The Beast vs. the Beast Slayer.
WWE
WrestleMania is the grappling extravaganza everyone knows, but in many ways SummerSlam is just as big. Taking place Sunday in Toronto, Canada, it’s WWE’s second biggest show of the year, features some huge matches and is sure to run for at least 5 hours. So, yes, prepare yourself for a lot of wrestling. It takes place a night after NXT TakeOver: Toronto, which absolutely wowed the live crowd (and those watching on the WWE Network from home).
Brock Lesnar headlines the show as he defends his Universal Championship against Seth Rollins, who he won the title from at Extreme Rules in dubious fashion. Rollins has lost some steam as a crowd favorite in recent months, owing to some questionable creative on the part of WWE’s writing team, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’s position above Lesnar or if he gets lost in Suplex City.
The WWE Championship is also on the line at SummerSlam, as Kofi Kingston, enjoying a surprisingly lengthy and substantive championship reign, takes on Randy Orton. These two have history going back a decade, and while Kingston seems poised to continue his impressive title reign, you can never really count out Randy Orton.
SummerSlam is also blessed with returning legends, as Goldberg will wrestle Dolph Ziggler, and Canada’s own Trish Stratus comes back for a faceoff with Charlotte Flair. Elsewhere, AJ Styles and Ricochet have a chance to put on the blow away match we all know they’ve got in them (but have yet to be able to deliver), and Becky Lynch puts her Raw Women’s Championship on the line against Natalya in a submission match.
The main show kicks off at 4 p.m PT and 7 p.m. ET. Check back here then, as we’ll be updating the page with live results, match recaps and match ratings.
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya
SummerSlam is going to be a long show, which means the performers who go out earlier in the show have a much fresher, more energetic crowd to work with. Becky Lynch and Natalya are the lucky two to start the show: It’s Becky Lynch, arguably the most popular wrestler on the roster, against home-country hero Natalya.
Preshow results
SummerSlam’s two-hour preshow had three matches, two of which were for titles. Here are the quick results.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross retain Women’s Tag Team Championships: They defeated former champs The IIconics.
Buddy Murphy vs. Apollo Crews ended in disqualification when Erick Rowan attacked Murphy: It follows a key WWE storyline right now, as on SmackDown Murphy revealed Rowan to be behind a string of mysterious attacks on Roman Reigns.
Drew Gulak beat Oney Lorcan to retain Cruiserweight Championship: Gulak pinned Lorcan.
