SummerSlam (2017)

Promotional poster featuring various WWE wrestlers

**SummerSlam (2017)** was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and WWE Network event produced by WWE for the Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on August 20, 2017, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was the thirtieth event under the SummerSlam chronology.

Thirteen matches were contested at the event, including three matches contested on the pre-show. In the main event, Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe to retain the WWE Universal Championship. On the undercard, Jinder Mahal defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Championship, AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens to retain the United States Championship, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro and Sheamus to win the Raw Tag Team Championship, and John Cena defeated Baron Corbin.

## Background

The card will feature matches that resulted from scripted storylines and had results predetermined by WWE on the Raw and SmackDown brands. Storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, *Monday Night Raw*, *SmackDown Live*, and *205 Live*, the latter of which is cruiserweight exclusive.

On the June 19 episode of *Raw*, Roman Reigns proclaimed himself to be the number one contender for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Later that night, Braun Strowman returned and cost Reigns his match against Samoa Joe and challenged Reigns to an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire. At the event, Strowman defeated Reigns, but Reigns retaliated by locking Strowman in the ambulance and crashing it, severely injuring Strowman, while Brock Lesnar defeated Joe to retain the Universal Championship. The following night on *Raw*, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle congratulated Lesnar for his win at Great Balls of Fire. As Angle was about to reveal his plans for Lesnar's championship match at SummerSlam, they were interrupted by Reigns, who said that he wanted Lesnar at SummerSlam, but Lesnar said he did not deserve it. Joe then came out and said that Lesnar did not beat him, but escaped him at Great Balls of Fire. Angle then scheduled a match between Reigns and Joe for the following week where the winner would face Lesnar for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. During the match, Strowman returned and attacked both Reigns and Joe, resulting in a no contest. A brawl between the three broke out and Strowman laid out both Reigns and Joe. Immediately after, Angle said he was unsure of who would be facing Lesnar at SummerSlam, but he would deal with the matter the following week. That episode, before Angle could announce who would be facing Lesnar at SummerSlam, Strowman, Joe, and Reigns came down and stated their cases. Angle then scheduled a fatal four-way match between Lesnar, Strowman, Joe, and Reigns for the title at SummerSlam. The three men got into a brawl, which was broken up by the Raw locker room. The following week, Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman confronted Angle on why he was making Lesnar defend the title in a fatal four-way match at SummerSlam. Heyman then proclaimed that if Lesnar were to lose the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, then he and Lesnar will leave the WWE. Later that episode, Reigns defeated Joe and Strowman in a triple threat match. The next week, Lesnar and Heyman were the guests on *Miz TV*. The segment ended with Lesnar previewing SummerSlam by giving a suplex and an *F-5* each to The Miz and his Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel). Later, Strowman defeated Reigns in a Last Man Standing match with the help of Joe, who applied the *Coquina Clutch* on Reigns. On the final *Raw* before SummerSlam, the four men met each other in the ring where a brawl broke out that was separated by security and then the Raw locker room.

On the July 11 episode of *SmackDown*, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon scheduled a fatal five-way elimination match for Battleground between Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Lana, and Tamina, with the winner receiving a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Naomi at SummerSlam. Natalya won the match and afterwards, SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi, who was on commentary during the match, offered a congratulatory handshake, but Natalya refused. On the following episode of *SmackDown*, Natalya confronted Naomi, saying that she turned the championship into a toy (as Naomi had customized it with LED lights). Natalya claimed that Naomi did not respect the Hart family and that she would bring honor to the championship at SummerSlam. Ms. Money in the Bank Carmella then taunted Naomi with her Money in the Bank contract. The following week, Naomi and Lynch defeated Natalya and Carmella after Carmella tagged herself in and subsequently tapped out to Naomi. On the August 8 episode of *SmackDown*, Carmella defeated Naomi in a non-title match thanks to help from her manager James Ellsworth, who had just returned from his 30-day suspension. Later backstage, Natalya warned Carmella and Ellsworth to not interfere with her SummerSlam match against Naomi. Carmella told Natalya that she hopes that she wins at SummerSlam so that she can cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase on her and win the SmackDown Women's Championship. The following week, Naomi was on commentary for a match between Natalya and Lynch. After the match, Natalya continued to attack Lynch and Naomi came for the save, but Natalya retreated. Carmella then came out and wished both Naomi and Natalya luck at SummerSlam. Ellsworth then said that whoever wins would also lose, pointing at Carmella's Money in the Bank briefcase.

At Great Balls of Fire, Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss by count-out, thus Bliss retained the Raw Women's Championship. The following night on *Raw*, Banks and Bayley teamed up and faced Bliss and Nia Jax, where Bayley pinned Bliss, and she again pinned her the following week in a singles match. Later that episode, Bayley and Banks confronted Raw General Manager Kurt Angle about who should be the number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship. Bayley made her case that she pinned Bliss two weeks in a row, whereas Banks claimed that she would be champion if Bliss had not gotten herself intentionally counted out at Great Balls of Fire. Angle decided that the two would face each other the following week where the winner would face Bliss for the title at SummerSlam. The following week, Bayley defeated Banks to become the number one contender. Bayley then defeated Jax by countout on the next *Raw*, after which, Bliss unsuccessfully attempted to attack Bayley. The next night, it was revealed that Bayley had suffered a legitimate injury on her right shoulder during her match with Jax, forcing her to relinquish her number one contender's spot. Two triple threat matches were then scheduled for the following episode of *Raw* with the winner of each facing each other to determine the new number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship. Banks won the first triple threat match by defeating Alicia Fox and Emma, while Jax won the second by defeating Dana Brooke and Mickie James. The following week, Banks defeated Jax to become the new number one contender against Bliss at SummerSlam.

At Battleground, Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match to retain the WWE Championship with help from The Singh Brothers and the return of The Great Khali. On the following episode of *SmackDown*, Mahal demanded a new opponent for SummerSlam and John Cena came out and confronted Mahal. Cena congratulated Mahal for being the champion and then challenged him for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. However, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan informed Cena that he had to earn his opportunity and scheduled a number one contender's match between Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura. The following week, Nakamura defeated Cena to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. On the final *SmackDown* before SummerSlam, Mahal held a celebration for India's Independence Day and his reign as WWE Champion. Nakamura interrupted and said that he would win the title at SummerSlam.

On the Great Balls of Fire pre-show, Neville defeated Akira Tozawa to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. On the following episode of *Raw*, Tozawa teamed with Cedric Alexander and defeated Neville and Noam Dar. Tozawa then began feuding with Ariya Daivari the following night on *205 Live* in a match that ended in a no contest. In a rematch the following week on *Raw*, Daivari defeated Tozawa by forfeit after Tozawa's manager Titus O'Neil forfeited the match in Tozawa's name. The following night on *205 Live*, they had another rematch that Tozawa won, but after the match, Daivari attacked Tozawa by throwing him into the ringpost. The following week on *Raw*, during a backstage interview with Charly Caruso, Tozawa said that he wanted another rematch with Daivari, but O'Neil canceled the match. Afterwards, Tozawa went to the ring, but was confronted by Neville. Daivari then came down and attacked both Tozawa and Neville. The following night on *205 Live*, Daivari defeated Neville by count-out. The next week on *Raw*, a number one contender's match was scheduled between Tozawa and Daivari for the following night on *205 Live* with the winner facing Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship at SummerSlam. On *205 Live*, Tozawa defeated Daivari to become the number one contender. On the August 14 episode of *Raw*, Tozawa received his title match early and defeated Neville to become the new Cruiserweight Champion, and their originally scheduled SummerSlam match was made a rematch with Neville as the challenger. On August 16, WWE confirmed that the match would take place on the SummerSlam pre-show.

At Battleground, Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles to win his third United States Championship. On the following episode of *SmackDown*, Styles wanted to invoke his championship rematch, but he was interrupted by the returning Chris Jericho, who also wanted to invoke his rematch from when he lost the title to Owens back in May. As both Styles and Jericho were contractually owed rematches, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon decided that they would both get their rematches for the title in a triple threat match that night against Owens, where Styles pinned Jericho to regain the title. After the match, Owens invoked his championship rematch for the following week. During the rematch that episode, Owens attacked the referee, but lost even though both shoulders were not on the mat. A frustrated Owens confronted Shane and SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan and demanded a rematch, but with a competent referee. Bryan scheduled the rematch for SummerSlam and made Shane the special guest referee. The following week, the three met in the ring where Shane said he would call the match fairly. A brawl eventually broke out between Owens and Styles and Styles accidentally kicked Shane. The following week, Styles called out Shane to apologize, but Shane said there was no need to. Styles then asked Shane if he was going to use that against him to screw him over at SummerSlam. Shane said no, but that if Styles lays a hand on him during the match, he would fight back, unlike normal referees. Owens came out and said that he liked that because that meant that Styles could not get himself intentionally disqualified. He then offered a hand shake to Shane, who refused and said that Owens should shake Styles' hand. A physical confrontation broke out between Owens and Styles that Shane tried to stop, but it ended with Owens accidentally kicking Shane.

On the August 1 episode of *SmackDown*, Rusev issued a SummerSlam "Open Challenge" to any wrestler on the SmackDown roster. Randy Orton, who Rusev had never defeated, accepted the challenge before hitting Rusev with an *RKO*. The following week, after Orton defeated Jinder Mahal in a non-title match, Rusev attacked Orton from behind. On the final *SmackDown* before SummerSlam, after Rusev's match against Chad Gable, Rusev got on the mic to address Orton, who hit the *RKO* from behind on Rusev.

At Battleground, The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, with Big E) defeated The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. On the following episode of *SmackDown*, as The New Day were about to make their entrance to celebrate their championship win, they were attacked by The Usos. The following week, The Usos proclaimed that they would reclaim the titles from The New Day, and a rematch was scheduled between the two teams for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam. The following week, after The Usos defeated Tye Dillinger and Sami Zayn, Big E caused a distraction allowing Kingston and Woods to attack The Usos from behind. On the final *SmackDown* before SummerSlam, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan confirmed that The Usos would be facing Big E and Woods at SummerSlam with Kingston in their corner. The Usos then asked to have a match with Kingston and Woods that night as payback for what happened the previous week. Bryan scheduled the match and The Usos defeated The New Day by pinning Kingston. On August 16, WWE confirmed that the match would take place on the SummerSlam pre-show.

At Great Balls of Fire, Big Cass defeated Enzo Amore. The following night on *Raw*, Cass gloated about defeating Amore and was then confronted by the Big Show, who threw Cass out of the ring. The following week, after Amore cut a promo about how Cass got manhandled by Big Show, Cass confronted Amore, but Big Show came out for the save. The two brawled that ended with Cass standing tall. Amore and Cass then had a rematch the next week that Cass again won. Cass continued to attack Amore after the match, after which, Big Show came out, but Cass also laid him out. The following week, Cass defeated Big Show by disqualification after Amore attacked Cass during the match. After Cass gave a big boot to Amore, Big Show performed the *KO Punch* on Cass. On the August 7 episode, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated Amore and Big Show after a distraction from Cass. A brawl broke out between the three that again ended with Big Show giving the *KO Punch* to Cass. Later, Cass confronted Raw General Manager Kurt Angle and wanted a match against Big Show at SummerSlam, but with Amore banned from the entire state of New York. Angle suggested to suspend Amore above the ring inside of a shark cage. Cass agreed and the match was scheduled for SummerSlam.

On the July 17 episode of *Raw*, as Finn Bálor was making his way to the backstage after his match with Elias, Bray Wyatt appeared on the TitanTron. He said that he enjoyed Bálor's pain and that he was Bálor's worst nightmare. The following week, Wyatt cost Bálor his no disqualification match against Elias by giving Bálor the *Sister Abigail*. On the July 31, 2017 episode, as Wyatt cut an in-ring promo, the lights started blinking red and then went out. When they came back on, Bálor appeared in the ring and attacked Wyatt. The following week, as Bálor cut a promo about Wyatt, the lights in the arena went out and Wyatt appeared in the center of the ring. He and Bálor fought briefly before the lights went out again and Wyatt appeared on the TitanTron laughing at Bálor. Afterwards, it was announced that a match between Bálor and Wyatt was scheduled for SummerSlam. The following week, after a confrontation earlier in the night, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle moved their SummerSlam match up to that night where Wyatt defeated Bálor. After the match, Wyatt poured a blood-like liquid on Bálor. A rematch between the two was scheduled for SummerSlam where Bálor promised to bring his Demon King persona.

On the July 25 episode of *SmackDown*, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Mr. Money in the Bank Baron Corbin. After the August 1 episode of *SmackDown*, on the WWE Network, Corbin attacked Nakamura from behind after Nakamura's match with John Cena to determine the number one contender for Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which Nakamura won. Cena came to Nakamura's aid and performed an *Attitude Adjustment* on Corbin through the announcers table. The following week, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan scheduled a match between Corbin and Cena at SummerSlam. On the final *SmackDown* before SummerSlam, Corbin attacked Cena during the latter's non-title match against Mahal, causing a disqualification. Afterwards, Corbin cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, but when the match started, he attacked Cena, who was on the apron, allowing Mahal to roll-up Corbin for the victory.

Throughout July and August 2017, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins teased a potential and partial Shield reunion for several weeks with both men sticking their fists out for the other for The Shield's signature fist bump, but both would decline each week, primarily due to trust issues from Rollins' betrayal three years prior. On the July 31 episode of *Raw*, Rollins was confronted by Cesaro and Sheamus and later won a match against Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro and Sheamus attacked Rollins before Ambrose came down to make the save. Backstage, Ambrose told Rollins that he would not help him if Rollins got outnumbered again. The following week, after Rollins lost a rematch against Sheamus and was once again attack after the match, Ambrose did not help him. Later that night, Ambrose defeated Cesaro and was subsequently attacked by the duo before being saved by Rollins. Ambrose then displayed signs of trust by offering the Shield fist bump, but Rollins ultimately declined. Finally, on the August 14 episode of *Raw*, although both Ambrose and Rollins got into a physical altercation earlier in the night, the two came together to fight off Cesaro and Sheamus and both reciprocated the fist bump and reunited. Immediately afterwards, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle came out and scheduled a match between Cesaro and Sheamus and Ambrose and Rollins for the Raw Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam.

On the May 29 episode of *Raw*, Raw commentator Corey Graves received a text message concerning Raw General Manager Kurt Angle and Angle said that the contents of the message could ruin him. Over the next few weeks, both Angle and Graves received the same text messages concerning this private matter. On the July 10 episode of *Raw*, Graves confronted Angle about what he was going to do. Angle said that he would go public with it the following week and that he might lose his family, his career could be destroyed, and he might be saying goodbye to the WWE Universe. Graves was confident that Angle would be fine due to the love and respect from the WWE Universe and everyone in the locker room. Later on the phone, Angle invited an unidentifiable person to come to *Raw* next week to discuss the matter and go public with it together. That episode, Angle revealed American Alpha's Jason Jordan as his (kayfabe) illegitimate son, and the newest member of the Raw brand, which subsequently disbanded American Alpha. The following week, Jordan defeated Curt Hawkins in his Raw debut match. Jordan was then the guest on *Miz TV*. The Miz offered Jordan a chance to join his Miztourage, but Jordan declined and Miz retaliated by stating that Jordan does not need his help since his father is the Raw General Manager. Jordan said that he did not want preferential treatment, and The Miz made some irritable comments about Angle. The Miz then took a swing at Jordan, but Jordan ducked and suplexed Miz into his Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel). On the August 14 episode of *Raw*, Jordan defeated The Miz by disqualification after the Miztourage attacked Jordan; The Hardy Boyz then ran out to even the odds by assisting Jordan in fending the Miztourage off. This led to a six-man tag team match later that night between The Miz and The Miztourage against The Hardy Boyz and Jordan, with the latter won. On August 17, WWE announced that The Miz and The Miztourage would be facing The Hardy Boyz and Jordan in a six-man tag team match on the SummerSlam pre-show.

## Event

### Pre-Show

Three matches were contested on the Pre-Show. In the first match, The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) and Jason Jordan faced WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and The Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas). The Miz performed a Skull Crushing Finale on Jordan to win the match for his team.

After that, Akira Tozawa defended the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Neville. Neville performed a Red Arrow on Tozawa to regain the title.

Finally, The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) defended the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso). Jimmy and Jey performed a Double Samoan Splash on Big E to regain the title.

### Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with John Cena facing Baron Corbin. As Cena attempted a Five-Knuckle Shuffle, Corbin moved out of the way. Cena eventually performed a Tornado DDT from the top rope and then performed a Five-Knuckle Shuffle on Corbin. Corbin countered an Attitude Adjustment attempt into a Deep Six for a nearfall. In the end, Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on Corbin for the win.

Next, Naomi defended the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship against Natalya. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter on Naomi who countered by throwing Natalya into the bottom turnbuckle. In the climax, As Naomi performed a split-leg moonsault, Natalya raised her knees to counter. Natalya forced Naomi to submit to the Sharpshooter to win the title. This is Natalya's first singles title since 2010.

After that, Big Cass faced Big Show, with Enzo Amore suspended in a Shark Cage. Big Show performed a KO Punch on Cass for a near-fall. Big Show performed a Chokeslam on Cass for a near-fall. Amore removed his pants and applied oil on himself to escape the cage. As Amore escaped the cage, Cass performed a Big Boot on Amore. Cass performed a Big Boot on Big Show for a near-fall. Cass performed a second Big Boot and an Empire Elbow on Big Show for the win.

In the fourth match, Randy Orton faced Rusev. During Orton's entrance, Rusev attacked Orton. After the referee ruled Orton could compete, the match began. Orton performed an RKO on Rusev to win in 10 seconds.

After that, Alexa Bliss defended the WWE RAW Women's Championship against Sasha Banks. Bliss performed Twisted Bliss on Banks for a near-fall. As Banks applied the Banks Statement on Bliss, Bliss escaped however Banks applied the Bank Statement and forced Bliss to submit to the Banks Statement to win the title for a record-tying fourth time.

Later, Finn Bálor faced Bray Wyatt. Bálor performed a Coup De Grace on Wyatt for the win.

In the seventh match, Cesaro and Sheamus defended the WWE RAW Tag Team Championship against Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Ambrose performed Dirty Deeds on Sheamus to win the title. This is Ambrose's first reign individually and Rollins' second reign individually, and Ambrose became the first Shield member to be a Grand Slam Champion.

Next, AJ Styles defended the WWE United States Championship against Kevin Owens, with Shane McMahon serving as Special Guest Referee. As Shane checked on Owens, Styles inadvertently performed a Springboard 450 Splash on Owens and Shane. Owens performed a Pop Up Powerbomb on Styles for a delayed near-fall. Owens then began to argue with Shane. Owens countered a Calf Crusher attempt by kicking Styles into Shane. Styles forced Owens to submit to the Calf Crusher, however Shane was knocked out which led to Styles arguing with Shane. Styles performed a Styles Clash on Owens for a near-fall. Owens performed a Pop Up Powerbomb on Styles but Shane noticed Styles' foot on the ring ropes, voiding the pinfall at a two count. An irate Owens and Shane argued with Owens shoving Shane. Styles rolled up Owens for a nearfall. In the climax, Styles performed a Pele Kick, a Phenomenal Forearm and a second Styles Clash on Owens to retain the title.

In the penultimate match, Jinder Mahal defended the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. In the end, The Singh Brothers interfered, leading to Nakamura performing Kinshasas on both the brothers. As Nakamura was distracted, Mahal seized the opportunity and performed the Khallas on Nakamura to retain the title.

### Main event

In the main event, Brock Lesnar defended the WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman. Early in the match, Joe applied the Coquina Clutch on Lesnar. Reigns performed a Spear on Lesnar through the barricade. Joe performed a Side Slam on Reigns onto an announce table. Strowman performed a Running Powerslam on Lesnar through an announce table and threw a commentator's chair at Reigns and Joe. Strowman performed a second Running Powerslam through another announce table on Lesnar and overturned another announce table, which fell on Lesnar. Medical personnel arrived and carted Lesnar away. As Joe applied the Coquina Clutch on Reigns, Strowman broke the hold. Strowman performed a Double Chokeslam on Reigns and Joe, scoring near-falls on both. Lesnar returned and applied a Kimura Lock on Strowman however Reigns performed Superman Punches on Lesnar, Strowman and Joe. Reigns performed a Spear on Lesnar for a near-fall. As Joe applied the Coquina Clutch on Reigns, Strowman performed a Running Front Dropkick on Reigns into Joe. Strowman performed a Running Powerslam on Joe only for Lesnar to pull the referee out of the ring, voiding the pinfall at a two count. As Strowman performed a Running Powerslam on Reigns, Lesnar voided the pinfall at a two count. Reigns performed a Spear on Strowman, who fell to the floor. In a similar scene in their title match back at Great Balls of Fire, Joe applied the Coquina Clutch on Lesnar only for Lesnar to counter into an F5, with Reigns voiding the pinfall at a two count. In the climax, Reigns performed three Superman Punches on Lesnar and attempted a Spear however Lesnar countered into an F5 on Reigns to retain the title.

## Aftermath

### Raw

On the following episode of *Raw*, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out to celebrate Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship. They were then interrupted by Braun Strowman, who attacked Lesnar with two Running Powerslams. Later, it was announced that Lesnar would defend the Universal Championship against Strowman at No Mercy. Later in the show, John Cena moved over to the Raw brand and was interrupted by Roman Reigns, and then The Miz and Samoa Joe. Cena and Reigns later teamed up and defeated Joe and Miz. The following week, Cena and Reigns were scheduled to face each other at No Mercy.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins came out to celebrate becoming the new Raw Tag Team Champions. They were then interrupted by The Hardy Boyz, who congratulated them and challenged them to a non-title match that Ambrose and Rollins won. Cesaro and Sheamus were then granted their championship rematch at No Mercy.

Sasha Banks came out to celebrate with the Raw Women's Championship. Alexa Bliss interrupted and invoked her rematch for the following week, where she regained the title. Nia Jax congratulated Bliss, but then turned on her. The following week, Jax teamed up with Emma and defeated Bliss and Banks to make the No Mercy match a fatal four-way also involving Jax and Emma.

Big Cass faced Enzo Amore in a Brooklyn Street Fight that Amore won as Cass suffered a legitimate leg injury during the match and could no longer compete. Amore was subsequently moved to the cruiserweight division on *205 Live*. Also on *Raw*, Jason Jordan wanted to face Finn Bálor. Raw General Manager Kurt Angle scheduled the match in which Bálor won. Both then participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship where Bray Wyatt caused Bálor's elimination, setting up a rematch for No Mercy.

On the following episode of *205 Live*, Tozawa received his rematch for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, but was unsuccessful.

### SmackDown

On the following episode of *SmackDown*, as retribution for The Singh Brothers costing Shinsuke Nakamura his WWE Championship match against Jinder Mahal, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan scheduled Nakamura to face The Singh Brothers in a handicap match that Nakamura won. Afterwards, Mahal attacked Nakamura, but Nakamura countered with the *Kinshasa*. On the September 5 episode, Nakamura defeated Randy Orton to receive another chance at the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell.

AJ Styles reinstated the U.S. Championship Open Challenge which was answered by Kevin Owens. Styles denied him since he beat Owens at SummerSlam, but Owens said that he was screwed by SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon. Shane came out and they reviewed scenes from the match. After a verbal confrontation, Styles agreed to the rematch and Shane allowed Owens to pick a special guest referee, but said this would be his last chance at the title. Owens picked Baron Corbin as the referee, but mid-match, Shane took over due to Corbin's poor performance and Styles retained.

New SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder), after which, they made a warning to the entire SmackDown tag team division. The following week, they faced The New Day in a match where the winner chose the stipulation for The New Day's championship rematch. The Usos won and chose to face The New Day in a Street Fight on the September 12 episode, where The New Day regained the titles.

New SmackDown Women's Champion Natalya said that she would restore dignity to the title. She then teamed up with Carmella in a losing effort against Naomi and Becky Lynch. The following week, Naomi informed Natalya that she would be invoking her championship rematch for the September 12 episode, where Natalya retained.

## See also

* List of WWE Network events
* List of WWE pay-per-view events

## References

1. ↑ "Get WWE SummerSlam 2017 tickets now". WWE. March 24, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
2. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". *howstuffworks.com*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
3. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". *webcitation.com*. WWE. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
4. ↑ McMahon, Vince. "Congratulations to all Cruiserweights, who now have their own brand to entertain a global audience. #205Live". *twitter.com*. Vince McMahon. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
5. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2016-05-25). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". *Variety*en-US. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
6. ↑ Csonka, Larry. "Triple H Conference Call Report: Discusses 205 Live, NXT Takeover: Toronto, Says HBK Working at the Performance Center and More". *411mania.com*. 411mania.com. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
7. ↑ Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 6/19: Reigns announces what he wants at Summerslam, Hardys vs. Anderson & Gallows". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Powell, Jason. "7/9 Powell’s WWE Great Balls of Fire Live Review: Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Universal Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns in an Ambulance Match, Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Championship". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/10: Fallout from Great Balls of Fire including Strowman-Reigns, Cass gloats, more". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Keller, Wade (July 17, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/17: Reigns vs. Joe to earn Universal Title shot at Summerslam, Angle mystery revealed". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Keller, Wade (July 24, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/24: Angle addresses status of Summerslam main event with big announcement, Jason Jordan reveal fallout". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Keller, Wade (July 31, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/31: Summerslam build-up continues with Joe vs. Roman vs. Braun, plus latest with Jordan and Angle". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 8/7: Braun vs. Reigns in Last Man Standing match, Miz TV, Summerslam hype". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/14: Final episode before Summerslam with latest on Seth-Dean, Women’s Title match, Fatal Four-way". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
15. ↑ Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/11: Styles celebrates and issues new U.S. Title Open Challenge, John Cena back again, more Battleground hype". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Powell, Jason. "7/23 Powell’s WWE Battleground Live Review: Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match for the WWE Championship, AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens for the U.S. Championship, John Cena vs. Rusev in a flag match". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/25: Surprise return, Owens gloats and Styles wants rematch, Nakamura vs. Corbin". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 8/1: John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a first-time dream match, Owens challenges Styles for U.S. Title". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 8/8: Orton vs. Mahal, Cena and Corbin interact, Usos vs. Tye & Sami, Shane McMahon sets the ground rules". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Keller, Wade (August 15, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 8/15: Cena vs. Mahal for the first time, final Summerslam hype including Nakamura, Shane, Owens, Styles". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
21. ↑ "Bayley suffers a shoulder injury Monday night on Raw". *WWE*. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
22. ↑ "Bayley out of WWE SummerSlam, plan to determine her replacement announced". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
23. ↑ Powell, Jason. "7/9 Powell’s WWE Great Balls of Fire Kickoff Show coverage – Neville vs. Akira Tozawa for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
24. ↑ Namako, Jason (July 12, 2017). "WWE 205 Live Results – 7/11/17 (Cedric vs. Dar in I Quit Match)". *WrestleView*. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
25. ↑ Namako, Jason (July 19, 2017). "WWE 205 Live Results – 7/18/17 (Gulak vs. Ali in 2/3 Falls)". *WrestleView*. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
26. ↑ Namako, Jason (July 26, 2017). "WWE 205 Live Results – 7/25/17 (Neville vs. Daivari headlines)". *WrestleView*. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
27. ↑ Galizia, Joey (August 1, 2017). "8/1 WWE 205 LIVE REPORT: Tozawa (w/Titus) vs. Daivari, Gallagher vs. Kendrick, Metalik vs. Nese". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
28. ↑ "WWE adds a title match to SummerSlam". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
29. ↑ Martin, Adam (August 16, 2017). "Championship match shifted to Kickoff Show before SummerSlam". *WrestleView*. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
30. ↑ Keller, Wade (May 29, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 5/29: Reigns vs. Rollins, Balor vs. Joe vs. Bray, Miz TV, Extreme Rules stage set". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
31. ↑ Keller, Wade (June 5, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 6/5: Extreme Rules fallout including Samoa Joe’s win, plus Enzo and Angle mysteries". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
32. ↑ Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 7/3: Final Great Balls of Fire hype, Enzo addresses Cass’s turn on him last week, Joe-Lesnar and Reigns-Braun hype". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
33. ↑ Martin, Adam. "Six man tag team match added to the SummerSlam Kickoff Show". *WrestleView*. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 Keller, Wade (August 21, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 8/21: The Summerslam fallout including Lesnar and Heyman celebrating win". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Keller, Wade (August 28, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 8/28: Sasha defends against Alexa, Cena vs. Reigns contract signing, Lesnar returns to answer Braun attack". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Keller, Wade (September 4, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT 9/4: Strowman vs. Big Show, Women’s Title follow-up, fallout from Cena-Reigns segment last week". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Weir, Allan (August 24, 2017). "8/22 WWE 205 LIVE REPORT: Detailed results and analysis of the show". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 Keller, Wade (August 22, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 8/22: Summerslam fallout including Owens-Styles-Shane controversy and a new roster member". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
39. ↑ Keller, Wade. "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 9/5: Nakamura vs. Orton to earn WWE Title match at Hell in a Cell, Carmella vs. Natalya, big Shane-Owens angle". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Keller, Wade (August 29, 2017). "KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 8/29: Jinder & Rusev vs. Orton & Nakamura headlines, plus A.J. Styles U.S. Title Open Challenge, Shelton & Gable". *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
41. ↑ Powell, Jason. "08/20 Powell’s WWE SummerSlam Kickoff Show coverage: New Day vs. The Usos for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Akira Tozawa vs. Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Jason Jordan vs. Miz, Bo Dallas, and Curtis Axel". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
42. ↑ Powell, Jason. "Powell’s WWE SummerSlam 2017 live review: Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship, Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins for the Raw Tag Titles". *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
43. ↑ "WWE SummerSlam '17 Times". *Internet Wrestling Database*. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
44. ↑ "The Miz & The Miztourage def. The Hardy Boyz & Jason Jordan". *WWE*. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
45. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "Neville def. Akira Tozawa to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
46. ↑ Melok, Bobby (August 20, 2017). "The Usos def. The New Day to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
47. ↑ "John Cena def. Baron Corbin". *WWE*. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
48. ↑ Melok, Bobby (August 20, 2017). "Natalya def. Naomi to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
49. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "Big Cass def. Big Show". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
50. ↑ Murphy, Ryan (August 20, 2017). "Randy Orton def. Rusev". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
51. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss to become the new Raw Women’s Champion". *WWE*. WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
52. ↑ Melok, Bobby (August 20, 2017). "“The Demon” Finn Bálor def. Bray Wyatt". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
53. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins def. Cesaro & Sheamus to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
54. ↑ Melok, Bobby (August 20, 2017). "United States Champion AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens (Special Guest Referee Shane McMahon)". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
55. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "WWE Champion Jinder Mahal def. Shinsuke Nakamura". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
56. ↑ Benigno, Anthony (August 20, 2017). "Universal Champion Brock Lesnar def. Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman (Fatal 4-Way Match)". *WWE*. Retrieved August 21, 2017.

## External links

* SummerSlam Official Website

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