SummerSlam 2019

SummerSlam 2019 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on August 11, 2019, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the thirty-second event under the SummerSlam chronology and the second event to be held at this particular venue (the other being the 2004 event).
==Background==
SummerSlam featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that played out on WWE's primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they follow a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
== Storylines ==
The show included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live.
At WrestleMania 35, Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar to win the Universal Championship. Lesnar then disappeared from television for several weeks before reemerging at Money in the Bank as an unannounced entrant in the namesake ladder match and won, granting him a match for a world championship of his choice at anytime within the next year. After teasing some cash-ins, Lesnar finally cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at Extreme Rules and won back the Universal Championship right after Rollins had just retained the title. On the following night's Raw, Rollins won a cross-brand 10-man battle royal to earn a rematch against Lesnar at SummerSlam. During Raw Reunion on July 22, Lesnar's advocate Paul Heyman said that Lesnar cashed in on Rollins because Rollins had done the same to Lesnar back at WrestleMania 31.
On the July 15 episode of Raw, Naomi, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and wild card guest Carmella competed in a fatal four-way elimination match to determine the number one contender against Becky Lynch for the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam. Natalya won by last eliminating Bliss.
On the July 16 episode of SmackDown, after SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley and Ember Moon defeated Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in a tag team match in which Moon scored the pin, Bayley selected Moon as the number one contender for her title at SummerSlam.
During the summer of 2019, Kevin Owens became furious with Shane McMahon due to the latter taking up more and more screen time each week from other wrestlers and exerting even more authority, which was in contradiction to what The McMahon Family (Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Triple H) had promised several months prior. Despite Shane's attempts to ban Owens from SmackDown, Owens would nevertheless show up and attack Shane at opportune moments. During Raw Reunion on July 22, Owens challenged Shane to a match at SummerSlam and said he would quit the WWE if he were to lose, and Shane accepted.
On the July 23 episode of SmackDown, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston selected Randy Orton as his SummerSlam opponent with his title on the line. Kingston referenced their past feud in 2009 when Kingston had defeated Orton, but Orton used his influence to get in the main event scene whereas Kingston remained in the mid-card. Orton said he was right that he held Kingston back and accepted Kingston's challenge.
Following the Superstar Shake-up in April, Bray Wyatt, who had been on hiatus since the previous summer, began appearing as an eerie children's entertainer in pre-taped segments called Firefly Funhouse. He eventually revealed a new sinister alternate persona called "The Fiend". After wild card guest Finn Bálor's match on the July 15 episode of Raw, the lights went out and Wyatt appeared dressed as "The Fiend" attacking Bálor. The following week on SmackDown, Bálor challenged Wyatt to a match at SummerSlam. Wyatt appeared inside the funhouse and stated that he was a fan of Bálor but "The Fiend" was not and that "The Fiend" accepted the challenge.
At Extreme Rules, AJ Styles defeated Ricochet to win the United States Championship thanks to help from his O.C. teammates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. On the July 29 episode of Raw, Ricochet won a gauntlet match, defeating Rey Mysterio, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Andrade, to earn a rematch for the title at SummerSlam.
On the July 23 episode of SmackDown, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was a guest on "Miz TV". The segment was interrupted by Dolph Ziggler, who insulted Michaels. The Miz intervened and forced Ziggler to leave, only for Michaels to pull him back. Ziggler attempted to attack Michaels, who avoided the punch, and Ziggler instead hit Miz. Ziggler then performed a superkick on Michaels. The following week, a match between Miz and Ziggler was scheduled for SummerSlam. During the contract signing on the August 5 episode of Raw, Miz revealed that their match would actually be on the following Raw and not at SummerSlam. It was then presumed that Michaels would be Ziggler's opponent, but he denied it. Goldberg's music then played and he made his entrance, revealing that Ziggler would be facing Goldberg at SummerSlam, a man who Ziggler had also insulted in his promos against Michaels.
Backstage during the July 23 episode of SmackDown, Charlotte Flair voiced her displeasure that she was not scheduled to compete at SummerSlam. Despite not being on the card, Flair stated she would be there to prove that she was the "greatest female superstar of all-time". The following week, WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus was a guest on Jerry Lawler's "King's Court". They were interrupted by Flair, who challenged the seven-time champion to a match at SummerSlam. After disparaging comments from Flair, Stratus accepted the challenge.
On the August 6 episode of 205 Live, Oney Lorcan won a six-pack challenge, defeating Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari, Gentleman Jack Gallagher, Kalisto, and Tony Nese, to earn the right to face Drew Gulak for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at SummerSlam.
==Event==
===Pre-show===
Three matches were contested on the pre-show. In the first match, Drew Gulak defended the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Oney Lorcan. In the end, Gulak performed a "Cyclone Crash" to retain the title.
Next, Buddy Murphy faced Apollo Crews. In the end, Murphy was attacked by Rowan, thus Murphy won via disqualification. Following the match, Rowan continued to attack Murphy at ringside and performed a powerbomb on Murphy onto the ring apron.
Following that, Elias performed a song insulting Toronto which prompted Toronto native and WWE Hall of Famer Edge to interrupt Elias. After trading some insults, Edge performed a spear on Elias, which was the first time Edge performed any kind of wrestling move since retiring in 2011 due to cervical spinal stenosis.
In the final pre-show match, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce). In the end, Bliss performed "Twisted Bliss" on Royce to retain the title.
===Preliminary matches===
The actual pay-per-view opened with the submission match in which Becky Lynch defended the Raw Women's Championship against Natalya. During the match, Lynch applied a Sharpshooter of her own on Natalya, however, Natalya immediately fired back with a "Dis-arm-her" of her own. In the climax, Natalya applied the sharpshooter again only for Lynch to counter and apply the "Dis-arm-her", forcing Natalya to submit to retain the title.
Next, Goldberg faced Dolph Ziggler. As soon as the match began, Ziggler performed a superkick on Goldberg for a near-fall. Ziggler performed a second superkick on Goldberg for another near-fall. As Ziggler attempted a third, Goldberg performed a spear followed by a "Jackhammer" on Ziggler to win the match in under two minutes. Following the match, Ziggler taunted Goldberg, who responded by performing another spear on Ziggler. After Goldberg went backstage, Ziggler taunted him again, prompting Goldberg to return and perform one final spear on Ziggler.
After that, The O.C.'s AJ Styles (accompanied by fellow O.C. members, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) defended the United States Championship against Ricochet. In the end, as Ricochet attempted a Phoenix splash on Styles, Styles countered into a "Styles Clash" to retain the title. Following the match, Gallows and Anderson performed the "Magic Killer" on Ricochet.
In the fourth match, Bayley defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Ember Moon. In the end, Bayley performed a "Bayley-to-Belly" on Moon from the top rope to retain the title.
After that, Kevin Owens put his career on the line against Shane McMahon. Before the match began, Shane introduced Elias as the special guest enforcer. During the match, Elias distracted Owens, allowing Shane to attack Owens with multiple cheap shots. Shane countered a pop-up powerbomb attempt with a DDT for a near-fall. Owens eventually performed a pop-up powerbomb on Shane, only for Elias to pull the referee out from the ring. Owens then attacked Elias, which also incapacitated the referee. Owens further attacked Elias with multiple chair shots. With the referee down, Owens performed a low blow and stunner on Shane to win the match and keep his job.
Next, Charlotte Flair faced Trish Stratus. Stratus applied her own figure-four leglock on Flair followed by the "Figure-Eight Leglock". Stratus performed a "Stratusfaction" for a near-fall. In the end, Flair forced Stratus to submit to the "Figure-Eight Leglock" to win the match. After the match, Stratus was given a standing ovation.
After that, Kofi Kingston defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. Orton delivered multiple side slams to Kingston on the broadcast tables. As Orton went for a superplex, Kingston countered into a tornado DDT for a near-fall. Orton eventually performed an "RKO" in midair on Kingston, however, Kingston rolled out of the ring. Outside the ring, Orton taunted Kingston's family, who were in the front row, and a brawl ensued between Kingston and Orton at ringside. Both were counted out, thus Kingston retained the title, and Kingston continued to beat down Orton.
In the penultimate match, Finn Bálor faced off against Bray Wyatt as "The Fiend". "The Fiend" dominated the match. In the end, "The Fiend" countered a "Coup de Grace" from Bálor into the Mandible claw, causing Bálor to pass out and allow "The Fiend" to get the pinfall victory.
===Main event===
In the main event, Brock Lesnar (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. At the start of the match, Rollins rolled out of a suplex attempt and performed "The Stomp" for a near-fall. Rollins then performed two superkicks and attempted another "Stomp", but Lesnar caught Rollins with an "F-5". Lesnar performed multiple German and vertical suplexes on Rollins. Outside the ring, Rollins performed a frog splash on Lesnar through the Spanish announce table and then another frog splash and a "Stomp" in the ring for a near-fall. In the end, as Rollins attempted a third "Stomp", Lesnar caught him and attempted a second "F-5", however, Rollins countered and performed a superkick and a third "Stomp" on Lesnar to regain the title for a second time. This was also Lesnar's first clean loss in almost three years since Survivor Series 2016.
==Match Preview==
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins 	Preview
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya 	Preview
Bayley vs. Ember Moon 	Preview
Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton 	Preview
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon 	Preview
Finn Bálor vs. Bray Wyatt 	Preview
AJ Styles vs. Ricochet 	Preview
Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler 	Preview
Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair	Preview
Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan 	Preview
==Results==
;
;
*Kickoff Show: Drew Gulak (c) defeated Oney Lorcan to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (8:45)
*Kickoff Show: Buddy Murphy defeated Apollo Crews by disqualification (4:20)
*Kickoff Show: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) defeated The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (6:15)
*Becky Lynch (c) defeated Natalya in a Submission Match to retain the WWE Raw Women's Championship (12:35)
*Goldberg defeated Dolph Ziggler (1:50)
*AJ Styles (c) (w/ Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) defeated Ricochet to retain the WWE United States Championship (13:00)
*Bayley (c) defeated Ember Moon to retain the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship (10:00)
*Kevin Owens defeated Shane McMahon (9:20)
:*
*Charlotte Flair defeated Trish Stratus (16:40)
*Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship ended in a Double Count Out (16:45)
*"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Bálor (3:25)
*Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) (c) to win the WWE Universal Championship (13:25)
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Michael Cole 
*Renee Young 
*Corey Graves 
*Tom Phillips 
*Byron Saxton 
*Aiden English 
*Vic Joseph 
*Nigel McGuinness 
*Carlos Cabrera 
*Marcelo Rodríguez 
*Carsten Schaefer 
*Tim Haber 
*Calvin Knie 
;Ring announcer
*Mike Rome 
*Greg Hamilton 
;Interviewers	
*Kayla Braxton
*Sarah Schreiber
;Pre-show Panel
*Jonathan Coachman
*Charly Caruso
*Booker T
*Jerry Lawler
;Referees
*Danilo Anfibio
*Dan Engler
*Darrick Moore
*Darryl Sharma
*Ryan Tran
*Drake Wuertz
*Rod Zapata
==See also==
*List of WWE pay-per-view events
*World Wrestling Entertainment/Event history
*Event gallery
*SummerSlam
==DVD release==
* SummerSlam 2019 on DVD
==External links==
* SummerSlam 2019 Official website
* SummerSlam 2019 on WWE Network
* SummerSlam 2019 Kickoff Show on WWE Network
* SummerSlam 2019 Kickoff Show at CAGEMATCH.net
* SummerSlam 2019 at CAGEMATCH.net
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Category:2019 pay-per-view events
Category:SummerSlam
Category:Events with Submission matches