WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event
The 2021 SummerSlam was the 34th annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, and was the first SummerSlam to livestream on Peacock. It was not the first SummerSlam to take place on a Saturday, but it was the first to air live on a Saturday, as well as the first SummerSlam to take place in a stadium since the 1992 event. It was also WWE's first event to air in theaters in the United States in addition to the other broadcast outlets.
Due to April's WrestleMania 37 having to be held at a reduced capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, SummerSlam was promoted as WWE's "biggest event of 2021". The event had an attendance of 45,690. This would also be the final SummerSlam to have creative involvement of Vince McMahon, who created SummerSlam in 1988.
Eleven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated John Cena to retain SmackDown's Universal Championship. In other prominent matches, Bobby Lashley defeated Goldberg to retain Raw's WWE Championship, Edge defeated Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair defeated defending champion Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match to win her record sixth Raw Women's Championship, Damian Priest defeated Sheamus to win Raw's United States Championship, and in the opening bout, RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) defeated AJ Styles and Omos to win the Raw Tag Team Championship.
Production.
Background.
SummerSlam is an annual professional wrestling event produced every August by WWE since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views (PPV), along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four". It has since become considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania. The 2021 event was the 34th SummerSlam and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. WWE planned for SummerSlam 2021 to be more grandiose than April's WrestleMania 37 event, mostly because the latter had to be held at a reduced venue capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the company going as far as to promote SummerSlam as their "biggest event of 2021".
On May 28, 2021, WWE announced that SummerSlam would take place live on Saturday, August 21, marking the first SummerSlam to be held on a Saturday since the 1992 event (which was pre-taped on a Saturday and aired on tape delay on a Monday), as well as the first SummerSlam to not be held on a Sunday since the 1994 event, which took place on a Monday. During the 2021 Belmont Stakes' pre-race show on June 5, the Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas district of Paradise, Nevada was confirmed as the host venue for SummerSlam. While WWE typically hosts pay-per-views on a Sunday night, the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" reported that it was the Allegiant Stadium that wanted SummerSlam held on a Saturday. This marked the second SummerSlam to be held in a football stadium, with the foremost being the 1992 event at Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, but the first to be held in a National Football League stadium in the United States. Travel packages became available on June 11 while individual tickets went on sale on June 18. In addition to airing on pay-per-view worldwide and the WWE Network in international markets, it was the first SummerSlam to livestream on Peacock in the United States after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock in March. SummerSlam also aired in movie theaters across the United States, thus marking WWE's first pay-per-view event to air in theaters in the country.
As part of SummerSlam Week, WWE held a multi-day tryout in the Las Vegas area to sign new wrestlers to developmental contracts. Additionally, following John Cena's return to WWE at the previous PPV, Money in the Bank, the company began a tour titled the "Summer of Cena." The tour had Cena appearing on "Raw", "SmackDown", and at WWE Live events in the weeks leading up to and including SummerSlam. WWE also partnered with TikTok to host a contest to select one guest ring announcer for SummerSlam. Music producer and disc jockey Valentino Khan opened the event with a musical performance. Following the event, actress, comedian, and author Tiffany Haddish hosted the official SummerSlam afterparty; additionally, WWE made a donation in support of her foster care charity, the She Ready Foundation.
SummerSlam was held on the same night as the Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugás boxing match, which took place at the nearby T-Mobile Arena. WWE planned for SummerSlam to end before the card's main event, so that those attending in-person would have enough time to travel from Allegiant Stadium to T-Mobile Arena in time for the fight, and to avoid counterprogramming for PPV watchers who ordered both shows. SummerSlam ended just as Pacquiao made his entrance.
COVID-19 mask mandate.
With COVID-19 cases declining due to vaccinations in the United States and most establishments lifting pandemic protocols, WWE resumed live touring in mid-July, running shows at full venue capacity. Shortly after, however, COVID-19 cases began rising again due to the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus. On July 27, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered an indoor mask mandate for counties in "high" or "substantial" transmission levels, as deemed by new mask guidance from the CDC, effective July 30. On August 4, Allegiant Stadium and Ticketmaster released official statements that masks would be required for all attendees (ages 2+), regardless of vaccination status, for the event.
Storylines.
The event comprised eleven matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, "Monday Night Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown".
Following Roman Reigns' successful defense of the Universal Championship at Money in the Bank, he declared that everyone could now acknowledge him. John Cena then made a surprise return to WWE, marking his first appearance with the company since WrestleMania 36 in April 2020, where he had a brief stare down with Reigns before performing his signature "You Can't See Me" taunt at Reigns. Instead of waiting until "SmackDown", Cena appeared on "Raw" the next night to explain himself, declaring that he wanted to put Reigns in his place. He then officially challenged Reigns for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. On "SmackDown", Cena appeared to confront Reigns, however, Reigns rejected the challenge and instead accepted a challenge from Finn Bálor, who himself had returned to SmackDown the previous week. During the contract signing the following week, Reigns signed the contract first, however, as Bálor attempted his signature, he was attacked by Baron Corbin, who instead tried to sign it. Cena then came out, attacked Corbin, and signed the contract himself, thus booking Reigns to defend the Universal Championship against Cena at SummerSlam. After getting into a heated promo on the "SmackDown" the night before SummerSlam, Reigns said he would leave WWE if he could not defeat Cena.
At Money in the Bank, Nikki A.S.H. won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match, earning a contract for a women's championship match of her choice at anytime of her choosing, while later that night, Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley to win the Raw Women's Championship. The following night on "Raw", Flair defended the title against Ripley in a rematch; however, Flair was disqualified after striking Ripley with the title belt, thus Ripley won the match but not the championship. Ripley and Flair then brawled and Ripley performed the Riptide on Flair at ringside. Nikki then ran out and cashed in her Money in the Bank contract on Flair to win the Raw Women's Championship. The following week, Flair and Ripley staked their claims to challenge Nikki for the title at SummerSlam. WWE officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville resolved the matter by scheduling Nikki to defend the championship against Flair and Ripley in a triple threat match at the event.
On the July 19 episode of "Raw", after Bobby Lashley's successful WWE Championship defense, Lashley and his manager MVP were confronted by WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg, appearing for the first time since the Royal Rumble in January. Goldberg proclaimed that he would be Lashley's next challenger for the title. The following week, however, Lashley rejected Goldberg's challenge. On the August 2 episode, Goldberg appeared and confronted the champion face-to-face, stating that he would defeat Lashley for the title. The match was subsequently confirmed for SummerSlam.
After Edge was granted a Universal Championship match at Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins took issue with this decision, feeling that he deserved the opportunity. At the event, Rollins cost Edge the championship and following the match, the two brawled into the crowd. On the following episode of "SmackDown", Edge called out Rollins and stated that their issues dated back to December 2014 when Rollins had attempted to injure Edge's surgically repaired neck and definitively put an end to his career. Rollins then came out and claimed he despised older wrestlers like Edge and John Cena for coming back and taking opportunities from the current wrestlers who earned them. A brawl then ensued. The following week, Rollins attacked Edge during his entrance and declared that if he could not be Universal Champion, then neither could Edge. On the August 6 episode, Edge challenged Rollins to a match at SummerSlam, which Rollins accepted.
On the July 5 episode of "Raw", Drew McIntyre faced and defeated his old 3MB stablemate Jinder Mahal (accompanied by Shanky and Veer) after Mahal felt that McIntyre had cost him an opportunity to compete in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Following the match, Mahal, Shanky, and Veer attacked McIntyre and stole McIntyre's family sword that he uses for his entrance theatrics. The following week, Mahal, Shanky, and Veer dismantled the sword only for McIntyre to reveal that it was a replica. McIntyre then proceeded to dismantle Mahal's motorcycle. At Money in the Bank, Mahal, Shanky, and Veer cost McIntyre the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. On the following night's episode of "Raw", Mahal, Shanky, and Veer gloated about costing McIntyre the match only for McIntyre to attack all three with a steel chair. McIntyre would then defeat Shanky and Veer in matches over the next couple of weeks. On August 13, a match between McIntyre and Mahal was scheduled for SummerSlam. On the August 16 episode of "Raw", McIntyre defeated Shanky and Veer in a handicap match, thus banning the two from ringside at SummerSlam.
On Night 1 of WrestleMania 37, Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. On the July 30 episode of "SmackDown", both Carmella and Zelina Vega staked their claims to challenge Belair for the title. The two then attacked Belair, who was saved by Banks, making her first appearance since the "SmackDown" after WrestleMania. Banks and Belair then teamed up and defeated Carmella and Vega in a tag team match. Following the match, however, Banks ambushed Belair from behind, thereby turning heel in the process. The subsequent week, Banks challenged Belair to a match for the title at SummerSlam, which Belair accepted.
On the Money in the Bank Kickoff pre-show, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeated The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. On the following "SmackDown", Jimmy defeated Dominik with the same pinning combination that won The Usos the titles. The following week, Rey defeated Jimmy with the same pinning combination. On August 5, a championship rematch between the two teams was scheduled for SummerSlam.
On the April 19 episode of "Raw", Riddle interrupted an interview by Randy Orton backstage and suggested they form a team named RK-Bro. This led to a match between the two, which Riddle won. The following week, Orton and Riddle teamed up for the first time to win their match. In June, Orton would be out of action due