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MINNEAPOLIS — It’s time for WWE’s party of the summer.One of the major premium live events in WWE, SummerSlam is back for its 39th edition in 2026, once again a two-day spectacle that will take place in Minnesota. Six matches make up the first night of the card, and there’s a solid case it’s the best one of the weekend.For the first time in 18 years, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes will battle one-on-one, with the top tier stars fighting for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a match that’s been teased for months. Another heavyweight affair is the third installment of Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar, who are meeting in Hell in a Cell. In other action, Liv Morgan finally defends the Women’s World Championship, and Nick Aldis makes his intriguing WWE debut by facing a powerhouse in Gunther.Follow USA TODAY Sports for live updates and results of SummerSlam 2026:Undisputed WWE Championship match: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody RhodesThe once friends, now enemies tie up frequently to start their match, with both sides trying to get the mental edge. Punk targeted Rhodes' left shoulder, while Rhodes tried to simply throw the champion around outside of the ring. Punk took some damage to his left knee.Rhodes got the real first swing of offense as he targeted Punk's left knee, looking sinister in the process. Although limping, Punk was doing anything he could to fend off the challenger, even taking to the turnbuckle fly a flying elbow. He tried to signal the GTS, but didn't have the strength to execute it. Instead, Rhodes landed the Cody Cutter that nearly gets the win. After that, he continues to target Punk's knee while going for another Cody Cutter that can't get the job done.A Cross Rhodes doesn't get a chance to work, and Punk tries to counter it with the GTS. Rhodes catches it, and goes for the Figure Four Leglock as Punk screams in agony. He is able to turn it so Rhodes is forced to let go.Match in progress.CM Punks entranceThe WWE Champion signals it's clobbering time, with "Cult of Personality" hitting the speakers to welcome to the ring. He comes out with a jacket nodding to the Minnesota North Stars.Cody Rhodes entranceStarring in the new "Street Fighter" movie, Rhodes has a video game-inspired entrance, including his mask donning the signature hair of Guile, the character he plays in the movie.Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Paige vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid)Brie Bella and Henley start the match, and Fatal Influence's chemistry and sneakiness allows them to gang up on their opponents, dealing a fair amount of damage to Bella against the steel steps. They gloat and mess with the other side. It takes Nikki Bella to change the swing of the match into their favor, but even then the veterans aren't quick enough to deal with all of the movement coming from Fatal Influence, trying to just fight them off. During a sequence, it looks like Brie Bella hurt her right shoulder.Jayne tries the Rolling Encore against Nikki Bella, but it doesn't land and gets Paige in. However, that doesn't entirely work. Thanks to a distraction from Henley, Jayne surprises Paige with a Rolling Encore, and gets the pin in quick fashion.After the match, the Bella Twins attack Paige. While a clearly injured Brie Bella looks on, Nikki Bella does most of the damage to their now former friend, sparking a new feud for the Hall of Famers in the process.Analysis: The new kids on the block have arrived, taking down the icons of the women's division. Fatal Influence controlled this match, and it didn't seem like there was much for the Bellas and Paige to do. It may have resulted in the bout coming off as boring, but that may have been thanks to Brie Bella appearing to be legitimately hurt. The tag team battle doesn't produce anything memorable.Fatal Influence has been a surprising but great addition to the main roster, and there's no reason to kill their rise so soon. They've continued to show they are here to stay. On the other hand, we have a clear new feud between the Bellas and Paige. Brie Bella may be hurt, but Nikki Bella vs. Paige will be something enticing to watch.Gunther vs. Nick AldisIn his first WWE match of his career, Aldis is quickly in some headlocks from Gunther, as the "Ring General" taunts him in the process. After taking some shots, Aldis finally gets some offense in, much to the delight of the crowd. Still, Gunther towers over him, and does some more damage in front of Aldis' wife, WWE icon Mickie James.Gunther goes for an early sleeper hold, the one that has ended the careers of several icons. Yet Aldis stays on his feet and breaks it up, looking for any ounce of momentum to swing his way with Gunther getting ahead of him at every step. As chants of "you still got it" rain down inside the stadium, Aldis fights back, with consecutive flying elbows before locking in the Sharpshooter. Gunther fights to reach the rope and break up the hold.Aldis tries the sleeper, just for Gunther to reverse it and then turn it into a Powerbomb. The sleeper is applied once more, and Aldis can't break it, tapping out and falling as Gunther claims another victim on his run of terror.After the match, Aldis gets a standing ovation from the crowd as James and his son join him in the ring to soak in the moment.Analysis: In his long awaited WWE debut, Aldis holds his own in defeat. It's always interesting to see how people who have been away from the ring do, and Aldis didn't disappoint. He showed up in incredible shape, and looked like his old self with some of those spots, something he should be proud of.Of course, it was another long-time star that Gunther was going to take down. The "Ring General" was again one step of his opponent, constantly on the attack. Aldis had his few moments to shine, but it was all Gunther in this one. It would have been cool to see Aldis pull off the upset, but there wasn't anyway Gunther could drop this. It was a good feud to get him in the mix for SummerSlam, and now he should move on to another top card battle.Nick Aldis entranceThe SmackDown general manager makes his WWE entrance debut, with the song "Morning Glory" by Oasis.LA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys vs. The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu)The Bloodline challengers don't wait much time to start the fight, rushing the ring to get the party started. The first one-on-one fight is with Jey Uso and Sikoa, and Uso seems to get the early advantage, but Sikoa mocks his brother and gets the upper hand. Just to taunt, he even runs it back with Uso's theme music, as he and crowd yeet in front of a disgruntled Uso.Naturally, Fatu comes in the picture to changes the whole dynamic, allowing The Bloodline to tee off on their family member. The assault lasts a good amount of time until Sikoa is able to get a lifeline by tagging in Keys, who goes back-and-forth with Jimmy Uso. Next up are LA Knight and Jey Uso, with the "Megastar" getting the upper hand despite a sudden spear.All hell breaks loose as everyone gets some action in the ring, leaving Fatu and Keys alone to battle it out. Outside of the ring, Keys surprises Fatu by launching him over the barricade. Back in the ring, Jey Uso spears Knight and sets his twin brother up for the splash, but the pin attempt doesn't end it. Sikoa then sneaks in a Samoan spike on Jimmy Uso, distracting Jey Uso. When he looks back, Knight has a BFT waiting for him. He sticks it and pins him to defeat The Bloodline.After the match, Sikoa gets a hug from LA Knight.Analysis: The Bloodline isn't as dominant as before, suffering a loss while one of its former members shines.LA Knight may have gotten the win and Keys had the major spot toward the end, but Sikoa was the absolute star of this match from beginning to end. His charisma as a face is ridiculously entertaining, and he has the whole crowd in the palm of his hand. He stood out from everyone else in this match, and you can only hope there's more going forward with him as a solo act.The match wasn't spectacular nor bad, executing exactly what it needed to do in the current run of The Bloodline.Women's World Championship match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo SkyThe champion quickly attacks Sky off the jump, trying to end it early, but the challenger's quick thinking spoils it and gets a big push of momentum, gleefully trotting around the ring while landing hits on Morgan. When the action goes outside of the ring, Sky tries to get up on the barricade, just for Morgan to trip her up and seize control. She continues the fight in the ring, executing the patented Three Amigos with the signature Eddie Guerrero emote.When a small window open, Sky pushes through it and is back on the hunt, taking to the top turnbuckle with a drop kick and getting the crowd going with her signature emote. She follows it with a stunning leap out of the ring, and when she tries to get her finisher readied, Roxanne Perez comes out to distract the referee, while Raquel Rodriguez pushes Sky down.That allows Morgan to try to get the win, but Sky kicks out. The two try to attack Sky again, but the challenger is ready for it. Morgan then gets sent crashing down onto her fellow members of The Judgment Day, and Sky flies to take them out. Back in the ring, the two competitors meet at the top turnbuckle, where Sky delivers the Spanish Fly that nearly gets the victory.Punches are traded when they get back on their feet, and Morgan attempts ObLIVion, just for Sky to avoid it. Moments later, Sky does her own version of her opponent's finisher, landing it but not getting the win. Sky zeroes in on the win with the Over the Moonsault, and Morgan gets out of the way and quickly gets a flying Code Breaker. The pin attempt on that one doesn't work.There's another ObLIVion attempt that fails, but this time, Morgan stays ready and follows it with a Code Breaker that does land. Sky bounces back toward the ropes, and finally, ObLIVion works. The champion takes Sky down and gets the win to retain her gold.Analysis: Was that Morgan's best match ever? The champion meets the moment with Sky to deliver an epic opening match that was rocking from the jump.Sky has a knack for bringing out the best out of her opponents, so it may be the case, but this definitely was a standout performance for Morgan from their meeting a Night of Champions. She stepped her game up to not give an ordinary outing, with a finsihing sequence that was brilliant and worthy of a title-holder. You knew Rodriguez and Perez would come out to make their presence known, but not letting them dictate the result helped the match be brilliant on its own. Sky was great as usual, but it's hard to ignore how good Morgan was, especially that final sequence that just ruled.A stellar start to the event, and Morgan makes the wait for her first title defense well worth it − and proves a Danhausen curse doesn't last forever.Justin Jefferson opens SummerSlamMinnesota's star receiver narrates the introduction of SummerSlam.Who is Vaughn Evelyn?"God Bless America" was sung by Vaughn Evelyn. If she looks familiar, it's because she is the youngest daughter of Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Stephanie McMahon.When is SummerSlam 2026?SummerSlam 2026 begins with night one on Saturday, Aug. 1.SummerSlam start time 2026SummerSlam 2026 starts at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. The SummerSlam preshow begins at 3 p.m. ET.Where is SummerSlam 2026?The live event will be at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.How to watch SummerSlam 2026SummerSlam 2026 streams exclusively on ESPN's streaming service. Viewers can sign up for a subscription to the site here, which starts at $29.99 a month.ESPN's service is available through select cable and TV packages, including:DIRECTVFubo TVYouTube TVHulu + Live TVSpectrumVerizon FiOSU-verseCoxComcast XfinityIf your cable or TV package includes the ESPN streaming service, you can figure out how to activate it here. Can I watch SummerSlam on Netflix?Internationally, SummerSlam will be available on Netflix in most markets.SummerSlam 2026 match card night oneMatches not in orderGunther vs. Nick AldisLA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys vs. The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu)Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Paige vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid)Hell in a Cell match: Oba Femi vs. Brock LesnarWomen's World Championship match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo SkyUndisputed WWE Championship match: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody RhodesSummerSlam 2026 match orderThe Women's World Championship match between Liv Morgan and Iyo Sky will kick off the event, according to PWInsider.Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match will be the main event, the outlet also reported.How to watch SummerSlam 2026 preshowThe night one preshow will be available to stream for free on YouTube and WWE's social media channels. It is also airing on ESPN.How long is SummerSlam?SummerSlam 2026 has no set run time. With six matches on the card, it is estimated to be roughly three hours long, ending around 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.SummerSlam stageA WWE title-like Viking design for the stage inside U.S. Bank Stadium.SummerSlam 2025 night 1 predictionsUSA TODAY Sports’ wrestling writers predict night one of SummerSlam. See the full predictions for the entire event here.Gunther vs. Nick AldisJordan Mendoza: Gunther.Richard Morin: GuntherLA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys vs. The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu)Jordan Mendoza: The BloodlineRichard Morin: The BloodlineNikki Bella, Brie Bella and Paige vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid)Jordan Mendoza: Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and PaigeRichard Morin: Fatal InfluenceHell in a Cell match: Oba Femi vs. Brock LesnarJordan Mendoza: Oba FemiRichard Morin: Oba FemiWomen's World Championship match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo SkyJordan Mendoza: Iyo SkyRichard Morin: Iyo SkyUndisputed WWE Championship match: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody RhodesJordan Mendoza: CM PunkRichard Morin: CM PunkWWE PPV schedule 2026SummerSlam 2026 takes place Aug. 1-2. Here is the rest of the premium live event schedule confirmed for 2026:Money in the Bank: Saturday, Oct. 10 (Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana)Survivor Series: Saturday, Nov. 28 (Daikin Park, Houston, Texas)There are expected to be more events announced at a later date.SummerSlam 2026 Sunday match cardThese are the matches to look forward to night two.Matches not in orderHuman Monies on a Pole match: Danhausen vs. Dominik MysterioMatch to be No. 1 contender for Undisputed WWE Championship: Finn Balor vs. Sami ZaynIntercontinental Championship match: Penta (c) vs. Chad GableUnited States Championship match: Trick Williams (c) vs. Baron CorbinLadder match for Interim WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Lash LegendWorld Heavyweight Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth RollinsWrestling on the radio? WWE set for 'groundbreaking' call of SummerSlam 2026Radio is woven into the fabric of sports. It doesn't just relay the action in the games, it gives audiences a sense of presence inside the stadiums — without needing visuals. Sports have been broadcast on radio for roughly a century and is still around, mixing the nostalgic feeling with a modern approach. Baseball, basketball, football and more all still carry on the tradition.Now joining the space? Wrestling.WWE will produce a radio broadcast of SummerSlam 2026 on Aug. 1-2, marking the first time the wrestling company will do an audio simulcast of a premium live event. It comes as WWE launched “WWE Radio” on SiriusXM on July 27.-- Read more here.Fatal Influence make SummerSlam debutIt's a big day for Fatal Influence as it will mark their first WWE premium live event as a faction. The group is led by Jacy Jayne with Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid rounding out the group. They will face The Bella Twins and Paige.The stable began in NXT in 2024, with Jazmyn Nyx instead of Reid. They consistently made waves through NXT and wrecking havoc in the process. During the run, Henley won the NXT Women's North American Championship and WWE Women's Speed Championship, while Jayne is a two-time NXT Women's Champion. Following the success, the group was called up to the main roster in April have continued their momentum.The group is riding serious momentum as Henley and Reid are the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, defeating Brie Bella and Paige at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 18.
