World Wrestling Entertainment will stage its marquee mid-year event this Saturday as SummerSlam takes place at Ford Field, home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. After WrestleMania, SummerSlam is the second-biggest show WWE produces in a calendar year and this year’s card is typically strong from top to bottom.
Brock Lesnar, who has headlined nine previous SummerSlams, faces Cody Rhodes in a match that figures to finish their trilogy, Logan Paul is back to square off with Ricochet after a series of viral moments between the two and Roman Reigns continues to battle with his own family, putting both his Undisputed Universal Championship and the title of “Tribal Chief” up against his cousin Jey Uso.
Here’s everything you need to know about this SummerSlam 2023:
WWE SummerSlam ‘go-home’ SmackDown results
• LA Knight is out first to a huge pop and gestures to a graphic with his opponents in the SummerSlam Battle Royal — including the newly announced AJ Styles, Karrion Kross, The Miz, Santos Escobar and Grayson Waller — calling them “misfit toys” before Sheamus comes out to begin their match. During the match each new competitor came to ringside, eventually erupting in a brawl. Knight pinned Sheamus in 12:41.
• The OC (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) def. The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland and Butch) by DQ in 11 minutes after interference from The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford).
• Jey Uso interrupted Paul Heyman’s “Tribal Combat” history lesson and promo and eventually attacked Solo Sikoa.
• Austin Theory def. Cameron Grimes in 3:03 after A-Town Down. Theory survived a distraction from Santos Escobar early in the match, but took a beating from his Aug. 11 opponent afterward.
• Bayley and Iyo Sky were guests on the Grayson Waller Effect before being interrupted by Shotzi’s music and tank in the entrance way, only for Shotzi to appear in the ring with electric hair clippers and chase off Bayley. It was revealed that Zelina Vega drove the tank out and will face Sky in the next segment.
• Zelina Vega pinned Iyo Sky after a Code Red. Sky was distracted by Shotzi throwing Bayley back into the entrance way and brawling, allowing Vega to capitalize.
• Jey Uso pinned Solo Sikoa after hitting the finishers of multiple Anoa’i family members, including Roman Reigns’ spear. Uso wore out Sikoa with chair after the match and celebrated on top of the announce table with the crowd as the show went off the air.
WWE SummerSlam 2023
Date: Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (Pre-show starts at 7 p.m. ET)
Site: Ford Field in Detroit
SummerSlam 2023 match card
Read our predictions for the results here.
• Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
• Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
• SummerSlam Battle Royal (Sheamus, LA Knight, Shinsuke Nakamura, Otis, Chad Gable, Tommaso Ciampa, AJ Styles, Karrion Kross, The Miz, Santos Escobar, Grayson Waller, Matt Riddle, TBA)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Bálor
• Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
• Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes
• Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
How to watch WWE SummerSlam 2023
In the U.S.:
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Stream SummerSlam 2023 exclusively on Peacock
Peacock
$6 at Peacock
Outside the U.S.:
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Watch SummerSlam on the WWE Network (in select countries)
WWE Network
$10 at WWE
Cody Rhodes appears on ‘Today’
Cody Rhodes was a guest on NBC’s morning talk show ‘Today’ on Thursday in which he plugged his documentary “American Nightmare: Becoming Cody Rhodes” and hyped his match at SummerSlam vs. Brock Lesnar.
“In the world of sports entertainment and pro wrestling, the suspension of disbelief you’ve got to be the thing that’s real,” Rhodes said of the development of the documentary. “You have to be as vulnerable as possible.”
After acknowledging that this match with Lesnar will settle their 1-1 tie, Rhodes relayed a story from the beginning of the feud.
“I was concerned the first time I stood across from Brock that he might be a little bit taller than me … and I don’t want to be dwarfed,” Rhodes said “So I started cheating a little toward the camera and I realized we might be the same height actually — the problem is, he’s triple my width.
“That’s the actual issue — he’s just a giant, giant man.”
Roman Reigns joins ESPN’s ‘First Take’
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman made an appearance alongside Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on Tuesday morning. Both Reigns and Heyman pushed the narrative that the Undisputed Universal Champion is the greatest box office draw in sports entertainment.
Reigns, a former Georgia Tech defensive lineman, shifted gears from WWE to the NFL and listed his top 5 Super Bowl contenders. Reigns had the 49ers as his top team on the list followed by the Chiefs, Eagles, Bengals and Bills.
WWE SummerSlam ‘go-home’ Monday Night Raw results
• Logan Paul opened the show by insulting the Houston crowd and vowing to beat Ricochet in “the most viral match in WWE history.” Ricochet interrupted and the two seemed to show mutual respect as athletes. As he attempted to leave, Paul invoked the real-life relationship between Ricochet and ring announcer Samantha Irvin saying he hoped there would be no hard feelings “when your girl announces that Logan Paul won.” The two brawled briefly before Paul laid out Ricochet with a left hand.
• Gunther cut a backstage promo dressing down his Imperium henchmen Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci for not preventing his match with Drew McIntyre from happening. Kaiser got back in the Ring General’s good graces by pinning Matt Riddle in 11:06.
• A montage of clips set to David Kushner’s “Daylight” played recapping the Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar feud and setting up the confrontation later in the night.
• Maxxine Dupri made her singles debut and pinned Valhalla in 3:45, overcoming interference from the Viking Raiders.
• The Judgment Day was in the ring at the top of the 9 p.m. ET hour. Priest ran down the group’s recent group of victims (Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Liv Morgan) and promised more carnage if Zayn and Rollins show up for their tag team match. Bálor continued to berate Rollins for derailing his career with the injury suffered at SummerSlam 2016. Rhea Ripley attempted to cut a promo on Raquel Rodriguez, but Rodriguez interrupted her, touching off a ringside brawl. Ripley dove at Rodriguez’s (storyline) injured knee before referees and agents broke it up.
• Part 1 of a package of interview and highlight clips outlining the history between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler played with Baszler continuing with the narrative that Rousey is an entitled one-sided friend who kept her down. It was announced their match Saturday will be contested under MMA rules.
• Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Tommaso Ciampa in 8:50 by grabbing Ciampa’s trunks during a roll-up, continuing their feud. Both appear headed to the SummerSlam battle royal on Saturday.
• Brock Lesnar came to the ring and said he was simply getting paid to fight Cody Rhodes on Saturday and invited Rhodes to come out and shake his hand. After Rhodes obliged and Lesnar went to leave, Rhodes attempted jump him – as Lesnar has done to him three times in as many months – but Lesnar got the better of Rhodes and left him laying.
• Gunther pinned Chad Gable in 7:25. Gable survived the original match stipulation of lasting five minutes without being pinned or submitted but the Intercontinental Champion demanded the match be re-started. Gunther cut a promo after the match vowing to beat Drew McIntyre on Saturday.
• Part 2 of the Baszler-Rousey interview package aired, with both giving their respective sides of the story. “I am going to take her reputation,” Baszler said of Rousey.
• Becky Lynch called out Trish Stratus, who tried to duck Lynch’s promised championship match, only for WWE official Adam Pearce to make the match official for right then and there. Lynch won the match in just five seconds after Zoey Stark interfered, causing Pearce to make the match for the Aug. 14 episode of Raw in Winnipeg.
• Part 2 of the Baszler-Rousey interview package aired, with both giving their respective sides of the story. “I am going to take her reputation,” Baszler said of Rousey.
• Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn defeated Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio in 12:18 when Rollins pinned Priest after a curb stomp. Priest appeared to have the world champion Rollins beaten and went to cash in his Money in the Bank contract but Finn Bálor — Rollins’ erstwhile opponent at SummerSlam — was slow to deliver him the case, allowing Rollins to recover and hit a stomp for the win.
Storylines for WWE SummerSlam
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
These two first crossed paths in January’s Royal Rumble match, staging an incredible spot with each spring-boarding halfway across the ring and clotheslining each other in mid-air.
Then, last month at the Money in the Bank ladder match, they went for another high spot that didn’t quite come off as smooth as Ricochet attempted a Spanish Fly from the top rope and put Paul through two tables. Ever since, the two have traded barbs on social media and in an in-ring segment setting up the SummerSlam blow-off.
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
Baszler, who got Rousey into the professional wrestling world to begin with, turned on her longtime friend during a women’s tag team title defense at Money in the Bank, costing them the belts. When Rousey demanded an explanation two days later on Monday Night Raw, Baszler delivered a blistering promo in which she (correctly) pointed out that Rousey has had championship opportunities handed to her since she set foot in the WWE, while Baszler has had to work for every spot she’s ever had. This feud has felt a bit rushed, likely because of Rousey’s reported “hard out” date to exit the company.
Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes
Less than 24 hours after failing to capture the undisputed Universal championship from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes was set to team with Brock Lesnar to face Reigns and Solo Sikoa on Raw. Before that match began, Lesnar attacked Rhodes and pummeled him for nearly 10 minutes until the show went off the air. Rhodes got a narrow win the following month at Backlash and then Lesnar (storyline) broke Cody’s left arm during an attack on the May 22 episode of Raw. Five days later Lesnar beat Rhodes by technical submission after working over the arm most of the match. Rhodes has since spent weeks trying to get a third match and finally got it on the July 17 episode of Raw when Lesnar accepted and proceeded to pummel Cody in front of his family at ringside.
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
At WrestleMania, Gunther retained the Intercontinental title in a triple-threat match against McIntyre and Sheamus in one of the best matches of the weekend. Following another successful defense over Matt Riddle at Money in the Bank, Gunther was confronted by a returning McIntyre, who hadn’t been seen on TV since that WrestleMania match. Gunther formally accepted McIntyre’s challenge on the July 24 episode of Raw.
Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
Asuka unsuccessfully challenged Belair for the title at WrestleMania but managed to win it at Night of Champions on May 27 thanks to a rather creative application of the blue mist. On the June 9 episode of Smackdown, Flair returned for the first time since WrestleMania to challenge Asuka, enraging Belair, who was in line for a rematch. The Flair-Asuka title match took place on June 30, with Belair interfering and laying both other women out. To resolve the issue a triple-threat was set for SummerSlam.
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Bálor
Rollins won the newly introduced World Heavyweight Championship in a tournament final over AJ Styles. Soon thereafter Bálor began to stalk Rollins and demand a title match. There is history here as Bálor won the inaugural Universal Championship over Rollins at SummerSlam 2016, only to have to surrender it the next night on Raw due to an injury he suffered during the match. In promos to hype this match, Bálor has continually brought up that chapter as his motivation for targeting Rollins at this year’s SummerSlam.
Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
The Bloodline story involving members of the real-life Anoa’i wrestling family has been unfolding for more than three years at this point and has never been hotter. Since their tag-team championship loss at WrestleMania, Reigns has bullied and belittled his cousins, causing the Usos to turn on the “Tribal Chief” on the June 16 episode of SmackDown. In a tag-team match at Money in the Bank, Jey became the first person to pin Reigns in nearly three years to win the match and set up a singles encounter for the undisputed Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
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