SummerSlam 2023 was the 36th annual SummerSlam professional wrestling event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event aired on pay-per-view (PPV) and the WWE Network and took place on August 5, 2023 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Production
Background
First held in 1988, SummerSlam is one of World Wrestling Entertainment's annual "Big Five" events, alongside Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, and Survivor Series. Nicknamed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", SummerSlam is regarded as the promotion's second largest event behind WrestleMania. On February 7, 2023, it was announced that the 36th SummerSlam event would take place on August 5 at the Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Storylines
At the Royal Rumble on January 28, both Ricochet and Logan Paul took part in the Royal Rumble Match, where the pair collided mid-air. Later in the year, at Money in the Bank on July 1, both Ricochet and Paul took part in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, where Ricochet put Paul through two tables, taking the pair out of the match. With Paul believing that Ricochet had cost him a title opportunity, the two went face-to-face on the July 10 episode of Raw, where Ricochet challenged Paul to a match. On the July 24 episode of Raw, Paul blindsided Ricochet before agreeing to face him at SummerSlam.
At Money in the Bank on July 1, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez after Baszler turned on Rousey. On the July 3 episode of Raw, Rousey and Baszler exchanged words before brawling with each other. On the July 17 episode of Raw, Baszler challenged Rousey, with Rousey declaring that she would fight her at SummerSlam. The contest was later made official as a Mixed Martial Arts Match.
At Night of Champions on May 27, Asuka won the Raw Women's Championship from Bianca Belair. On the June 9 episode of SmackDown, Asuka was presented with a new title belt, with the championship's name being changed to the WWE Women's Championship. Earlier in the night, WWE official Adam Pearce had told Belair not to interfere in the presentation, as she was scheduled to face Asuka in a rematch. However, Charlotte Flair would interrupt the presentation, challenging Asuka to a title match, which was accepted. On the June 30 episode of SmackDown, Asuka defended the WWE Women's Championship against Flair, with Belair watching on from ringside. During the match, Flair would inadvertently hit Belair, which lead to Belair attacking Asuka, forcing a disqualification. On the July 14 episode of SmackDown, Belair and Flair agreed that if Belair defeated Asuka to win the title that night, she would defend it against Flair at SummerSlam. Later in the night, Asuka and Belair faced off, however, interference from Bayley and IYO SKY of Damage CTRL inadvertently caused Flair to attack Belair, causing another disqualification. It was later made official that Asuka would defend the WWE Women's Championship against Belair and Flair in a Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam.
At WrestleMania Night 2 on April 2, Gunther defended his Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match, pinning McIntyre to retain his title. After a hiatus, McIntyre returned to confront Gunther after his win over Matt Riddle at Money in the Bank on July 1, with McIntyre showing his intention to challenge for Gunther's title. Over the following weeks, McIntyre would feud with Gunther's Imperium stablemates Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser. On the July 24 episode of Raw, McIntyre challenged Gunther to a title match that night. However, Gunther declined, instead opting to defend his Intercontinental Championship against McIntyre at SummerSlam.
On the April 3 episode of Raw, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar were scheduled to team up in a tag team match. However, before the bout begun, Lesnar brutally attacked Rhodes, stopping the match from taking place. As a result, Rhodes and Lesnar faced off at Backlash on May 6, where Rhodes emerged victorious. At Night of Champions on May 27, a rematch took place, which Lesnar won. On the July 3 episode of Raw, Rhodes issued an open challenge to Lesnar in order to settle the score. Two weeks later, Lesnar attacked Rhodes before accepting his challenge, making the match official for SummerSlam.
At Money in the Bank on July 1, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor after Bálor's Judgment Day stablemate, Damian Priest, accidentally distracted him. On the July 3 episode of Raw, Priest interfered in Rollins' match with Dominik Mysterio, causing a disqualification. Priest would attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Rollins, however, Bálor interfered, preventing this. The following week, Priest agreed to allow Bálor to challenge for Rollins' title first. The next week, Bálor challenged Rollins to a rematch at SummerSlam, however, Rollins denied Bálor a title opportunity. Bálor would then blindside Rollins. As a result, it was later announced that Rollins would defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Bálor at SummerSlam.
At Night of Champions on May 27, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa challenged Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. During the match, The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) interfered, but inadvertently attacked Sikoa. After pushing around The Usos, Reigns received a superkick from Jimmy, which cost Reigns and Sikoa the match. As a result, Jimmy left Reign's stable The Bloodline, while Jey also left the group on the June 16 episode of SmackDown in order to side with his brother. At Money in the Bank on July 1, The Usos faced Reigns and Sikoa in a Bloodline Civil War match, where Jey pinned Reigns. On the July 7 episode of SmackDown, a trial was held for Reigns. Pretending that he did not want to be the Tribal Chief, Reigns would lowblow Jey before Reigns and Sikoa attacked Jimmy. Thanks to the attack, Jimmy was sent to a hospital. Later in the night, Jey attacked Reigns with a chair, challenging him to a match for his WWE and Universal Championships. On the July 21 episode of SmackDown, Reigns and Jey agreed to face off in a Tribal Combat Match at SummerSlam.
Match Preview
| SummerSlam Battle Royal | Preview |
| Ricochet vs. Logan Paul | Preview |
| Shayna Baszler vs. Ronda Rousey | Preview |
| Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair | Preview |
| Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre | Preview |
| Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar | Preview |
| Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor | Preview |
| Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso | Preview |
Results
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Logan Paul defeated Ricochet (18:00)
- Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar (17:29)
- LA Knight won the SummerSlam Battle Royal (12:46)
- Shayna Baszler defeated Ronda Rousey in an MMA Rules Match (7:26)
- Gunther (c) defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship (13:43)
- Seth Rollins (c) defeated Finn Bálor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (18:27)
- Bianca Belair defeated Asuka (c) and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Women's Championship (20:45)
- IYO SKY defeated Bianca Belair (c) to win the WWE Women's Championship (0:10)
- Roman Reigns (c) (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Jey Uso in a Tribal Combat Match to retain the WWE Championship & WWE Universal Championship (36:04)
Other on-screen talent
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See also
DVD release
[ SummerSlam 2023 on DVD]
External links
SummerSlam 2023 Official Website
SummerSlam 2023 Kickoff on WWE Network
SummerSlam 2023 on WWE Network- SummerSlam 2023 at CAGEMATCH.net
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