money in the Bank contract and Jericho's WWE contract were on the line. Ziggler would go on to win the bout, resulting in Jericho being terminated from the company; this was done so Jericho could join his bandFozzy on their European tour. Jericho was eventually rehired and would later return at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Later on during the same show, CM Punk announced his intentions of defending his WWE Championship against John Cena in the near future. On the August 27 episode ofRaw, AJ announced that Punk would defend the title against Cena atNight of Champions, continuing their feud. Punk lost the WWE Championship at the 2013 Royal Rumble against The Rock.

Daniel Bryan and Kane continued their rivalry after the match, leading to the formation ofTeam Hell No. They would end up working together and getting along, including winning the WWE Tag Team Championship atNight of Champions.

Lastly, Brock Lesnar announced onTout during the show that he had quit the WWE since there was no more competition. In reality, Lesnar was taken off television as he had limited appearances on his contract. He would return on the January 28 episode ofRaw. Triple H seemingly announced his retirement on the August 27 episode ofRaw, but returned on the February 25, 2013, episode. The following week, which celebrated "Old School Raw", Triple H challenged Lesnar to a match atWrestleMania 29. Paul Heyman accepted the challenge and declare the match to be a No Holds Barred match, with the added stipulation that if Triple H lost, he would have to retire. On the April 1 episode ofRaw, Shawn Michaels returned and announced that he would be in the corner of Triple H at WrestleMania. At WrestleMania, Triple H defeated Lesnar after hitting him with his signatureSledgehammer and thePedigree on the steel steps in the ring. The two had their rubber match atExtreme Rules in aSteel Cage match, which Lesnar won.

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• SummerSlam
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• 2012 in Los Angeles
• 2012 WWE pay-per-view events
• August 2012 in the United States

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