2023 WWE SummerSlam predictions, card, matches, PPV preview, start time, date, location

The biggest show of the summer is just days away when SummerSlam lands in Detroit on Saturday. One of WWE’s traditional “Big Four” pay-per-views, SummerSlam set the table for the fall, and even winter, seasons.

The 2023 edition of SummerSlam features many big matches, though none will have the fans as invested as the “Tribal Combat” match for the undisputed WWE universal championship between champion Roman Reigns and his cousin, Jey Uso. This match has been years in the making, with Uso first feuding with Reigns before joining his cousin in The Bloodline, helping carry Reigns to a historic title reign before the group split up.

At Money in the Bank, Uso became the first man to pin Reigns in more than three years when he and twin brother Jimmy defeated Reigns and Solo Sikoa. Now, Uso looks to fully destroy Reigns by ending a title reign that began more than 1060 days ago.

Elsewhere on the card, Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes look to settle their feud as the two have each scored a win over the other in their last two meetings. Plus, Seth Rollins puts his world heavyweight championship on the line in a rematch with Finn Balor from Money in the Bank. On the women’s side, champion Auska puts her title on the line when she takes on both Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match.

The rest of the card is also sure to deliver high thrills. Look no further than the matchup between social media star Logan Paul and Ricochet. The two delivered an epic moment at WrestleMania when they collided midair and have continued to feud since. Now, Paul faces another freak athlete as he also hopes to finish his match in time to catch his brother, Jake Paul, box against Nate Diaz later in the night from Dallas.

There are four title matches total set for the show, along with many other important clashes.

Let’s take a look at who the CBS Sports experts believe will win every match on the SummerSlam card.

2023 WWE SummerSlam viewing information
Date: Saturday, Aug. 5
Location: Ford Field — Detroit
Start time: 8 p.m. ET (kickoff show starts at 7 p.m.)
Watch live: Peacock

2023 WWE SummerSlam predictions
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso (Tribal Combat)

This is yet another “good spot” for Reigns to drop the title. And, yet, there’s basically no expectation that Uso will go over. To be fair, outside of the epic Bloodline story, there’s never really been a point where either Uso would be seen as a singles star that could carry the world titles. WWE has passed on many other big moments that would have been a fitting end to the title reign and it seems certain they’ll do so again on Saturday. The “Tribal Combat” rules in play give a lot of cheap ways to allow Reigns to retain, which has been the story of his time as champion. Pick: Roman Reigns wins — Brent Brookhouse

They’ve done it. They’ve crushed my spirit. Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle. Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber. Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. No deserving contender has yet dethroned Reigns. One can make the argument that it was all leading to Jey Uso, as it should, but I’d wager that WWE will settle with his tag team win at Money in the Bank as his big moment. There’s still a Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa feud to explore and Rhodes’ redemption story. At this point, I don’t expect anyone to take the undisputed title off Reigns until WrestleMania. Pick: Roman Reigns wins — Shakiel Mahjouri

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

Rhodes needs the win far more than Lesnar here, and it’s hard to imagine that isn’t going to be what happens. Lesnar can be plugged into whatever match or situation for the rest of his life and it will be accepted by the fans without hesitation. Rhodes was built to his WrestleMania title shot with his tale of redemption and need to “finish the story” by winning the title his father never held and then came up short. If he loses this feud with Lesnar, it sends a really dark message about his future in WWE. Pick: Cody Rhodes wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor

There’s a sense that WWE doesn’t see Balor as a world champion at this stage in his career. That could change, of course, under the right circumstances. Rollins is over with the fans and still fairly early into his run with the title. For Balor, the story seems more about Judgment Day and his simmering jealousy over Damian Priest holding the Money in the Bank contract, not to mention both Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley holding championships. That story moves on just fine — and even better — without Balor holding the title. Pick: Seth Rollins wins — Brookhouse

The SummerSlam outcomes seem mostly predictable, so I’ll take Balor usurping Rollins as my upset pick. Judgement Day has remarkably overcome a long and critically-panned start to become one of the most diverse acts on the roster. Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio are champions and Damian Priest holds the Money in the Bank briefcase. It’s time for Balor to complete the circle, particularly after losing to Rollins at Money in the Bank. Some will complain that Rollins deserves a longer stint as champion. That’s fine, but SmackDown is already contending with a long-reigning and dominant champion. Perhaps Raw’s title scene could benefit from some hot potato-ing. Pick: Finn Balor wins — Mahjouri

WWE Women’s Championship — Asuka (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

Asuka has been largely a secondary presence in the drama between Belair and Flair, but that suggests she’ll overcome her distracted foes. Asuka’s reign is still very fresh and she should be given the opportunity to run with it. Belair is coming off a very long reign as champion and Flair’s momentum is practically non-existent. Expect the champion to retain. Pick: Asuka wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

Ricochet vs. Logan Paul

Ricochet is a perfect opponent for Paul. Paul has put in a lot of great work in his limited time in the ring, but he has lost his biggest matches. A special attraction isn’t much of an attraction when they don’t score wins. Ricochet is a walking highlight reel, making him a good opponent for a spotfest against Paul, but Ricochet also loses nothing if he eats a pin. He will always have his spot as a guy who can come in and deliver a few thrills, but he’s never going to be a major champion on the main roster. Pick: Logan Paul wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre returning and confronting Gunther was exciting because it meant fans were in for another hard-hitting classic during Gunther’s impressive reign as intercontinental champion. That doesn’t mean McIntyre will get the win, however, especially considering how close Gunther is to breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record for longest reign with the intercontinental title. It’s probably as simple as looking at that record to determine the winner. Pick: Gunther wins — Brookhouse (also Mahjouri)

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler (MMA Rules)

Rousey and Baszler are close friends despite their strained storyline relationship. It always feels like Rousey is teetering on a break or exit. This could be a great moment to establish Baszler — the more consistent presence — as a main event player, as Rousey does her friend a favor heading out the door. Pick: Shayna Baszler wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

SummerSlam Battle Royal

WWE really should strike while the iron is hot. Knight is arguably the most over act on the roster and has been defeated at every significant turn. There was enough for him to sink his teeth into despite losing the Money in the Bank ladder match, but falling short in the U.S. Invitational has left him without a clear direction. A win on Saturday is little more than a lateral step, but hopefully, it’s the time creative needs to give him something juicy. Pick: LA Knight wins — Mahjouri (also Brookhouse)

2023 WWE SummerSlam live stream, how to watch online, start time, card, matches

One of WWE’s biggest annual events is imminent. SummerSlam has long been considered one of WWE’s “Big Four” events. This year’s spectacle takes place on Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit with Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso among the big matches.

Reigns will defend his undisputed WWE universal championship and “Tribal Chief” status against his cousin Jey Uso in a no holds barred match dubbed “Tribal Combat.” The Usos’ split from The Bloodline predicated this highly-anticipated match. It’s the next chapter in a story being labeled as one of the best to be told in the long history of professional wrestling.

This year’s SummerSlam features three other title tilts. Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair challenged Asuka for the latter’s WWE women’s championship in a triple-threat match. Seth Rollins stakes his world heavyweight title in a rematch against Finn Balor. Finally, Gunther and Drew McIntyre collide in a hard-hitting intercontinental title match with high expectations following their acclaimed encounter at WrestleMania 39 with Sheamus.

The rest of the card is also sure to deliver high thrills. Look no further than the matchup between social media star Logan Paul and Ricochet. The two delivered an epic moment at WrestleMania when they collided midair and have continued to feud since. Now, Paul faces another freak athlete as he also hopes to finish his match in time to catch his brother, Jake Paul, box against Nate Diaz later in the night from Dallas.

Below is how you can catch all the action on Saturday night in SummerSlam.

Watch 2023 WWE SummerSlam
Date: Aug. 5
Location: Ford Field — Detroit
Start time: 8 p.m. ET
Watch live: Peacock

2023 WWE SummerSlam match card
WWE Undisputed Universal Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso (“Tribal Combat” match)
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
WWE Women’s Championship — Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
Intercontinental Championship — Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler (“MMA Rules” Match)
SummerSlam Battle Royal (featuring LA Knight, Sheamus, Tommaso Ciampa, Shinsuke Nakamura, Otis, Chad Gable and 14 more superstars)

Legendary pro wrestler who had stints with WWE, WCW and ECW passes away

Legendary professional wrestler Terry Funk, whose influence was felt across multiple generations, has died at the age of 79. News broke of Funk’s death on Wednesday afternoon.

During his career, which spanned more than 50 years, there was almost no meaningful wrestling promotion in which Funk did not have an impact. After starting his career in 1965 for Western States Sports, a promotion ran by his father, Dory Funk, Terry Funk often wrestled alongside his brother, Dory Funk Jr.

Funk exploded to the top of wrestling in 1975, defeating Jack Brisco to win the NWA world heavyweight championship. He held the title for more than 420 days before dropping the title to Harley Race. Race was also the man who ended Dory Jr.’s title reign in 1973.

Funk earned a reputation as a rough and rugged brawler through various rivalries, including a feud with Jerry Lawler that led to a now-iconic empty-arena match and a lengthy rivalry with Ric Flair that included a shocking moment for the time that saw Funk piledrive Flair onto a ringside table.

After stints in Japan, NWA, WWF and WCW, Funk’s career found a second wind when he joined Eastern Championship Wrestling, later Extreme Championship Wrestling. Funk had appeared in Japan as a “hardcore” wrestler, participating in brutal and violent contests.

Funk utilized that hardcore style as a cornerstone of ECW, eventually winning the promotion’s top title in the main event of their first-ever pay-per-view event, Barely Legal on April 13, 1997. He would go on to have more stints in WWE, WCW and ECW throughout his career, as well as time in TNA and on the independent circuit.

During that time, Funk would routinely retire, only to return to the ring again and again. He would have his final match in September 2017, finally hanging up his boots for good.

Funk also took on several acting roles, most notably appearing in the 1989 Patrick Swayze film Roadhouse.

Funk was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2009.

Bray Wyatt, an unparalleled WWE superstar, passes away unexpectedly

Windham Rotunda, better known to WWE fans as Bray Wyatt, has died at age 36. WWE chief content officer Paul Levesque shared the devastating news on social media noting that Rotunda’s passing was unexpected.

A three-time champion in WWE, Wyatt re-signed with the promotion last year, returning to significant fanfare at WWE Extreme Rules on Oct. 8, 2022. Wyatt was in the middle of a program involving a mysterious and manipulating force called “Uncle Howdy” but was quietly removed from WWE programming in late February amid injury rumors.

“Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda — also known as Bray Wyatt — unexpectedly passed earlier today,” wrote Levesque, better known to fans as Hall of Famer superstar Triple H. “Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time.”

No further information is available regarding the nature of Rotunda’s death.

Windham’s father, Mike Rotunda, previously wrestled in WWE as Irwin R. Schyster (IRS). He was best known his association with Ted DiBiase. Windham’s younger brother, Taylor Michael Rotunda, also wrestled for WWE as Bo Dallas. It is believed that Taylor is signed to the promotion and had been working with his brother under the mask of the “Uncle Howdy” persona.

Windham Rotunda extended wrestling family included grandfather Blackjack Mulligan (Robert Windham) and uncles Barry Windham and Kendall Windham, for whom he was named.

Rotunda pushed the boundaries for modern character portrayals in not just WWE but all of professional wrestling.

He started with WWE in 2009 as a relatively generic superstar named Husky Harris before later being repackaged as Bray Wyatt. His unnerving portrayal as the cult leader of the Wyatt Family captured the imagination of fans worldwide and made him one of the company’s most popular superstars.

A later adaptation of his character, The Fiend, was a masked, sinister entity that became a focal point of programming and earned him two reigns as WWE universal champion.

Wyatt also won the WWE championship and two tag team championships. He famously wrestled legendary superstars Randy Orton and John Cena at two of WWE’s biggest shows, losing the WWE title to Orton at WrestleMania 33 and beating Cena in a one-of-a-kind “Firefly Fun House” match at WrestleMania 36 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His death comes less than three years after his best friend Jonathan Huber — former Wyatt Family member Luke Harper and AEW wrestler Brodie Lee — died unexpectedly at age 41.

Top five moments of a WWE career filled incredible, awe-inspiring highlights

In the wake of the shocking death of Windham Rotunda — WWE superstar Bray Wyatt — there has been an outpouring of support from fans as well as professional wrestlers from every promotion of note. Along with the memories and support for Wyatt’s family being shared, many have been posting their favorite memories of Wyatt’s unique WWE run.

Those moments run the gamut of Wyatt’s time in NXT, on the main roster as the leader of The Wyatt Family, through his time as The Fiend. Even as Wyatt was released by WWE only to return a year later, he capitvated fans again with one of the most viral comebacks in the history of professional wrestling.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look back through Wyatt’s incredible run to identify five of our favorite moments from his WWE career.

  1. Every time Wyatt debuted or returned
    Is it cheating to tie all of these together? Maybe. But this is a top-five list and you could take up nearly the entire list with Wyatt’s debuts and returns alone. From his haunting videos prior to debuting in-ring in NXT to the vignettes and debut of The Wyatt Family on the WWE main roster to the debut of The Fiend and the Firefly Fun House to his most recent return at 2022’s edition of Extreme Rules, every time Wyatt arrived on the scene, he did so in a way that changed the scene and reinvigorated his career. At times, the ideas Wyatt was trying to present didn’t translate perfectly as a part of a wrestling show, but the ideas were always fresh and unique and the hits far outnumbered the misses.
  2. Firefly Fun House match (WrestleMania 36)
    As with every business, the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented hurdles for professional wrestling. WWE charged ahead, moving their shows from the usual packed arenas to the empty WWE Performance Center in Orlando — and eventually to the “Thunderdome” complete with virtual fans. WrestleMania 36 is arguably the most striking example of WWE’s approach to the early days of the pandemic.

Holding the biggest show of the year with no fans in attendance, WWE leaned into some unexpected avenues of creativity, including Wyatt facing John Cena in a Firefly Fun House match. Rather than a standard match, what followed was a trippy version of a “cinematic match” with Wyatt’s The Fiend forcing Cena to “face himself” in a series of dream-like sequences before Wyatt ultimately won one of the most creative matches in WWE history.

  1. The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield
    WWE struck gold when they matched The Wyatt Family with The Shield, putting two dominant — and massively over — three-man factions into direct conflict. What followed was a brief series of matches that showed the two groups had a unique chemistry as a collection of big personalities and talented in-ring performers.

The first match between the factions at Elimination Chamber 2014 was a near-perfect example of the WWE’s ideal match structure in the modern era while also featuring six men who were all different but blended to create a wonderful mix of violence and storytelling. The teams would have three more matches, all good but none touched the heights of the Elimination Chamber clash, which may have been WWE’s best match of 2014. The relatively brief rivalry also provided a foundation for the incredible chemistry Wyatt had with Roman Reigns (more on that later).

  1. Finally capturing the WWE championship
    Wyatt was established as a top act in WWE for years, but aside from a 23-day run with the SmackDown tag team titles, had not held championship gold. That finally changed in February 2017 when Wyatt won the Elimination Chamber to capture the WWE championship. Wyatt would only make one successful defense of the belt before losing the belt to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 33. Wyatt would have two more world title reigns, both times holding the universal championship.

None of Wyatt’s runs as world champion were particularly memorable and all ended in odd or unsatisfying ways. Still, as a measure of a wrestler’s legacy, being trusted to hold a world title even briefly is a tremendous resume booster.

  1. Iconic moment with Roman Reigns
    For all of his incredible ideas, character work, matches, video packages and promos, there’s nothing that quite distills how simply cool Wyatt was as a wrestler. Little moments can show just how much a performer really understands how to stand out from the pack and there are few moments as perfect as the end of Wyatt’s match teaming with Reigns on April 11, 2016. As previously mentioned, Wyatt and Reigns had built tremendous chemistry together over the years. On that night, though, they found themselves as unlikely allies against Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus of the League of Nations.

The how and why of it all doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is the way the match ended. Wyatt hit Del Rio with Sister Abigail, securing the pin while simultaneously pointing at Sheamus as the Irishman entered the ring, directing Reigns to deliver a spear to help secure the win. Not too many wrestlers have had a moment as iconic as that.

2023 WWE Payback card, date, matches, start time, rumors, match card, location

With SummerSlam done, WWE now turns its attention to Sept. 2 when Payback comes to Pittsburgh. The event kicks off the march to the next of WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views, Survivor Series.

There are three title matches set for Saturday night. The top billing goes to world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins looking to turn away Shinsuke Nakamura’s bid for the title. Plus, women’s world champion Rhea Ripley takes on Raquel Rodriguez in hard-hitting action. And the undisputed tag team titles are on the line when champs Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens takes on Damian Priest and Finn Balor of The Judgement Day.

Plus, one of the big featured matches pits Becky Lynch against Trish Stratus inside of a steel cage. After months of Stratus taking shortcuts to get the better of Lynch, “The Man” will finally be in an environment with no easy escapes for her WWE Hall of Fame opponent. Although, you can expect Stratus’ protege Zoey Stark to play a role in the match in one way or another.

Take a look below at the confirmed matches for Payback and take a glance at the crystal ball of what may come. The event streams live on Peacock on Sept. 2 with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET.

2023 WWE Payback matches
World Heavyweight Championship — Seth Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Nakamura turned on Rollins after the two teamed together in a six-man tag match, Rollins responded by offering Nakamura a shot at the belt “any time.” Nakamura also whispered into Rollins’ ear, visibly shaking the champion. Nakamura would later reveal that he told Rollins he knew that his back was failing and that he is living with pain every day and now Nakamura will end him.

Women’s World Championship — Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez: Ripley and Rodriguez had engaged in a series of brawls before Ripley injured Rodriguez’s knee. Ripley also attacked Rodriguez’s tag partner and friend Liv Morgan before injuring Rodriguez again. For weeks, Rodriguez was not medically cleared to get back in the ring. Finally, Rodriguez was cleared, attacking Ripley before announcing that she had secured a match with the champion at Payback.

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch (Steel Cage Match): The rivalry between Stratus and Lynch has been ongoing for months. Their last two matches did not go as planned, with interference from Zoey Stark ending one match and a wild brawl — again featuring interference from Stark in a match where she was banned from ringside — ending in a countout. To try and make sure the two women can end things without any outside interference, Adam Pearce booked a cage match for Payback. Of course, matches designed to “prevent outside interference” almost always result in outside interference.

United States Championship — Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Austin Theory: Theory earned a rematch against Mysterio after defeating LA Knight with help from The Miz in a No. 1 contender’s match on SmackDown. Mysterio defeated Theory to capture the U.S. title on an earlier episode of SmackDown. Mysterio had subbed in for his injured LWO teammate Santos Escobar after the latter was sidelined by Theory on the evening of their scheduled match.

The Miz vs. LA Knight: Miz and Knight have exchanged words on across various WWE programming. Miz cost Knight a U.S. title shot on SmackDown. Knight returned fire by appearing on Raw and aiding Akira Tozawa in an upset victory against Miz. SmackDown commentators confirmed the match for Payback during the Bray Wyatt and Terry Funk tribute show.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship — Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Judgment Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor): Zayn and Owens have had plenty of issues with Judgment Day, as has Cody Rhodes who is on the show to appear as a guest on The Waller Report. But the real story here is the internal strife among Judgment Day members, specifically Priest and Balor. Balor has been pushing to bring his friend JD McDonaugh into the fold after multiple attempts from Priest to help Balor beat Seth Rollins backfired. Priest wants to focus on the team but has grown increasingly irritated as Balor seems jealous of Priest holding the Money in the Bank briefcase.