[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwe_summerslam_logo.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} The Biggest Party of the Summer.]]]]

[=SummerSlam=] is one of Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s most famous and long-running pay-per-view events, and one of the "Big Five"; the four others are ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'', ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'', ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'', and the more recently added ''Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank''. Much like 'Mania, it is considered a major "transition" PPV as major feuds and storylines tend to begin, end, or otherwise have a major element added to them at [=SummerSlam=]. Notable as being the only one of the "Big Five" [=PPVs=] to have taken place outside North America; [=SummerSlam=] 1992 took place at Wembley Stadium in London, England. It also has the distinction of having been held in the same location several times; between 2009 and 2014, [=SummerSlam=] was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California; and from 2015 to 2018, the event took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Has recently been billed as the "[=WrestleMania=] of the summer" with matches frequently being part of the big storylines of the season, such as Team WWE's clash with Wrestling/TheNexus in 2010 and the second Wrestling/JohnCena vs. Wrestling/CMPunk bout in 2011.

!! The Biggest Tropes of the Summer:
* AlliterativeTitle: '''S'''ummer'''S'''lam.
* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Wrestling/{{Kane}} won a "Till Death Do Us Part" match with Wrestling/MattHardy in 2004 and Wrestling/{{Lita}} had to marry him as a result.
* TheBadGuyWins:
** A notable aversion from ''[=SummerSlam=] 1991'', as far as the championships go; Wrestling/BretHart beat [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] for the Intercontinental Championship, and [[Wrestling/RoadWarriors the Legion of Doom]] beat the Nasty Boys for the tag titles. The WWF Championship, then held by Wrestling/HulkHogan, wasn't even defended, resulting in all the titles being held by faces by the time the event ended, a rarity for WWF's [=PPVs=].
** 2002 edition: The [[Wrestling/{{Christian}} Un]]-[[Wrestling/LanceStorm Americans]] defeated Wrestling/BookerT and Wrestling/{{Goldust}} to retain the WWE tag team Championship, Wrestling/KurtAngle defeated Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}, and Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson the Rock]] to win the WWE Championship.
** 2003 edition: Wrestling/{{La Resistance|TagTeam}} defeated Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys to retain the World tag team Championship, Wrestling/EddieGuerrero defeated Wrestling/ChrisBenoit, Wrestling/{{Rhyno}} and [[Wrestling/YoshihiroTajiri Tajiri]] to retain the U.S. Championship, Wrestling/{{Kane}} defeated Wrestling/RobVanDam, and Wrestling/TripleH defeated Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/KevinNash, Wrestling/ChrisJericho and Wrestling/RandyOrton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
** 2004 edition: Wrestling/{{Kane}} defeated Wrestling/MattHardy, Wrestling/KurtAngle defeated Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, Wrestling/TripleH defeated [[Wrestling/NickDinsmore Eugene]], [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield JBL]] defeated Wrestling/TheUndertaker to retain the WWE Championship and Wrestling/RandyOrton defeated Wrestling/ChrisBenoit to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
** 2009 edition: [[Wrestling/ChrisJericho Jeri]]-[[Wrestling/BigShow Show]] defeated Cyme Tyme to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, Wrestling/RandyOrton defeated Wrestling/JohnCena to retain the WWE Championship and Wrestling/CMPunk defeated Wrestling/JeffHardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
** 2013 edition: Wrestling/RandyOrton cashes in his Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank contract to defeat [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] to win the WWE Championship, resulting in the creation of Wrestling/TheAuthority which would go on to cause huge amounts of trouble for three whole years. Wrestling/BrayWyatt defeated Wrestling/{{Kane}}, Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio defeated Wrestling/{{Christian}} and retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated Wrestling/CMPunk.
** 2014 edition: Wrestling/{{Paige}} defeated Wrestling/AJLee to regain the Diva's Championship, Wrestling/{{Rusev|AndLana}} defeated Wrestling/JackSwagger, Wrestling/SethRollins defeated [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]], Wrestling/BrayWyatt defeated Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon defeated [[Wrestling/BellaTwins Brie Bella]] and Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated Wrestling/JohnCena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
** 2015 edition: Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} defeated Wrestling/RandyOrton, Wrestling/TheNewDay defeated Wrestling/PrimeTimePlayers, Los Matadors and Lucha Dragons and Wrestling/SethRollins defeated Wrestling/JohnCena to become both the WWE and U.S. Champion.
** 2016 edition: Wrestling/KevinOwens and Wrestling/ChrisJericho defeated Wrestling/EnzoAndCass, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair defeated Wrestling/SashaBanks, Wrestling/AJStyles defeated Wrestling/JohnCena, [[Wrestling/TheBellaTwins Nikki Bella]], Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}} and Wrestling/AlexaBliss defeated Wrestling/BeckyLynch, Wrestling/{{Naomi|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/{{Carmella}} and Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated Wrestling/RandyOrton.
** 2017 edition: Wrestling/TheMiz and The Miztourage defeated The Hardy Boyz and Wrestling/JasonJordan, [[Wrestling/{{PAC}} Neville]] defeated Wrestling/AkiraTozawa, Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}} defeated Wrestling/{{Naomi|Wrestler}} to win the [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship, Big Cass defeated Wrestling/BigShow, Wrestling/JinderMahal defeated Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura to retain the WWE Championship and Wrestling/BrockLesnar defeated Wrestling/BraunStrowman, Wrestling/SamoaJoe and Wrestling/RomanReigns to retain the Universal Championship.
** 2018 edition: Wrestling/AndradeCienAlmas and [[Wrestling/TheaTrinidad Zelina Vega]] defeated Wrestling/RusevAndLana, Wrestling/TheMiz defeated [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] and Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura defeated Wrestling/JeffHardy.
** 2019 edition: Wrestling/AJStyles defeated [[Wrestling/TrevorMann Ricochet]], Wrestling/CharlotteFlair defeated Wrestling/TrishStratus and The Fiend Wrestling/BrayWyatt defeated [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Balor]].
** 2020 edition: Wrestling/{{Bayley}} defeated [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] to retain the [=SmackDown=] Women's Championship, Wrestling/SethRollins defeated Dominik Mysterio and The Fiend Wrestling/BrayWyatt defeated Wrestling/BraunStrowman to win the Universal Championship.
** 2021 edition: Wrestling/TheUsos defeated Wrestling/{{Rey|MysterioJr}} and Wrestling/DominikMysterio, Wrestling/CharlotteFlair defeated [[Wrestling/NikkiCross Nikki A.S.H]] and Wrestling/RheaRipley to regain the raw Women's Championship, Wrestling/BobbyLashley defeated Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} to retain the WWE Championship and Wrestling/RomanReigns defeated Wrestling/JohnCena to retain the Universal Championship.
** 2022 edition: Wrestling/TheUsos defeated the Street Profits to retain the Undisputed Tag Team Championship and Wrestling/RomanReigns defeated Wrestling/BrockLesnar to retain the Undisputed Universal Championship.
** 2023 edition: [[Wrestling/{{WALTER}} Gunther]] defeated Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre to retain the Intercontinental Championship, [[Wrestling/IoShirai IYO SKY]] cashes in her Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank contract to defeat Wrestling/BiancaBelair to win the WWE Women's Championship, and Wrestling/RomanReigns defeated Jey Uso to retain the Undisputed Universal Championship and recognition of Tribal Chief of the [[Wrestling/SamoanDynasty Anoa'i family]].
* BatmanGambit: Wrestling/BretHart knew that Wrestling/ShawnMichaels had to be impartial as the Guest Referee in his 1997 title match with Wrestling/TheUndertaker. He just had to anger Shawn enough to swing the steel chair at him, get out of the way so Undertaker was hit, and cover him while Michaels was forced to count.
* BigDamnHeroes: The 2001 edition had two of these moments in the same match. Wrestling/{{Ivory}}, Wrestling/StacyKeibler and Wrestling/TorrieWilson were set to face Wrestling/{{Lita}} and Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}. The Alliance girls ambushed Lita backstage, leaving Jacqueline alone in the match. Wrestling/MollyHolly ran down to team with her, and Lita came down to the ring at the end to even the odds.
* BirthdayEpisode:
** The 2003 event was held on Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's 58th birthday. After the event, the entire locker room celebrated with him in the middle of the ring.
** At the 2014 event, Wrestling/{{Paige}} won her second Divas Championship on her 22nd birthday.
* BlackComedyRape: Implied to be what happened when The Mountie was put in jail for the night after his 1991 loss to the Wrestling/BigBossMan.
* TheChewToy:
** Wrestling/BookerT and Wrestling/JeffHardy have never won at ''[=SummerSlam=]''.
** Wrestling/JohnCena lost ''six straight matches'' from 2011-2016. Before that he also lost back-to-back matches in 2008 and 2009, incidentally against the former "Young Guns" of Wrestling/{{Evolution}}, Wrestling/{{Batista}} and Wrestling/RandyOrton.
* CurbStompBattle:
** In 1988, the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior defeated the Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan in ''31 seconds'' to capture the Intercontinental title for the first time, ending the latter's 14 month reign.
** In 2005, Wrestling/ChrisBenoit defeated Orlando Jordan in ''25 seconds''. And bragged about it for the next couple months.
** Wrestling/BrockLesnar's victory over Wrestling/JohnCena at the 2014 event was basically Lesnar giving one long beating to Cena, with the latter only being able to give very little offense, a rarity for his matches.
** The 2018 iteration had ''three'' of these:
*** Wrestling/BraunStrowman, who had his Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank contract on the line, easily squashed Wrestling/KevinOwens in less than 2 minutes.
*** Wrestling/BaronCorbin thought his match with [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Balor]] would be a walk in the park... but, to [[OhCrap his surprise]], Finn brought out his "demon" persona and easily defeated Corbin, also in less than 2 minutes.
*** Wrestling/RondaRousey was easily the favorite in her match against Wrestling/AlexaBliss, who spent most of the match running away. Ronda even let her opponent take a free shot at her, but to no avail, as Bliss was put away with an armbar.
** In 2021, Wrestling/BeckyLynch returns after her 15-month absence, defeated Wrestling/BiancaBelair in ''26 seconds'' to win her fourth [=SmackDown=] women's title.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Brutally inverted in Wrestling/TheOddities' victory over Kaientai in 1998.
* DramaticIrony: In the 2017 event, [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] becomes the first (former) member of Wrestling/TheShield to become a Wrestling/{{Triple Crown|Champion}} and Wrestling/GrandSlamChampion by winning the Raw TagTeam Championship for the first time. His TagTeam partner? The man who broke up the Shield, Wrestling/SethRollins.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: The 2022 edition sees Wrestling/BrockLesnar using a tractor in his match against Wrestling/RomanReigns.
* EnemyMine: Team WWE which included heels Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/ChrisJericho on a team led by Wrestling/JohnCena against Wrestling/TheNexus in 2010.
* EtTuBrute:
** In the 1996 event, Wrestling/PaulBearer turned his back on Wrestling/TheUndertaker and sided with [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]], ending his initial six-year tenure as Undertaker's manager.
** At the 2014 event, Nikki Bella turned heel on Brie and helped Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon beat her.
* FinalBattle:
** In 2008, the Wrestling/HellInACell match between Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/TheUndertaker was the culmination of their feud that begun in late 2007.
** The 2022 edition had the Undisputed Champion Wrestling/RomanReigns and Wrestling/BrockLesnar battle in a Last Man Standing Match which was the last match for the two who had feuded since 2015.
* GameBreakingInjury: Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin's infamous neck injury happened in the 1997 event due to Wrestling/OwenHart's botched tombstone piledriver.
* GoodVersusGood: The 2008 event had the match between Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/{{Batista}} who were two of the top stars of the WWE of that time period.
* GracefulLoser:
** Wrestling/ChrisBenoit shook Wrestling/RandyOrton's hand after the latter defeated him for his World Heavyweight title during the 2004 main event.
** Wrestling/CodyRhodes defeated Wrestling/BrockLesnar in their rubber match at the 2023 event. Following the match, Lesnar shook Cody's hand in respect.
* HistoryRepeats:
** The youngest WWE (Wrestling/BrockLesnar in 2002) and World Heavyweight Champions (Wrestling/RandyOrton in 2004) were both crowned at this event. The two faced each other at the 2016 event.
** Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/RandyOrton fought each other for the WWE title at this event twice (2007 and 2009).
** Wrestling/RandyOrton won the World Heavyweight title at this event thrice (2004, 2011, and 2013[[note]]Cashing in his Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank contract against [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] immediately after the latter won the title[[/note]]). He has also been in the main event four times (2003, 2004, 2007, and 2013[[note]]He's actually not even the official main event during the 2013 event. It's due to him cashing in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after the real title match concluded[[/note]]).
** Wrestling/UltimateWarrior captured the Intercontinental title at this event twice (1988 and 1989).
** Wrestling/CharlotteFlair captured the Women's title in a triple-threat match at this event twice (2018 and 2021).
** The event has occasionally featured rematches from ''Wrestling/WrestleMania''. Examples include are Wrestling/ShawnMichaels vs [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor Ramon]] in a Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship in 1995 (a rematch from the previous year's [=WrestleMania=]), Wrestling/KurtAngle vs Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the WWE Title in 2003, Kurt Angle vs Wrestling/EddieGuerrero in 2004, Wrestling/TheUndertaker vs Wrestling/RandyOrton from 2005, Brock Lesnar vs Wrestling/RomanReigns in 2018 and 2022, Brock Lesnar vs Wrestling/SethRollins in 2019, and Wrestling/BeckyLynch and Wrestling/BiancaBelair in 2022 (both of whom also faced each other at the previous year's event).
* ImprovisedWeapon: Wrestling/JerryLawler won his 2000 match with Wrestling/{{Tazz}} after Wrestling/JimRoss [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJvAa-AAfbU got involved]], breaking a glass candy jar over Tazz's head.
* {{Irony}}: In the 2017 event, the [[Wrestling/NaomiWrestler African-American Smackdown Women's champion with dyed hair]] loses her belt to [[Wrestling/NatalyaNeidhart a blonde with dyed tips]] by submission, only for [[Wrestling/AlexaBliss the blonde Raw Women's champion with dyed tips]] to lose her belt to [[Wrestling/SashaBanks an African-American with dyed hair]] by submission.
* KickTheDog: After beating Tori at the 1999 event, Ivory decided to rip her top off ForTheEvulz.
* LiteralAssKissing: What happened to Mr. Ass at the end of his match with [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] in 1999.
* LoserLeavesTown: The 2020 event has two former best friends, Wrestling/MandyRose and Wrestling/SonyaDeville in a "Loser Leaves WWE" match, where Mandy emerged the victor.[[labelnote:*]]Originally the match was supposed to be a Hair vs. Hair match, but was changed to this stipulation to allow Deville a break after she was targeted by a stalker in real life.[[/labelnote]]
* ManlyTears: Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/RandyOrton during the 2004 main event due to the latter beating the former for the World Heavyweight title.
* MirrorMatch: Undertaker vs "Underfaker" at the 1994 event, where the real Undertaker defeated Wrestling/TedDiBiase's fake one.
* NotInTheFace: A stipulation placed in the match between Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and [[Wrestling/RickMartel Rick "The Model" Martel]] in 1992.
* PlotParallel: The 2017 event is notable for this. It saw both brands' Women's titles changing hands via submission, both brands' TagTeam titles changing hands, and both brands' World titles being retained.
* RuleOfSexy: The posters for the 2003 and 2008 events. The former has Wrestling/{{Sable}} essentially naked and [[SceneryCensor covered by the logo]], while the latter has Wrestling/MariaKanellis in a {{Stripperiffic}} outfit. For the girls, it could be argued that every poster featuring MrFanservice wrestlers who are essentially a WalkingShirtlessScene.
* SceneryCensor: The poster for the 2003 event has (a naked) Wrestling/{{Sable}}'s privates being covered by the logo.
* SeriesMascot: In no particular order, Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/RandySavage, Wrestling/TheUndertaker, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], Wrestling/BrockLesnar, Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/JohnCena, and Wrestling/RandyOrton are the most featured wrestlers on the event's posters.
* SeriousBusiness: While this trope always applies to ProfessionalWrestling, special mention goes to the 2005 Custody of Dominick match between Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio|Jr}}.
* SquashMatch: Two memorable high-profile ones:
** The inaugural ''[=SummerSlam=]'' saw Intercontinental Champion the Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan without an opponent after his scheduled opponent, Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake, was "injured." Honky practically demanded a match against anyone...and then [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior that anyone]] showed up and plowed him down in ''30 seconds'' to win the title.
** ''[=SummerSlam=] 2014'', where Wrestling/BrockLesnar laid out Wrestling/JohnCena to win the WWE World Championship. Unlike most squashes, which last less than two minutes, this one went 16 minutes, thanks in part to Lesnar just wanting to permanently injure Cena and show his superiority – he used 16 German suplexes to practically lay out "The Champ" and threw in a second F-5 fireman's carry for good measure – but also because of Cena's stubborn pride, risking permanent injury in the futile hope that Lesnar would make a mistake that would cost him the match. Cena's offensive flurries were, at best, ineffective, the mark of most squash matches back in the day.
* TemptingFate
-->'''Wrestling/HonkyTonkMan:''' Get me somebody out here to wrestle, I don't care who it is!
--> ''[the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior's theme begins to play]''
* ThereCanOnlyBeOne:
** The main event of the 2011 event featuring WWE Champion Wrestling/CMPunk and Interim WWE Champion Wrestling/JohnCena squaring off to determine the sole WWE Champion (the former won).
** The main event of the 2003 event featuring the second Elimination Chamber match in history for the World Heavyweight championship. Wrestling/TripleH retained the title.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[Wrestling/JonMoxley Dean Ambrose]] and Wrestling/SethRollins' storyline in the 2017 event is how the former is still reeling from the latter's betrayal of Wrestling/TheShield three years prior.
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