Storylines
The event comprised eight matches, including one on the pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown . [9] [10]
The most highly promoted match, billed as "The Perfect Storm", on the card saw Triple H facing off against Brock Lesnar. On the April 30 episode of Raw, Lesnar attempted to renegotiate his contract with General Manager John Laurinaitis. Triple H (in his corporate role as Chief Operations Officer) intervened, and declared that the contract Lesnar had agreed to upon re-signing with WWE was still valid and thus Lesnar could not add any other clauses to it. This led to a brawl between Lesnar and Triple H resulting in the latter having his arm broken by Lesnar via the Kimura armbar. [11] [12] Triple H returned at No Way Out, not only addressing Lesnar and the lawsuits brought against WWE, but also challenging him to a match at SummerSlam, in exchange for his dropping the lawsuits that his legal representative, Paul Heyman, made against WWE and Triple H. [13] On the June 18 episode of Raw, Heyman made an appearance, rejecting Triple H's challenge on behalf of Lesnar. After further goading from Heyman, Triple H attacked him. [14] Meanwhile, it was announced that Lesnar would respond to Triple H's challenge on the July 2 episode of Raw; however, at the event it was announced that he would instead return at Raw 1000 on July 23. On that night, Heyman again declined the challenge, but after Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon slapped him (due to making remarks about their children), Heyman accepted on behalf of Lesnar. [15] Then, on the August 6 episode of Raw, Shawn Michaels made an appearance to announce that he would be in Triple H's corner at SummerSlam. [16] However, Michaels would not make it to SummerSlam after Lesnar used a kimura lock to break his arm on the August 13 episode.
In another match, CM Punk defended the WWE Championship against John Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match. In recent weeks, Punk claimed that even though he was WWE Champion, he often felt as if he was pushed to the background in favor of stars like Cena and The Rock. At Raw 1000, The Rock declared he would be getting a WWE Championship shot at the 2013 Royal Rumble PPV. That same night, Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to challenge Punk for the title. After Big Show's interference led to a disqualification, The Rock rushed the ring to help fend off Big Show. Punk would then attack Rock, hitting him with a GTS and turning heel for the first time since 2011. [15] The following week, Cena and Big Show would fight in a number one contender's match for a shot at the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. After Punk's interference led to a no contest, new Raw General Manager AJ Lee announced that Punk would defend the title against both Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match at SummerSlam.
Daniel Bryan had proposed marriage to AJ on July 16 episode of Raw, which she accepted and agreed to have the wedding as part of Raw 1000. However, during the ceremony, AJ rejected Bryan, and it was announced that she was named as the new GM of Raw by Vince McMahon, which led Bryan to get angry and destroy the wedding decorations in the ring. He was later confronted and insulted by CM Punk, The Rock, and even guest star Charlie Sheen. [15] After a loss to Sheamus in a street fight on July 30 episode of Raw, Bryan underwent a psychological exam (under orders from AJ as retaliation for finding out that Bryan planned on having her committed to a mental institution after they were legally married) and was attacked by Kane (who claimed he was Bryan's "anger management therapist"). On the August 6 episode of Raw, AJ booked Bryan to wrestle Kane at SummerSlam. [16]
Another match on the card was between Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho. At Money in the Bank Ziggler won the Money in the Bank ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship contract, while Jericho failed to win his Money in the Bank ladder match for the WWE Championship contract. The next night on Raw, Jericho interrupted Ziggler's victory speech. Ziggler then put Jericho's recent performances under question, claiming that Jericho "can't win the big ones anymore" and "lost his touch". Jericho responded by nailing Ziggler with a Codebreaker. On Raw 1000 during a six-man tag team match, Ziggler hit his tag-team partner Jericho, causing him to lose the match. [15] On the July 27 episode of SmackDown, Jericho (wearing Ziggler's gear) threw Ziggler in the ring to be Brogue Kicked by Sheamus. [17] On the August 6 episode of Raw Ziggler faced Alex Riley, but lost due to being distracted by Jericho. [16] It was announced on the August 10 episode of SmackDown that Ziggler would face Jericho at SummerSlam. [18]
In 2011, The Miz and Rey Mysterio feuded after Mysterio defeated Miz in a tournament finals to crown a new WWE Champion. [19] During a house show, Mysterio faced Miz again, but during the match, Mysterio was injured, forcing him to undergo surgery and remain inactive, which was blamed on storyline to an attack by Alberto Del Rio. [20] Ten months later, on the July 16 episode of "Raw", Mysterio made his return attacking Del Rio with a 619. [21] Meanwhile, in Raw 1000, The Miz defeated Christian to win his first Intercontinental Championship. [15] After his return, Mysterio declared his intention to become Intercontinental Champion. During the August 10 episode of SmackDown, Mysterio defeated The Miz in a non-title match. [18] Therefore, Mysterio received a title match against Miz at SummerSlam.
At Money in the Bank, after The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) were defeated by Primo & Epico, The Prime Time Players confronted WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth and tried to attack them, to which R-Truth threw a bottle of water at the Prime Time Players' manager Abraham Washington, starting a feud between the two teams. [22] On the July 16 episode of Raw, Kingston and Truth successfully defended the WWE Tag Team Championship against the Prime Time Players. [21] On the August 10 episode of SmackDown, The Prime Time Players defeated Primo & Epico by disqualification after Kingston and Truth, who were at the commentators table, attacked Washington, earning a WWE Tag Team Championship match against reigning champions Kingston and Truth at the pay-per-view. [18]
Since April, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus entered a feud with Alberto Del Rio around the championship after Del Rio defeated Sheamus by disqualification on the April 6 episode of SmackDown, after Del Rio faked being hit with a steel chair, winning a championship opportunity in the future. [23] That opportunity was not granted until Over the Limit, where Sheamus retained against Del Rio, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. [24] During the following weeks, the two continued their feud, which directed to a match at No Way Out, in which Dolph Ziggler replaced Del Rio (due to Del Rio suffering an injury on the June 6 episode of SmackDown), where Sheamus again retained. [25] When Del Rio returned, they immediately resumed their feud, facing again at Money in the Bank, where Sheamus again defeated Del Rio. [22] However, Del Rio demanded one more match, which he got after defeating Kane, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan on the July 27 episode of SmackDown, setting up a match between Del Rio and Sheamus at SummerSlam. [17] On the August 10 episode of SmackDown, Del Rio attacked Sheamus with the help of fake policemen that Del Rio himself hired, [18] in revenge for Sheamus stealing his car earlier that week on the August 6 episode of Raw, [16] leading to Booker T, the newly appointed General Manager of SmackDown, to cancel the match between Del Rio and Sheamus for the title, angering Del Rio. However, the following week on SmackDown, after Del Rio defeated Chris Jericho, Sheamus asked for the match to be reinstated, which was accepted by Booker T. [26]
On the August 13 episode of Raw, it was announced that Jersey Shore personality Pauly D would be the social media ambassador for the event.
WWE legend Mick Foley was scheduled to face the debuting Dean Ambrose at the event. Ambrose had accused Foley for being the cause of a lost generation at WrestleMania Axxess and would to continue to insult him on Twitter. However, Foley was not cleared to compete by his doctors, he announced his final retirement, and the match was scrapped. Ambrose would make his debut later in the year as part of the stable The Shield. [27]
