The biggest party of the summer isn’t taking place at a beach, backyard barbecue, or pool — it’s happening in the ring.
WWE’s brightest stars take the stage at WWE SummerSlam, where the top names from Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown compete for gold around their waists and glory over their fellow Superstars. And the WWE’s star-studded roster is ready to excite professional wrestling fans watching live at the 65,000-seat Ford Field in Detroit (home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions), as well as millions at home.
“I always plan on stealing the show no matter what I do,” Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley (above) shares. “Being able to go out there with a massive crowd, it’s a real cool feeling.”
Pro wrestling legends, confident Superstars in their prime, and eager up-and-comers will go head-to-head (exact matches were not announced at press time). “The roster is stacked with some of the most complete Superstars we’ve ever seen in this business,” promises commentator Corey Graves, who admits he does have a dream match for this year’s event.
“It may not be feasible by the time SummerSlam rolls around, but in a perfect world, [we’d see] Brock Lesnar versus Gunther,” he says, optimistically adding that, “every dream match I’ve ever thrown out into the universe seems to come true.” Let’s hope so!
For the pros, SummerSlam is important business. Though this will be only Ripley’s second time competing in the electrifying event — she’ll be defending her Women’s World Championship title earned earlier this year — she understands the stakes for anyone entering the ring: “Whoever decides to step up, they’re going to find out real quick that they stepped in with the best in the WWE.” —Scott Logan
SummerSlam, Saturday, August 5, Peacock