WWE SummerSlam 2021: Start times, how to watch and full card

On Friday night AEW shook up the wrestling world when CM Punk made his long-awaited return to the ring. On Saturday it’s WWE’s time to shine. SummerSlam will likely end up the biggest wrestling event of 2021, and it’s all about John Cena gunning for world title number 17. sa

Roman Reigns defends his Universal Championship in the main event against Cena, who’s returned to the ring in between shooting blockbusters like Suicide Squad and F9.

As for the WWE Championship, Bobby Lashley is being challenged by Goldberg. Rounding out the part-time stars is Edge, who’ll be facing Seth Rollins in what may be the match of the night. We also get a WrestleMania rematch, as Sasha Banks will take on Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. (Note: Banks and Belair have been pulled off recent house shows due to “unforeseen circumstances”, which in the past has alluded to COVID complications, which means their bout may be off.) 

Match Card

• Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. John Cena.
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg.
• Edge vs. Seth Rollins.
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair.
• United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Damien Priest. 
• Raw Tag Team Championship: AJ Styles and Omos (c) vs. Randy Orton and Riddle.
• Raw Women’s Championship: Nikki A.S.H. vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley.
• SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Usos vs. The Mysterios. 
• Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal.
• Alexa Bliss vs. Eva Marie. 

How to watch: Peacock, WWE Network

As you probably know by now, Peacock is the new home of WWE’s pay-per-views. The WWE Network has in essence migrated to NBC’s Peacock streaming service, and that’s where you’ll go to watch SummerSlam 2021. Peacock has three tiers: Free, Premium and Premium Plus. To watch WWE content, you’ll need a Premium subscription. The good news is that’ll set you back $5 a month, less than the $10 for WWE Network. 

If you’re outside of the US, you’ll watch SummerSlam 2021 on the WWE Network as usual.   

Start times 

SummerSlam takes place at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 21. (Yes, you read that right, Saturday.) For those without a live ticket, it starts at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m ET. Grappling fans across the pond will have to stay up late, as the show starts at 1 a.m. UK time. In Australia, SummerSlam begins at 10 a.m. AEST on Sunday. 

Predictions

Return of The Man: Becky Lynch was among WWE’s biggest stars before she left the company to have her first child (mazel tov!). That was 15 months ago, after last year’s Money in the Bank show. Lynch has been teasing a return, tweeting out clues at recent pay-per-views, and she’s been mentioned on screen in recent promos. Beyond that, SummerSlam will have over 40,000 fans in the crowd — what better time to bring her back? I look forward to the pop.

Goldberg’s match will be grim: Maybe this isn’t the most bold of predictions, but it needs to be said. Goldberg returned to WWE with a shock, defeating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016. He was plenty of fun to watch throughout that program, which culminated in a great match at WrestleMania 33. It’s been downhill since then, as Goldberg’s matches have been run on the same formula. He gives a spear, he gives a spear, he takes his opponent’s finish, he gives a spear, maybe a jackhammer and then we get a finish. His bout with Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble was a low. 

Nikki A.S.H. will retain her title: And then lose it the next night on Raw.