SummerSlam (2016)

SummerSlam (2016) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network livestreaming show made by WWE for the Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on August 21, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was the twenty-ninth SummerSlam event held by WWE, the second year in a row that it happened at the Barclays Center and the first WWE PPV since the brand split started again.

SummerSlam
Information
Promotion	WWE
Brand (s)	Raw SmackDown
Date	August 21, 2016
Attendance	15,974
Venue	Barclays Center
City	Brooklyn, New York
Pay-per-view chronology
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II SummerSlam Backlash
SummerSlam chronology
2015 SummerSlam 2017

Twelve matches happened at the event, including three on the pre-show. In the most important match, Brock Lesnar beat Randy Orton by technical knockout while in another important match, Finn Bálor beat Seth Rollins to become the first Universal Champion.

Background

Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler

This match was for the WWE World Championship. SmackDown wrestler and WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose put his title on the line in a Triple Threat match at Battleground on July 25 against Raw wrestlers Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, who were Ambrose's partners in The Shield. Ambrose won the match, so SmackDown needed to find a challenger for him at SummerSlam and they had a six-pack challenge to find the challenger. The first five spots were given to John Cena, Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler. Apollo Crews took the sixth spot when he won a battle royal, but Ziggler won the six-pack challenge.

Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins

Because the WWE World Championship was on SmackDown, Raw had to create their own world championship. They called it the WWE Universal Championship. Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon felt that Rollins had a chance to pin Ambrose at Battleground and bring the World Championship to Raw but Reigns was selfish and broke up the pin. Because of that, Stephanie gave Seth the first spot in the match to crown the champion. Then, Finn Bálor beat Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Rusev in a Fatal 4-way match and Reigns beat Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn and Sheamus in another Fatal 4-way. Finally, Bálor and Reigns fought in a singles match where the winner would face Rollins at SummerSlam and Bálor won this match.

Matches

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times[1]
1P	The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso), American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan), and The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder) defeated Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze), The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), and The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch)	12-man tag team match[2]	14:32
2P	Sami Zayn and Neville defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)	Tag team match[3]	7:55
3P	Sheamus defeated Cesaro	Singles match First in the best of seven series[4]	14:10[5]
4	Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass	Tag team match[6]	12:08
5	Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks (c)	Singles match for the WWE Women's Championship[7]	13:51
6	The Miz (c) (with Maryse) defeated Apollo Crews	Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship[8]	5:45
7	AJ Styles defeated John Cena	Singles match[9]	23:09
8	Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (c) (with Jon Stewart) by disqualification	Tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship[10]	9:09
9	Dean Ambrose (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler	Singles match for the WWE World Championship[11]	15:18
10	Nikki Bella, Natalya, and Alexa Bliss[Note 1] defeated Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Carmella	Six-woman tag team match[12]	11:04
11	Finn Bálor defeated Seth Rollins	Singles match to crown the first WWE Universal Champion[13]	19:24
12	Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Randy Orton by technical knockout	Singles match[14]	11:45
(c) – is the champion(s) going into the match P – This match took place on the pre-show

1. Nikki, who returned from injury, was a surprise last-minute replacement for Eva Marie, who was suspended just days before SummerSlam for violating WWE's Wellness Policy.

References

1. Caldwell, James (August 21, 2016). "8/21 WWE Summerslam Results – Caldwell's Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
2. Benigno, Anthony (August 21, 2016). "The Usos, American Alpha & The Hype Bros def. Breezango, The Ascension & The Vaudevillains". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
3. Clapp, John (August 21, 2016). "Sami Zayn & Neville def. The Dudley Boyz". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
4. Passero, Mitch (August 21, 2016). "Sheamus def. Cesaro (Best of Seven Series Match No. 1)". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
5. Benigno, Anthony. "Follow Cesaro and Sheamus' Best of Seven Series with this WWE.com infographic". WWE. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
6. Laboon, Jeff (August 21, 2016). "Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens def. Enzo Amore & Big Cass". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
7. Wortman, James (August 21, 2016). "Charlotte def. WWE Women's Champion Sasha Banks". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
8. Melok, Bobby (August 21, 2016). "Intercontinental Champion The Miz def. Apollo Crews". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
9. Adkins, Greg (August 21, 2016). "AJ Styles def. John Cena". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
10. Artus, Matthew (August 21, 2016). "Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day via disqualification". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
11. Powers, Kevin (August 21, 2016). "WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
12. Melok, Bobby (August 21, 2016). "Nikki Bella, Natalya & Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch, Naomi, & Carmella". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
13. Laboon, Jeff (August 21, 2016). "Finn Bálor def. Seth Rollins". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
14. Benigno, Anthony (August 21, 2016). "Brock Lesnar def. Randy Orton via TKO". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.

Other websites

• SummerSlam Official Website