| SummerSlam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:SummerSlam2020.jpeg) Promotional poster featuring "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | August 23, 2020 | ||
| City | Orlando, Florida[a] | ||
| Venue | WWE ThunderDome at Amway Center[a] | ||
| Attendance | 0 (behind closed doors)[Note 1] | ||
| Tagline(s) | You'll Never See It Coming | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| SummerSlam chronology | |||
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The 2020 SummerSlam was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual SummerSlam and took place on August 23, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event was WWE's first pay-per-view to be broadcast from the ThunderDome bio-secure bubble. It was also the first SummerSlam since 2011 to not feature Brock Lesnar, who competed in the main event match for the past six years and in 2012. Additionally, it was the first SummerSlam since 2009 to feature MVP.
The event was originally scheduled to take place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston mayor Marty Walsh announced the suspension of all large-scale gatherings and that no permit would be issued for an event that could draw a large crowd before September 7. Since mid-March, WWE had presented the majority of their shows from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic. With the move to the Amway Center, SummerSlam was the first major WWE event held outside of the Performance Center since March, although still without fans physically in attendance; fans were instead able to attend and be seen virtually on LED boards in the venue through the ThunderDome arena staging. This also marked the last SummerSlam to be held in a traditional arena, as all future events have been held in stadiums.
Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, which was the main match for SmackDown, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Braun Strowman in a Falls Count Anywhere match to win the Universal Championship for a second time. Following the match, Roman Reigns returned following a five-month hiatus and attacked both men, turning heel for the first time since 2014. In the penultimate match, which was the main match for Raw, Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship. In other prominent matches, Mandy Rose defeated Sonya Deville in a No Disqualification Loser Leaves WWE match, and Asuka defeated Sasha Banks to win the Raw Women's Championship for a second time after losing her match against Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the opening bout. The event was also notable for the in-ring debut of Rey Mysterio's son Dominik Mysterio, who fought Seth Rollins in a street fight in a losing effort.
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