WWE SummerSlam 2026 kicks off tonight, with night one of the two-night annual “Biggest Party of the Summer” taking place from the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Things get started with a three-hour ‘Countdown to WWE SummerSlam Saturday’ pre-show at 3/2c, leading into the main premium live event, which kicks off at 6/5c.
Countdown To WWE SummerSlam Saturday Is LIVE Now
Watch the ‘Countdown to WWE SummerSlam Saturday’ pre-show live stream via the YouTube player embedded below. The pre-show is now officially off-and-running, as the hosts for the ‘Countdown’ special welcome us to the final build-up to night one of the two-night annual summer WWE PLE.
The rest of the SummerSlam broadcast team, including Cathy Kelley, Jackie Redmond and others are introduced. After some pre-show banter with host Joe Tessitore and the fellow pre-show panelists, we head into some lengthy video packages and sit-down interviews, including with CM Punk and Tiffany Stratton.
Michael Cole checks in with an elaborate video package looking at the history of Hell in a Cell ahead of Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi III tonight. We also get a feature on Booker T and Vic Joseph from NXT doing play-by-play for WWE Radio on SiriusXM tonight.
Paige and The Bella Twins check in for a brief live interview. Cathy Kelley also talks backstage live with The Usos and Jacob Fatu. A Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns video package airs and then Byron Saxton talks live with Ethan Page. The never-ending pre-show continues to roll on from there.
We’ve got about an hour to go before the real show. We see a taped walk-and-talk with Cathy Kelley and Cody Rhodes talking about tonight’s main event against CM Punk. Soon after, we check in live from Gorilla position, where Cathy Kelley talks for a brief interview with Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
Peter Rosenberg gives his tour of the entrance stage and ring walk process. A video package airs promoting Gunther vs. Nick Aldis. Undertaker appears to give his prediction for Hell In A Cell. We then shoot to the panel again, where WWE Hall of Fame legend Mark Henry joins the crew in the final few minutes of the pre-show.
An Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar video package airs to tell the story leading up to their trilogy bout in the rubber match, with each holding a victory over the other ahead of tonight’s tie-breaker inside Hell In A Cell. The match is rumored to serve as the show-closing main event of night one.
The ringside commentators for tonight’s show are introduced, as Michael Cole and Wade Barrett make their walks to the announce desk ahead of a long night of calling the action. Kicking things off as the opening contest at night one this evening will be Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky for the WWE Women’s World Championship.
WWE Women’s World Championship
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky
Vaughn Evelyn sings ‘God Bless America’ and then the WWE SummerSlam Saturday cold open video package airs to get tonight’s night one event officially off-and-running. It features Justin Jefferson, an NFL player who must be a somebody if he’s getting this kind of showcase.
To a non-team sports fan, he’s just some football dude. Anyways, after the switch over and opening introductory stuff wraps up, we get right down to business. 2026 Queen of the Ring Iyo Sky makes her way out for opening action, as does reigning WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan.
This will be Morgan’s first defense of her 100-plus day reign. The bell sounds to get things officially off-and-running with our high stakes opening title tilt. At the bell, the two lock up, and Sky powers her to the corner. Morgan kicks her back and clubs away at her.
Morgan bounces her off the top turnbuckle and taunts the crowd. Morgan slaps her in the face. Sky reverses a whip and knees her in the midsection. Sky stomps away at her before connecting with a slingshot double knee to the chest. Sky sets up for a double under-hook backbreaker, but Morgan gets out.
Sky does a pair of handsprings before sweeping her feet and hitting a basement dropkick. Sky gets the crowd going as Morgan rolls out of the ring. Sky goes to the apron and sets up for a springboard, but Morgan pulls her down. Sky quickly floors her with a strike and climbs onto the barricade, but Morgan pulls her down.
She then whips her into the LED barricade. Morgan gets Sky into the ring and dropkicks her. Morgan stomps away at Sky and screams in the referee’s face. Morgan stomps away at Sky before kicking her in the ribs. Morgan starts up the Three Amigos and hits all three.
From there, Morgan shimmies her shoulders ala Eddie Guerrero before hitting a basement enzugiri for a near fall. Morgan sends Sky into the corner and hits a running back elbow. Morgan follows up with a high knee to the face. Sky quickly fires back with a roll-up into a double stomp to the midsection.
Sky connects with a big uppercut, followed by a flapjack and a kick to the skull. Morgan quickly reverses a whip to the corner, but Sky twists through to the apron and snaps Morgan’s arm off the top rope. Sky goes to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick.
Sky does a double kip-up and gets the crowd going. Sky connects with a Bullet Train Attack in the corner. Morgan rolls to the apron and shoulders her, but Sky kicks her in the face. Sky then hits her with a sunset flip powerbomb off the apron to the unforgiving floor at ringside. Sky rolls Morgan into the ring and heads to the top rope.
All of a sudden, Roxanne Perez gets on the apron and distracts the referee. Women’s Intercontinental Champion Raquel Rodriguez shoves Sky off the top rope. Morgan covers, but she only picks up a near fall. Morgan sets up for Ob-Liv-ion, but Sky boots her back. Perez gets on the apron, but Sky knocks her down.
Sky sends Morgan over the top rope onto them, but Rodriguez catches her and stands her up. Sky goes to the top rope and wipes out Rodriguez and Perez with a moonsault block to the floor. As Sky gets on the apron and tries to get into the ring, Morgan hits a head-scissor DDT! Morgan goes to the top rope, but Sky rocks her with an uppercut.
Sky climbs and attacks Morgan before hitting a Spanish Fly! 1… 2… Morgan barely kicks out! After taking a few moments to recover, both women get to their feet and start exchanging strikes. Morgan wildly clubs her, so Sky catches her with a double under-hook face-buster. Sky then hits a double under-hook backbreaker.
Morgan crawls to the corner. Sky charges for a Bullet Train Attack, but Morgan moves. Morgan goes for Ob-Liv-ion, but Sky catches her and counters into an inverted STO! Sky catches Morgan with the Ob-Liv-ion! 1… 2… Morgan kicks out of her own move. Sky to the top for an Over the Moonsault, but Sky lands on her feet when Morgan moves.
Morgan comes off the second rope with a flying codebreaker for a close two-count. Morgan sizes her up for an Ob-Liv-ion, but Sky moves. Morgan lands on the apron. Sky goes to the apron and hits a German Suplex, followed by a Bullet Train Attack.
That sent her into the ring post with authority, by the way. Sky hurts her knee in the process. Sky pulls herself up to the top rope and goes for an Over the Moonsault, but Morgan gets her knees up. Morgan goes for Ob-Liv-ion, but Sky kips up out of it. Morgan immediately hits a codebreaker and Ob-Liv-ion to retain.
Winner and STILL WWE Women’s World Champion: Liv Morgan
Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso vs. LA Knight, Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa
The Bloodline trio of Jacob Fatu and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) are shown warming up for their six man bout against LA Knight, Royce Keys and Solo Sikoa, which is coming up next. We head back inside the stadium soon after, where we head down to ringside to get things started.
The Bloodline gets the Gears Of War inspired entrance. The non Bloodline rush in to start fast and it’s Sikoa hammering on Jey to officially get things going. That lets Sikoa mock Jey’s entrance and even tease running it back. They do and the music re-plays as Jey looks pissed. The crowd loves it.
Fatu comes in to hammer on the rather cocky Sikoa and the running Umaga Attack in the corner gets two. Sikoa punches his way to freedom and it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Keys gets the tag and starts to beat up Jimmy, including a spine-buster.
Jimmy finally gets in a shot to the head and goes up, where Keys hits a super fall away slam. Jey comes in to spear Knight for two but Knight runs the corner for the super-plex. Now we get a parade of secondary finishers until Keys powerslams a charging Fatu into the timekeeper’s area for the awesome crash.
Jey spears Knight again and Jimmy’s Superfly Splash gets two. Sikoa is back up to Spike Jimmy though and the BFT to Jey gives Knight the pin. Knight and Sikoa hug afterwards as the team celebrates their collective victory over The Bloodline trio.
Winners: LA Knight, Royce Keys & Solo Sikoa
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
The pre-match video package airs to set the stage for our third PLE match of the evening, and it’s one of the most highly-anticipated matches of the entire two-night show. Former SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis ditched his authority in favor of an in-ring return and WWE debut. And it’s coming up next.
Aldis and “The Career Killer” Gunther make their respective ring entrances, and the bout is about to get officially off-and-running. Aldis even came to the ring to Oasis, prompting Wade Barrett to absolutely lose his mind about that fact on commentary.
Gunther backs him up against the ropes to start and takes over, allowing for a celebration on the announcers’ table. Gunther gets back inside and gets suplexed for quite the reaction from the fans. The King’s Lynn is broken up though and Gunther chops him out to the floor.
We pause for Gunther to yell at Aldis’ wife, Mickie James, and son before he rocks Aldis with another chop. Aldis’ chop doesn’t do much good as Gunther sends him hard into the corner. A backbreaker works a bit better for Aldis, who tries and fails at the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf again. Gunther’s sleeper is broken up.
Aldis rams him into the buckle to escape, and Aldis hits a nice super-plex. The top rope elbow to the back sets up the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf and the fans go nuts, only for Gunther to make the rope. The sleeper is broken up again so Gunther hits a powerbomb into another sleeper, with Aldis tapping. Aldis’ family embraces him afterwards.
Winner: Gunther
The Bella Twins & Paige vs. Fatal Influence
Now we gear up for six-woman tag-team action, with The Bella Twins duo of Nikki and Brie Bella joining forces with Paige to take on the Fatal Influence trio of Jacy Jayne, Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley. Brie and Henley start things off.
Brie takes over off a Russian leg-sweep. The YES Kicks connect and they quickly go outside, with Brie being sent into the steps. Jayne adds the running cannonball and the villains get to pose. Back in and Reid grabs a chin-lock but is smart enough to cut off Paige to prevent the tag.
She doesn’t cut Nikki off though and the tag allows Nikki to come in and take over on Reid. The Rack Attack 2.0 is broken up though and Paige cannonballs off the apron onto Henley. Jayne has to come in for the save so Brie decks her, despite her arm looking like it’s just hanging there.
Henley pulls Brie to the floor, leaving Reid to give Nikki a hard knee to the face. But Jayne misses the Rolling Encore. Paige sunset flips her for tow, only to walk into the Rolling Encore for the pin and the victory for her team.
Once the match wraps up, Fatal Influence leave the ring. We then see the shocking actions from The Bella Twins, who turn on Paige to lay her out. Brie is visibly favoring her shoulder throughout the post-match scene. Things move on from there.
Winners: The Bella Twins & Paige
Undisputed WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
The pre-match video package airs to get things ready for the co-main event of the evening here at night one of the two-night WWE SummerSlam premium live event. We will see the highly-anticipated showdown between “The Best in the World” CM Punk and “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes with the Undisputed WWE Championship at stake.
Rhodes comes out first with a special American Nightmare helmet. He has a special Street Fighter-inspired ring entrance, presumably to cross-promote his role as Guile in the new Street Fighter movie. Punk comes out without music, but then kneels down and does his “It’s clobbering time!” shout, and then his theme hits.
After the formal pre-match ring introductions for the champion and the challenger, the bell sounds to get this co-main event title tilt officially off-and-running. Straight out of the gate, Rhodes walks up to Punk and stares at him. Rhodes shrugs and nods at him.
They circle the ring and lock up before Punk backs him in the corner. Punk gives him a stiff slap on the chest. They lock up, and Rhodes gets him in the corner before giving a rough slap. They start exchanging chops. Rhodes sends Punk to the corner, but he leaps to the second rope and comes down with a hip toss.
Punk stomps away at him. Rhodes grabs his shoulder in pain, and Punk immediately zeros in on it. Punk applies a hammerlock, but Rhodes does a standing switch and applies a side headlock. We’ve got some dueling chants. Punk whips him off, so Rhodes hits a shoulder tackle for a two-count.
Rhodes goes back into the ropes for another shoulder tackle and another two-count. Rhodes applies a side headlock. Punk shoves him off, but Rhodes runs him over and hits a headlock takeover. Rhodes cinches in the side headlock and picks up a two-count.
Punk gets to his knees and fights up to his feet. Punk backs him into the ropes and chops him. Rhodes responds with a chop before wrenching his arm. Punk turns it on Rhodes and hits an arm breaker before driving him down onto his shoulder. Punk attacks Rhodes’ injured arm and hits a snap-mare before chopping his back.
Punk lays in a stiff kick to the chest. Rhodes grabs a side headlock and goes for a hammerlock. Punk transitions to a hammerlock, so Rhodes drives him out of the ring. Punk gets on the apron and shoulders him. Rhodes quickly knees him in the face before hitting the ropes for a suicide dive. Rhodes rolls into the ring.
This resets the referee’s count. Rhodes drives him ribs-first into the barricade, knocking him into the timekeeper’s area. Rhodes rolls into the ring to reset the count again. Punk comes off the top of the barricade with a diving clothesline.
Punk gets Rhodes into the ring and heads to the top rope. Rhodes holds his left arm in pain, and Punk comes down with a double ax handle to the shoulder. Punk hits a vertical suplex for a one count. Punk stretches Rhodes’ arm and sends him into the ropes, but Cody drops down and uppercuts him.
Punk reverses a whip and hits a jumping calf kick. Punk immediately grabs his knee in pain. Punk hits a running knee to the face and goes for a bulldog, but Rhodes puts the brakes on and hits a knee breaker. Rhodes kicks Punk in the back of the leg. Rhodes grabs Punk’s bad leg, but Punk fights him.
Rhodes wrenches the arm, but Punk gets out with a Go to Sleep attempt. Punk can’t lift him, so Rhodes hits a dragon screw before attacking Punk’s injured leg. Rhodes gets Punk in the corner and hits some shoulder thrusts to the ribs. Rhodes puts Punk’s leg on the second rope and kicks it.
Rhodes grabs Punk by the leg, pulls him to the center of the ring, and hits another dragon screw. Rhodes stretches Punk’s leg with a submission, but Punk soon kicks him away with his good leg. Punk lifts him for a GTS, but Rhodes elbows out. Rhodes goes for a springboard, but Punk dropkicks him out of mid-air.
Punk hits Rhodes with a bulldog before hitting a scoop slam. Punk hobbles to the corner and climbs to the top rope. Rhodes cuts him off and climbs to the top rope. Rhodes applies a front facelock, but Punk punches him down to the canvas. Punk slowly climbs to the top rope, stands up and points to the heavens, and leaps for a diving elbow drop.
Punk signals for the end and lifts him for a GTS, but Rhodes elbows out. Rhodes connects with a Cody Cutter for a near fall. Rhodes looks a little frustrated before hitting a Disaster Kick. Punk kicks out again. Rhodes sizes him up and hits a Super Cody Cutter for a super close two count. Rhodes signals for the end and goes for Cross Rhodes.
Punk drops down and kicks him in the injured shoulder to avoid it. Rhodes takes him down for a Figure Four Leglock, but Punk kicks him off and rolls him up for a two-count. Punk goes for a GTS, but Rhodes blocks the knee, takes Punk down, and applies a Figure Four Leglock.
Punk screams in pain as Rhodes applies pressure to his injured knee. Punk struggles to turn Rhodes over to reverse the pressure, but Rhodes manages to roll over. Punk gets to the ropes to break the hold. Punk is struggling to get up. Rhodes grabs him for another Figure Four Leglock, but Punk pulls him down and applies an Anaconda Vice.
Rhodes gets a foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Punk stands Rhodes up in the corner and punches him before kneeing him in the face several times. Punk takes Rhodes, who looks loopy, and lifts him for a GTS. Rhodes grabs the top rope to pull himself down and sets up for an Alabama Slam.
Punk counters out of it and takes Rhodes down in the center of the ring with an Anaconda Vice, putting pressure on Rhodes’ injured shoulder. Rhodes grapevines his head to get out. Punk hits a jackknife pin, but Rhodes bridges up at two and hits the Cross Rhodes. Punk kicks out.
Rhodes gets fired up and stands over The Second City Saint. Rhodes powers Punk onto the top rope for a back superplex. Punk elbows Rhodes viciously down to the canvas. Punk stands on the top rope and whiffs on an ugly moonsault for a near fall. Punk stands Rhodes up and hits a stiff lariat for another near fall.
Punk lifts him for a GTS, but Rhodes fights it. Punk fights back and lifts him before finally hitting a GTS. Punk is too injured to immediately cover. Punk crawls over and covers. Rhodes kicks out and rolls out of the ring to recover. Punk goes to the ringside area and bounces Rhodes’ face off the commentary table.
Punk clears the Spanish commentary table and stands on it before posing. Rhodes quickly sweeps his feet and sets up for Cross Rhodes on the floor. Punk gets out and lifts him for a GTS, but Rhodes slides off and drives him into the ring steps. Rhodes quickly slides into the ring and resets the count.
Rhodes clears the English commentary table and rolls Punk into the ring. Punk immediately catches him with a GTS as he gets in the ring. Rhodes grabs the bottom rope to break the pin. Rhodes rolls out of the ring and collapses. Punk lays him on the commentary table and looks over to the ring post.
The crowd knows what’s coming and roars in approval. Punk gets in the ring and heads to the top rope. Punk points to the heavens and leaps, but Rhodes moves! Punk crashes and burns through the commentary table. The crowd chants, “This is awesome!” Rhodes grabs Punk, who is lying on the floor, holding his injured knee.
Rhodes powers him up and rolls him into the ring. The referee checks on Punk, who is struggling to get to his feet. Punk’s leg appears to be trashed. Rhodes goes for a Super Cody Cutter, but Punk moves, and Rhodes accidentally takes out the referee! Punk hits Rhodes with a GTS.
Rhodes is on his feet, stumbles into the ropes, and falls onto Punk’s shoulders. Punk powers him up for another GTS, but Rhodes slides off and hits a Cross Rhodes. Punk rolls out of the ring. Out of nowhere, Randy Orton runs into the ring.
The crowd goes absolutely insane for this. We haven’t seen Orton since he lost to Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. Orton drops Rhodes with an RKO and leaves the ring. Punk gets into the ring and hits a GTS as the referee comes to life. We get the pin and Punk retains.
Winner and STILL Undisputed WWE Champion: CM Punk
Hell In A Cell
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
It’s main event time!
The Hell In A Cell that has been hanging above the ring all evening long is lowered as the usual ominous music plays and the crowd roars. It’s time for our final match of the evening. Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi, tied with one win a piece in two matches, settle things in a Hell In A Cell rubber match next.
Oba with a kick and punches followed by shoulders in the corner. Oba with an Irish whip and uppercut into the corner. Oba misses an uppercut and Brock hits two German suplexes. Brock hits another German suplex and Oba pops up. Oba sends Brock over the top rope to the floor.
Oba sends Brcok into the apron and then into the cell. Brock Irish whips Oba into the ring steps. Oba blocks a suplex and Oba hits a suplex of his own on the floor. Oba sends Brock into the ring steps. Oba goes under the ring for a table and puts it against the cell.
Oba Irish whips Brock through the table. Oba gets some chairs and sends Brock back into the ring. Brock hits Oba with the ring steps two times. Brock hits Oba a third time with the steps. Brock with a German suplex. Brock with one more German suplex. Brock hits Oba with a chair in the back.
Brock hits Oba one more time with the chair. Brock with a suplex. Brock suplexes Oba onto a few chairs. Oba blocks an F5 and Oba with a choke slam and both men are down. Oba with punches to the midsection and he hits an uppercut in the corner.
Oba with more uppercuts but Brock gets Oba up and Oba escape an F5 but Oba with a choke slam and a toss power bomb. Oba with a sit out power bomb for a near fall. Brock gets Oba up and he hita an F5 and then he hits a second one. Brock gets Oba up one more time and he hits a third F5.
Brock gets a near fall. Brock hits Oba with a chair many times in the back. Brock rips up the canvas to expose the ‘protective mat’. Brock exposes the boards for the ring. Brock gets Oba up and he hits a tombstone pile driver on the boards.
Brock gets a near fall. Oba punches the chair from Brock’s hand and Oba with a sit out power bomb for the three count. And just like that, this one comes to an end, with Femi getting the victory and taking the three-match series 2-1 over “The Beast Incarnate.”
Winner: Oba Femi
