2023 WWE SummerSlam match cards preview
Detroit, MI – The 2023 SummerSlam will be the 36th annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, also known as WWE. It will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, returning the event to its traditional August slot after the previous year's event was held in July. This will also be the first SummerSlam to be livestreamed on Binge in Australia. This marks the first time a WWE event has been held at Ford Field since WrestleMania 23 in April 2007, and the first SummerSlam to be held in Michigan since the 1993 event.
- Event and venue details
SummerSlam is an annual professional wrestling event traditionally held in August by World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly World Wrestling Federation) since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is one of the promotion's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". Out of the five, it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania. Announced on February 7, 2023, the 36th SummerSlam is scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, returning SummerSlam to its traditional August slot after the previous year was held in July. This also marks WWE's first event to be held at Ford Field since WrestleMania 23 in April 2007, and the first SummerSlam to be held in Michigan since 1993.
- 2023 (36th) SummerSlam championship match cards preview
1. Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor (World Heavyweight Championship singles match)
At Money in the Bank, Seth "Freakin" Rollins successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Bálor after Bálor's Judgment Day stablemate, Damian Priest, who had won the men's Money in the Bank ladder match earlier that night, accidentally distracted him. On the following episode of Raw, in a match between Rollins and Judgment Day's "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio, Priest interfered, with Rollins winning the match by disqualification. Priest then attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, but Bálor appeared and attacked Rollins, costing Priest his opportunity, which caused some disagreement between Bálor and Priest. The following week, arguments between Bálor and Priest continued, but later, they both agreed that Bálor should receive a title match first. Later that episode, Judgment Day defeated Rollins' team in a six-man tag team match. On the July 17 episode, Bálor challenged Rollins to a rematch for the championship, but Rollins declined, stating they could settle their differences that night without the title as their issues were not about the championship. As Bálor was about to leave, he viciously attacked Rollins. Later, a match between the two for the World Heavyweight Championship was scheduled for SummerSlam. A possible Money in the Bank cash-in attempt by Priest will occur after Priest previously attempted to do so during Rollins's previous championship matches (including open challenges) after 2023 Money in the Bank.
2. Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat Battle for Undisputed WWE Universal Championships and recognition of new Tribal Chief)
At Night of Champions during The Bloodline's (Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa) match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) interfered and unintentionally hit Sikoa. After Roman shoved both Usos around, Jimmy attacked Reigns out of pent up anger after weeks of disrespect from Reigns, thus leaving The Bloodline, which in turn cost Reigns and Sikoa the championship. Jey would also leave The Bloodline on the June 16 episode of SmackDown, where he attacked Reigns and Sikoa, choosing to stand by his brother Jimmy's side. This led to a "Bloodline Civil War" tag team match at Money in the Bank, where The Usos defeated Reigns and Sikoa with Jey pinning Reigns, which was the first time Reigns was pinned since TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2019. On the following SmackDown, a trial for Reigns was held. Reigns feigned not wanting to be the Tribal Chief any longer and hit Jey with a low blow. Jimmy then attacked Reigns until Sikoa tossed him away and then both Sikoa and Reigns brutally attacked him, resulting in Jimmy being taken to a hospital. Later that night, Jey viciously attacked Reigns and Sikoa with a steel chair before challenging Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The following week, Jey talked about his family's relationship with one another before being interrupted by Sikoa and Reigns' special counsel Paul Heyman, who said that Reigns would meet Jey the following week to discuss the "rules of engagement". There, it was agreed that Reigns would defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Jey in an anything goes match called Tribal Combat, where in addition to the championship, the winner/champion would be recognized as the Tribal Chief of the Anoa'i family as well. This goes back to the early days of Reigns' Universal Championship reign, where he defeated Jey in a Hell in a Cell "I Quit" match in October 2020, and forced Jey to acknowledge him as the "Head of the Table".
3. Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE Intercontinental Championship singles match)
On Night 2 of WrestleMania 39, Gunther successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat match, which also involved Drew McIntyre, who got pinned. Following this, McIntyre went on hiatus for the next three months. After Gunther successfully defended his championship at Money in the Bank, McIntyre made a surprise return and brawled with Gunther, making his intentions clear that he wanted the title. McIntyre continued to feud with Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) over the next few weeks, including defeating Kaiser and Vinci in a tag team match on the July 10 episode of Raw. On the next episode after Gunther's match, he called out McIntyre, with a face-to-face between the two being scheduled for the next episode. There, McIntyre challenged Gunther to a match for his championship that night, however, Gunther declined, but said that he would defend it against McIntyre at SummerSlam, which was made official.
4. Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair (Triple Threat match for WWE Women's Championship)
At Night of Champions, Asuka defeated Bianca Belair to win the Raw Women's Championship. On the June 9 episode of SmackDown, to resolve the issue of the title being on SmackDown as a result of the 2023 WWE Draft, Asuka was presented with a new championship belt and the title reverted to its original name of WWE Women's Championship. Prior to the presentation, WWE official Adam Pearce asked Belair not to interrupt, stating that she was in line for a rematch. However, Charlotte Flair, in her first appearance since Night 1 of WrestleMania 39, interrupted and challenged Asuka for the title. Asuka accepted, much to the dismay of Belair. The title match was scheduled for the June 30 episode. Belair watched as a fan from ringside where Flair accidentally hit her. This infuriated Belair, who attacked Asuka, ending the match in a disqualification win for Asuka. Afterwards, Belair laid out Asuka and Flair. On the next episode, a brawl between the three occurred, which also involved Damage CTRL (Bayley and women's Money in the Bank winner Iyo Sky), with an unsuccessful cash-in attempt from Sky. A title match between Asuka and Belair was scheduled for the July 14 episode. Before the match, Belair and Flair agreed that if Belair won, she would defend the title against Flair at SummerSlam. During the match, however, Flair accidentally hit Belair after Damage CTRL once again tried to interfere. As a result of Flair's actions, Belair won the match by disqualification but not the title. On July 21, a triple threat match between Asuka, Belair, and Flair for the WWE Women's Championship was scheduled for SummerSlam. Flair's victory over Belair and champion Asuka, will be her record fifteenth reign in her WWE Women's Championship history since joining the main roster in July 2015. A possible cash-in attempt from Money in the Bank contract holder Iyo Sky will also occur.
- 2023 SummerSlam non-championship match cards
1. Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
At the 2023 Royal Rumble in January, actor and social media star Logan Paul and professional wrestler Trevor Mann (also known as Ricochet) were participants in the men's Royal Rumble match. During the match, both were involved in a high spot in which they performed simultaneous springboard clotheslines at each other from opposite sides of the ring and collided in midair, which went viral across social media. After several months, problems between them resumed after Paul was added to the men's Money in the Bank ladder match without qualifying like the other participants, including Mann. During the match, the two would come to blows again, where Mann performed a springboard Spanish fly on Paul through two tables outside the ring, taking both out for the remainder of the match. Later backstage, Paul attacked Mann for costing him a title opportunity (which currently held by Damian Priest). Mann then invited Paul to meet him face-to-face on the July 10 episode of Raw where he challenged Paul to a match, but Paul denied. Paul once again accepted Mann's invitation to meet him on the July 24 episode where Paul attacked Mann from behind and then accepted his challenge to a match at SummerSlam.
2. Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
At 2023 Money in the Bank, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler lost the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship to Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan (the titles currently being held by Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville) after Baszler turned on Rousey. On the following episode of Raw, Rousey called out Baszler, who said that she was responsible for bringing Rousey into WWE, and while she had to work her way through the WWE system, beginning in NXT, Rousey skipped the process and had her debut match at WrestleMania 34. Baszler then said that she was the one who could finally shut her up, and then they brawled with each other. They once again brawled the next week, and on the July 17 episode, Baszler challenged Rousey to come to the ring, however, she declined, and said that she would fight her at SummerSlam. The following week, both agreed to fight at SummerSlam, which was later confirmed. On the final Raw before SummerSlam, it was announced that the match would be a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Rules match, which unlike a UFC five five-minute round bout, held in a WWE ring, instead of a UFC octagon cage.
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