Tag: WWE Summerslam

GCW hosting WWE ID Showcase during SummerSlam weekend

Posted on by Josh Nason

GCW’s relationship with WWE will continue during SummerSlam weekend as the indie promotion will host a WWE ID Showcase event.

Announced by GCW on Tuesday, the show is set for Friday, August 1st at the Williams Center in Rutherford, New Jersey, part of GCW Summersmash weekend that will also feature the 14th Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport event on Saturday in the same venue.

Both shows will be held in the afternoon and will stream live on Triller+.

The event will feature Timothy Thatcher, Kylie Rae, Marcus Mathers, The Vanity Project, Jack Cartwheel, Cappuccino Jones, Ice Williams, Aaron Rourke, It’s Gal, Jordan Oasis, Aaron Roberts and others.

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While no matches were announced for the Showcase, both the men’s and women’s WWE ID Championship tournaments are still in progress. June saw Bryce Donovan, Williams, Cartwheel, Jones and Baylor pick up wins in the round robin tournament.

The relationship between WWE and GCW saw the latter host the kickoff to the tournament during April’s WrestleMania weekend in addition to main roster and NXT wrestlers competing on Bloodsport events.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe to host ‘WWE Late Night’ during SummerSlam weekend

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After hosting a roast of WrestleMania earlier this year, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe is back for another round.

WWE announced today that Hinchcliffe will host “WWE Late Night” in Englewood, New Jersey at 11 p.m. Eastern time after night one of SummerSlam weekend on Saturday, August 2. Like with his roast of WrestleMania, this is a non-televised event that will not officially be broadcast anywhere.

The Bergen Performing Arts Center is the venue for the comedy show. A ticket pre-sale begins this coming Monday (June 30) at 10 a.m. Eastern time with the general public on-sale then starting the next day.

“Hinchcliffe, the internationally renowned comedian, one of the top roasters in the world and the mastermind behind Kill Tony, will bring together soon-to-be-announced top comics, entertainers and WWE Superstars for an unforgettable night of laughs and huge surprises,” WWE wrote.

While Hinchcliffe’s WrestleMania roast in Las Vegas this April was not televised and cellphone use was supposed to be prohibited, a full audio recording ended up leaking online. It generated controversy for — among other things — jokes made about Charlotte Flair’s appearance and marital history.

A trademark for “WWE Late Night” was filed by the promotion on June 20.

SummerSlam 2025 is taking place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 2 and August 3 — making this the first two-night SummerSlam in history.

Rapper Cardi B hosting WWE SummerSlam 2025

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Grammy Award-winning rapper Cardi B will host the first-ever two-night WWE SummerSlam set for August 2025.

Appearing in a vignette for the show on Friday’s WWE SmackDown, Cardi B announced that she will host both nights of SummerSlam this year set for Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3.

Involvement from the 14-time BET Hip Hop Award-winning musician was expected after she appeared in the original promo video announcing the event.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey will host the first two-night SummerSlam. The venue has served as the host for two WrestleManias in the past in 2013 and 2019.

Tickets for SummerSlam will go on sale on Friday, May 2, with a pre-sale for WWE mailing list members set for Wednesday, April 30.

SummerSlam will also be a two-night event in 2026, with WWE bringing their biggest show of the summer to Minneapolis’s US Bank Stadium.

The New York/New Jersey market hosted SummerSlam each year from 2015 to 2018 at Barclays Center. The event became a stadium show beginning in 2021, being held in an NFL stadium each year since. Cleveland hosted the 2024 edition at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

JNPO wrestling year in review series: AEW All In, WWE SummerSlam & a very busy August

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

The latest entry into the Punch-Out 2024 wrestling year in review series has arrived with a stop in August.

Joining me for her yearly appearance is Fightful’s Kate Elizabeth as we go 90 minutes dissecting a very busy 31 days which included:

  • AEW All In which saw Bryan Danielson stave off retirement and win the AEW World title amid growing concerns about his physical state
  • WWE SummerSlam which saw the return of Roman Reigns, setting up the beginning of the latest chapter in the years-long Bloodline storyline
  • The beginnings of rumblings the Lucha Bros were WWE-bound
  • The passing of Sid Vicious and Kevin Sullivan
  • The big news from TNA, ROH, NXT, Japan and the rest of the world

Click here to listen

Here’s the rest of the series thus far:

New Jersey sports authority approves use of pandemic funding for WWE SummerSlam 2025

Posted on by Ian Carey

The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA) has reportedly approved the use of pandemic-related funding for WWE SummerSlam 2025 in Met Life Stadium.

The organization passed a resolution to allocate $7.125 million for the purposes of “securing and hosting the WWE SummerSlam,” according to reports from the Bergen RECORD and The Sports Business Journal.

The money comes from American Rescue Plan funding the state received during the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds may be used to “respond to the negative economic impacts of the public health emergency by providing aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality.” 

WWE announced last month that they are bringing a two-night SummerSlam to East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2025. The NJSEA stated in its resolution that the event is expected to generate over $80 million in total economic impact for the region.

NJSEA spokesperson Brian Aberback says the organization is in the process of finalizing its application to the state Department of Community Affairs, which handles such funding requests.

Daily Update: MVP, Cardi B WWE SummerSlam, Cassie Lee

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The most in-depth look at AEW media rights deal completed and the deal not yet completed. We look at what different numbers mean for different levels of popularity, figuring different scenarios in, best and worst case, PPV and secondary deals.
  • UFC 306 coverage with the record gate at The Sphere going head-to-head with Canelo Alvarez in the same city.
  • Coverage of the CMLL anniversary show what did and didn’t work and the difference from a normal crowd.
  • One of the biggest stars of this generation talks about retirement, gives a date and the significance of that date.
  • Where pro wrestling shows this past week fit into the weekly cable charts.
  • A look at every national pro wrestling show this past week, how it compared to last year, placings, competition and segment ratings.
  • Who is CMLL’s booker?
  • What country celebrated a national pro wrestling holiday this week
  • Update on El Hijo del Vikingo
  • The man who was believed to be the oldest living wrestler passes away
  • World team tryouts
  • Notes on a movie coming out soon on the life of Mildred Burke
  • Note on a Blu-Ray I just did voiceovers for
  • wXw tag team tournament notes
  • A very valid criticism of AEW
  • Update on ticket sales to WWE & AEW shows the next two months
  • International TV ratings and streaming numbers
  • Notes on the NFL Films piece on Tony Khan
  • Updates on TV time length for  Raw & Smackdown in January
  • Second day streaming rights updates on Raw,  Smackdown, and NXT starting next month
  • Notes on the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event and a look back at the first one and numbers that would be incredible today
  • Update on WWE moving the second NXT on CW show from a major arena and why
  • A look back at Vince McMahon’s promises when he was expanding.

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Thursday Update

WWE

  • Superstar rapper Cardi B and Bianca Belair appeared in WWE’s announcement video for SummerSlam 2025, which will take place from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3.
  • Ric Flair tweeted after watching the first episode of Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries:
    • Watching The @VinceMcMahon Documentary Today! Episode 1, Interesting, But I’m Not Able To Comment On Anything Other Than The Fact That He Made A Lot Of People Rich & Changed The Landscape Of Wrestling For The Good! But I Definitely Will Tell You This. My Documentary WOOOOO: Becoming Ric Flair Blows That Episode Out Of The Water! It’s Emmy Nominated!! WOOOOO!
  • Angelo Dawkins and his wife Grace welcomed their second child into the world yesterday.
  • Tiffany Stratton told Gorilla Position that she thinks the SmackDown women’s division would benefit from the addition of a midcard title:
    • I definitely think we have such a stacked SmackDown roster. We have Jade Cargill, we have Bianca Belair, we’ve got Nia, we’ve got me, Naomi – I feel like there are so many big, strong talents on the SmackDown roster. I definitely think, you know, like a midcard title could be something that would benefit for the women’s roster.
  • WWE wished Asuka and Damian Priest happy birthday.
  • Bron Breakker made an appearance on 99.5 WKDQ radio in Evansville, Indiana.
  • Going Ringside has interviews with Ethan Page and Trick Williams.
  • Here’s the lineup for this Friday’s NXT Level Up episode:
    • Sol Ruca vs. Dani Palmer
    • Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe vs. Kale Dixon & Uriah Connors
    • Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. Jasper Troy

AEW/Other Wrestling

  • After making his AEW debut last night, MVP posted a social media promo discussing how excited he is for this new chapter – which could be the final chapter of his career:
    • Cat’s out of the bag. By now I’m sure many of you know – and if you don’t, you’re about to find out – that I’ve embarked on an exciting new chapter for my professional wrestling career. And I’m excited because this new chapter is quite possibly the final chapter. And I’ve got some really cool things in store. So if you’ve been a fan of mine for this long, come hang out for just a little bit longer. Same MVP, just conducting business in a new location. MVP is AEW. See you next week.
  • AEW shared post-match comments from Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa and Yuka Sakazaki & Willow Nightingale following Dynamite Grand Slam.
  • After Hook retired the FTW title last night, Taz tweeted out a message thanking all of the past champions and any fan who has enjoyed the championship:
    • I would like to thank all of the men whom have held the FTW Championship….[Sabu], [Brian Cage], [Ricky Starks], [Jack Perry], [Chris Jericho] & [Hook]
    • And also any fan that has supported/enjoyed this championship during the ECW years or in modern day wrestling during the current AEW years…thank you.
  • In this week’s Mone Mag, Mercedes Mone named Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Bianca Belair as the three most physically strong women she’s ever wrestled. Mone also listed Charlotte, Bayley, Belair, and Willow Nightingale as the toughest opponents she’s ever faced.
  • Mone responded to a question from a fan asking her thoughts on Athena becoming the longest-reigning champion in ROH history:
    • I’m so proud of Athena! She is one of the best in the world she’s definitely a champion I look forward to facing one day.
  • AEW’s Buddy Matthews and Ortiz are both celebrating birthdays today.
  • Prestige Wrestling announced that, due to contractual obligations, TNA wrestlers Jordynne Grace, Sinner and Saint (Travis Williams & Judas Icarus), and Xia Zhao are off their show in Portland, Oregon this Sunday. The news comes after TNA had to adjust its TV taping schedule for the weekend in South Carolina due to Hurricane Helene.
  • Jeff Hardy spoke to The Takedown about honoring the late Bray Wyatt with his Fiend face paint on TNA Impact:
    • You just go for stuff, and the payoff is like being proud of yourself when it’s done, especially someone like Bray Wyatt and The Fiend. The memories he’s left us with as pro wrestling fans, to honor him in that way, it felt so good after it was done. I was totally glad I just went for it. I’m going to continue from time to time to do the teeth on my face and see where that goes.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, NXT’s Shawn Spears addressed whether his wife Cassie Lee (the former Peyton Royce) intends to come back to pro wrestling:
    • She watches it a lot. She watches it more than I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t watch wrestling, it just means I’m busy a lot. I’m around, I can see a lot of stuff. Yeah, she keeps up on it. She still loves watching a lot of her friends, and she’s still getting the itch. So she’s already weight training, she’s doing all that kind of stuff. She’s getting back into the mix and things like that. When she feels 100 percent good to go there’s a ring close by, so she plans on getting back into it. She doesn’t know to what capacity, meaning no one’s said anything, no one said hey, when you ready, come on back. Like, not Impact, not anything, but with the working relationship, who’s to say that that’s not a possibility? But yeah, she still misses it. I think she still has a little bit of an itch.
  • MLW announced that Kings of Colosseum 2025 will take place from the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, Texas on Saturday, January 11.
  • CMLL’s Hechicero will make his MLW debut at Lucha Apocalypto in Cicero, Illinois on Saturday, November 9.

WWE bringing two-night SummerSlam to New Jersey in 2025

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE is bringing SummerSlam to the New York/New Jersey area next year.

The company revealed today that SummerSlam 2025 will take place from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3. This marks the first time SummerSlam has ever been a two-night event, though WWE has already announced that SummerSlam 2026 from Minneapolis will also take place over two nights.

MetLife Stadium is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. It hosted WrestleMania 29 in 2013 and WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

WWE has partnered with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority for this deal to bring SummerSlam 2025 to MetLife Stadium.

“New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the entire NJSEA team have been phenomenal partners, hosting several major UFC events in recent years including the record-breaking UFC 302 in June,” Peter Dropick — TKO Executive Vice President of Event Development and Operations — said in a press release. “We’re excited to bring WWE back to New Jersey in a major way with the first-ever two-night SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium.”

SummerSlam is returning to the New York/New Jersey area for the first time since the Barclays Center in Brooklyn hosted the event from 2015-2018.

Ticket information for the show has not been announced yet, but WWE has a mailing list for fans interested in pre-sale information when it becomes available.

Bianca Belair and superstar rapper Cardi B appeared in WWE’s video announcing the SummerSlam 2025 date and location:

LA Knight: Kevin Nash was a ‘sweetheart’ in WWE SummerSlam interaction

Posted on by Joseph Currier

LA Knight enjoyed the interaction he had with Kevin Nash backstage at WWE SummerSlam.

Nash had taken some shots at Knight on his podcast in the past, including calling Knight “an absolute ripoff of The Rock.” But Nash said there was no heat between the two when they spoke in catering backstage at SummerSlam. Nash said Knight seemed like “a really nice guy.”

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Knight also described the interaction as a positive one.

“It’s funny because he came up while I was sitting in catering, talking to a couple of guys, and he came up, and I felt this hand on my back, and he said hello and we talked for a minute,” Knight said.

“He was asking about the match, and everything was cool and hunky dory. I am a mirror in a lot of ways – I give back whatever I receive. We could talk trash, and whatever he says on the podcast or what I say here and there, it could go either way. If he had come in talking, you know, craziness or whatever, I’d have probably responded in that regard. But he was a sweetheart, and I was a sweetheart right back.”

Knight defeated Logan Paul at SummerSlam to become the new United States Champion. It’s the first title Knight has held on the WWE main roster.

On SmackDown tonight (August 23), Knight is making a title defense against Santos Escobar. 

Filthy Observer Live: WWE SummerSlam recap & Raw preview, RFK Jr.

Posted on by Mike Sempervive

Image: WWE

With Bryan Alvarez out getting the lunch special at Texas de Brazil, “Filthy” Tom Lawlor joins me to talk about all of the fallout from Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam.

Plus, we take a look at tonight’s Raw, Mina Shirakawa coming to America, RFK Jr.’s territorial wrestling rib story and more.

A fun show as always, so check it out~!

Click here for the commercial-free edition (subscription required)

Wrestling Observer Live: A turn, another turn & big return at WWE SummerSlam

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

I am back with another Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live with much to discuss after Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam.

Let’s talk about what appears to be the dismantling of Judgment Day as we know it as both Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio cost Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley their matches, respectively.

I have a lot to say about the CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre match and the use of a friendship bracelet as the main story.

Plus, we got the return of Roman Reigns at the end of the night to cost Solo Sikoa the match against WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. Also, LA Knight, Nia Jax, Bron Breakker, and Gunther were all crowned new champions. 

I also give my thoughts on the meeting that took place last week between Tony Khan and Shane McMahon and whether it means anything at all.

Additionally, I talk about Britt Baker’s suspension, the new WWE Raw announce team, and more.

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Jacob Fatu spotted in walking boot after WWE SummerSlam injury

Posted on by Ian Carey

An update on Jacob Fatu is available

Fatu appeared to injure his right leg last night on a dive from the top rope onto Cody Rhodes, who was on top of the announce table at the time. Following the injury, Fatu was unable to get to his feet and began shouting instructions at Solo Sikoa to continue the attack on Rhodes.

After the show, Fatu was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot in footage posted to Instagram by The Haroon Twins.

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1820101526318141931

Our own Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer addressed Fatu’s injury on today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Alvarez said:

“After the show ended, they sent this dude out there and he helped poor Jacob Fatu to the back, he’s limping the whole way. Hopefully, it’s not bad but, man, it looked pretty bad and he couldn’t get in there for the finish.”

Meltzer also addressed Fatu’s status in today’s Daily Update. He wrote:

“Regarding the injuries last night, we don’t have any updates past that Jacob Fatu was supposed to be selling the leg after the splash, to keep him away from any confrontation with Roman Reigns.  He was in a walking boot last night and people were talking about an ankle injury but nobody in WWE at the top level who would know has confirmed to us the nature of any injury or if was just the planned angle.”

Roman Reigns returns at WWE SummerSlam, helps Cody Rhodes retain

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Original Tribal Chief made his return at SummerSlam in the Undisputed WWE Championship match main event.

Roman Reigns made his first WWE appearance since losing the Undisputed title to Rhodes at WrestleMania 40 at Saturday’s SummerSlam event in Cleveland, attacking Solo Sikoa and helping Cody Rhodes retain the WWE title.

Rhodes defeated Sikoa in a Bloodline Rules match in the show’s main event, a bout that included interference from Sikoa’s version of The Bloodline, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton.

Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa all interfered on Sikoa’s behalf, including Fatu putting Rhodes through the announce desk with a top rope splash. Owens and Orton interfered on Rhodes’ behalf, but were neutralized by The Bloodline.

All of this led to the return of Reigns, who hit Sikoa with a superman punch and a spear, allowing Rhodes to finish off Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Reigns wore a shirt with “OTC” on the chest, a reference to his status as the Original Tribal Chief.

Our complete live play-by-play from SummerSlam is available here.

Arn Anderson & Stephanie McMahon among notable appearances at WWE SummerSlam

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since making several appearances during WWE WrestleMania 40 weekend, former WWE co-CEO Stephanie McMahon made her on-screen return during Saturday’s SummerSlam in Cleveland, Ohio.

Unlike WrestleMania, McMahon didn’t cut any promos but was shown in the crowd clapping and having fun.

Former WWE Tag Team Champion and legend Arn Anderson made his on-screen return to the company as part of Cody Rhodes’ entrance.

Anderson, the former manager of Rhodes in AEW, gave Rhodes a pep talk as Rhodes was making his way to the ring for his main event match against Solo Sikoa. Anderson said that he had gone through the locker room and found some allies for Rhodes due to the Bloodline likely getting involved during the main event.

It’s Anderson’s first on-screen appearance since his departure from AEW earlier this year. It’s unknown as of now whether this is a one-off appearance or if he is back in WWE in some capacity.

Cleveland native and musical artist Machine Gun Kelly made a surprise appearance as part of fellow native Logan Paul’s intro ahead of his United States title defense against eventual new champion L.A. Knight. MGK took part in the match by slipping Paul some brass knuckles.

It was MGK’s first WWE appearance since getting power bombed off the Raw stage by Kevin Owens in 2015.

Music superstar Jelly Roll opened up SummerSlam by doing an in-ring performance of his new single and then later got involved during The Miz & R-Truth’s announcement of the night’s attendance.

After the duo announced the number, Austin Theory and Grayson Waller emerged to belittle them, the city of Cleveland, and Jelly Roll who was sitting at ringside.

Eventually, he made his way into the ring with a chair and after the faces and heels had a skirmish, he whacked both Theory and Waller in their backs. However, he wasn’t done, chokeslamming Theory and then calling for John Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle which he, R-Truth and Miz hit.

Drew McIntyre defeats CM Punk at WWE SummerSlam

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Drew McIntyre has defeated CM Punk.

McIntyre pinned Punk at WWE SummerSlam in Cleveland Saturday in a bout where Seth Rollins served as special guest referee.

The bout was built around the conflict between all three competitors, including multiple spots where Rollins could have given either competitor an advantage. Instead, Rollins called the bout down the middle.

The finish came after Rollins put on the friendship bracelet that McIntyre took from Punk in the course of their feud. Punk had McIntyre set up for a GTS, but abandoned the attempt when he saw Rollins with the bracelet.

McIntyre responded by shoving Punk into Rollins. With Rollins out of the ring, Punk hit McIntyre with the GTS, but Rollins was late counting. Punk then hit Rollins with a GTS.

With the referee down, McIntyre hit a low blow on Punk and connected with a Claymore Kick. Rollins was revived and counted the pin, and McIntyre posed with his foot on Punk’s chest.

The bout was filled with homages to the SummerSlam 1997 bout between Bret Hart and The Undertaker where Shawn Michaels was the guest referee, from Punk’s ring attire, to Rollins stopping McIntyre from using a chair on Punk.

Our ongoing live SummerSlam coverage is here.