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SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced every August by professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The event was a pay-per-view unlike the Royal Rumble of that year which was broadcast as a television special on USA Network. SummerSlam was created as a pay-per-view to help the company compete against rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (formerly Jim Crockett Promotions). The event has been dubbed as "The Biggest Event of the Summer." Along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, the event is considered as one of the "Big Four", the original four annual WWE pay-per-views.

History[]

Development[]

In the 1980s, Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF)'s main competition in the professional wrestling industry was from Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). McMahon countered Jim Crockett's successful Starrcade pay-per-view, which began airing in 1983, by making the WrestleMania franchise. After WrestleMania III, the most successful professional wrestling pay-per-view event in history, McMahon made the Survivor Series franchise, which aired the same day as Starrcade '87 in November 1987. After defeating Crockett in the ratings, McMahon made the Royal Rumble, an event airing for free on the USA Network in January 1988, which set a ratings record for the network with eight million households tuning in to watch the event. In retaliation, Crockett made the Clash of the Champions event, which aired simultaneously with WrestleMania IV. WrestleMania IV garnered higher ratings, and not long after, Crockett filed for bankruptcy and sold his company to Ted Turner, who renamed it World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

As the WWF continued to replace its closed circuit programming with pay-per-view programming, McMahon added more pay-per-views to the lineup to capitalize on the success of his previous events. In addition to WrestleMania in March, the Royal Rumble in January, and Survivor Series in November, McMahon made an event for August, which he named SummerSlam. To keep the WWF from having a pay-per-view market monopoly, Turner began airing monthly WCW pay-per-views, and both companies began bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue. SummerSlam became one of World Wrestling Federation (and later World Wrestling Entertainment)'s most successful events and one of the "Big Four" pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble. Those four events, along with King of the Ring, are known as the "Classic Five".

SummerSlam dates and venues[]

Event Date City Venue Images
SummerSlam 1988 August 29, 1988 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Images
SummerSlam 1989 August 28, 1989 East Rutherford, New Jersey Meadowlands Arena Images
SummerSlam 1990 August 27, 1990 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Spectrum Images
SummerSlam 1991 August 26, 1991 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Images
SummerSlam 1992 August 29, 1992 London, England Wembley Stadium Images
SummerSlam 1993 August 30, 1993 Auburn Hills, Michigan The Palace of Auburn Hills Images
SummerSlam 1994 August 29, 1994 Chicago, Illinois United Center Images
SummerSlam 1995 August 27, 1995 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Civic Arena Images
SummerSlam 1996 August 18, 1996 Cleveland, Ohio Gund Arena Images
SummerSlam 1997 August 3, 1997 East Rutherford, New Jersey Continental Airlines Arena Images
SummerSlam 1998 August 30, 1998 New York, New York Madison Square Garden Images
SummerSlam 1999 August 22, 1999 Minneapolis, Minnesota Target Center Images
SummerSlam 2000 August 27, 2000 Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena Images
SummerSlam 2001 August 19, 2001 San Jose, California Compaq Center Images
SummerSlam 2002 August 25, 2002 Uniondale, New York Nassau Coliseum Images
SummerSlam 2003 August 24, 2003 Phoenix, Arizona America West Arena Images
SummerSlam 2004 August 15, 2004 Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre Images
SummerSlam 2005 August 21, 2005 Washington, D.C. MCI Center Images
SummerSlam 2006 August 20, 2006 Boston, Massachusetts TD Banknorth Garden Images
SummerSlam 2007 August 26, 2007 East Rutherford, New Jersey Continental Airlines Arena Images
SummerSlam 2008 August 17, 2008 Indianapolis, Indiana Conseco Fieldhouse Images
SummerSlam 2009 August 23, 2009 Los Angeles, California Staples Center Images
SummerSlam 2010 August 15, 2010 Images
SummerSlam 2011 August 14, 2011 Images
SummerSlam 2012 August 19, 2012 Images
SummerSlam 2013 August 18, 2013 Images
SummerSlam 2014 August 17, 2014 Images
SummerSlam 2015 August 23, 2015 Brooklyn, New York Barclays Center Images
SummerSlam 2016 August 21, 2016 Images
SummerSlam 2017 August 20, 2017 Images
SummerSlam 2018 August 19, 2018 Images
SummerSlam 2019 August 11, 2019 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Scotiabank Arena Images
SummerSlam 2020 August 23, 2020 Orlando, Florida Amway Center Images
SummerSlam 2021 August 21, 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada Allegiant Stadium Images
SummerSlam 2022 July 30, 2022 Nashville, Tennessee Nissan Stadium Images
SummerSlam 2023 August 5, 2023 Detroit, Michigan Ford Field Images

SummerSlam Banners[]

Video & DVD Gallery[]

See also[]

External links[]

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World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events

Royal RumbleElimination ChamberFastlaneWrestleManiaBacklashMoney in the BankExtreme RulesSummerSlamHell in a CellCrown JewelSurvivor SeriesTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs

Former pay-per-view events
The Wrestling Classic (1985)This Tuesday in Texas (1991)King of the Ring (1993-2002)In Your House (1995-1999)No Way Out (1998-2012)Unforgiven (1998-2009)Over The Edge (1998-1999)Fully Loaded (1998-2000)Judgment Day (1998-2009)Armageddon (1999-2008)InVasion (2001)Vengeance (2001-2011)Cyber Sunday (2004-2008)New Year's Revolution (2005-2007)December to Dismember (2006)Breaking Point (2009)Bragging Rights (2009-2010)Fatal 4-Way (2010)Capitol Punishment (2011)Night of Champions (2008-2015)Over The Limit (2010-2012)Bad Blood (1997-2004)Roadblock (2016)Payback (2013-2017)Battleground (2013-2017)Great Balls of Fire (2017)No Mercy (1999–2008, 2016–2017)Evolution (2018)
Former International pay-per-view events
One Night Only (1997)Mayhem in Manchester (1998)Capital Carnage (1998)No Mercy (UK) (1999) • Rebellion (1999-2002)Insurrextion (2000-2003)Global Warning (2002)Super Show-Down (2018-2021)
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