Star power hits a city rife with it, as Los Angeles hosts WWE SummerSlam 2014.
Brock Lesnar and John Cena headline a pay-per-view chock-full of grudge matches and chances for up-and-comers to establish themselves as marquee names. It all begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Staples Center.
The home of both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers has become SummerSlam's home base, having now been the site of every edition of the event since 2009.
The pre-show begins 30 minutes prior to start time and will feature a panel of Superstars and WWE personalities discussing all the matches on tap for the evening. That includes a number of Battleground rematches and Lesnar's first bout since shocking the world at WrestleMania 30.
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The following is a preview looking at those contests and detailing the ways in which one can view it all.
Live Stream, PPV Info:
SummerSlam marks the first pay-per-view that will be broadcast outside the United States on the WWE Network.
Per WWE.com, the WWE Network is now available in a variety of countries, including Australia, Mexico, Denmark and Singapore. To check availability in other countries, visit WWE's help center.
As Triple H has so often mentioned, it costs $9.99 a month (with a six-month commitment) to sign up for the WWE Network. WWE is now offering a commitment-free option as well for $12.99 for a single month.
The fee not only includes SummerSlam but a large library of WWE, ECW and WCW programming. Episodes of Total Divas and Legends House, along with weekly editions of NXT and Main Event are also included.
Fans can view the Netflix-like service via a variety of devices. All the action will stream on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, for example.
In addition, WWE announced on its corporate website that by the time SummerSlam arrives, the company will have added Samsung Smart TVs, Blu-ray players and home theater systems to the list of WWE Network-compatible devices.
For fans in rural areas with limited access to high-speed Internet, SummerSlam is still available through one's cable provider.
Time Warner Cable, Xfinity and Cox Communications are among those broadcasting the pay-per-view. SummerSlam will run fans about $45 for standard definition. Some companies offer an HD option for an additional 10 bucks.
United Kingdom fans won't get the WWE Network until October. WWE has yet to announce when the service will launch in Germany, Japan, Malaysia, China, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Thailand.
Until then, DMM.com has Japanese fans covered for their SummerSlam fix. German WWE heads can turn to MaxDome, while U.K. fans will rely on Sky Box Office to catch the card.
WWE.com's "how to watch" section has a complete list of cable companies carrying the event in the United States and around the world.
Matches:
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger (Flag match)
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship)
Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt
Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon
Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton
AJ Lee vs. Paige (Divas Championship)
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (Lumberjack match)
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
Rusev and Swagger fight for love of country in a Flag match, a little-used stipulation.
The American patriot has grown tired of Lana and Rusev bashing the U.S. and Old Glory. They will collide for the second straight pay-per-view, the winner set to wave his nation's banner high inside Staples Center.
Swagger stumbled in their previous meeting, suffering a count-out loss at Battleground. He enters this bout with injured ribs that clearly hampered him during his match against Alberto Del Rio on Aug. 5.
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Ziggler looks to become IC champ for the second time in his career. The Miz seeks to avoid getting superkicked in his "moneymaker."
The Miz won the title at Battleground. He did so by hiding outside the ring during much of the Battleground Battle Royal while Ziggler thinned the field. Ziggler, thinking victory was his, soon fell victim to the cowardly/cunning Superstar.
Tension has grown between the two as of late, so much so that The Miz's presence led to The Showoff losing to Heath Slater on Monday's Raw.
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Jericho defeated Wyatt at Battleground, but that has only seemed to inspire increased viciousness from The Eater of Worlds. Wyatt and his clan ambushed Jericho on July 21. He has been more focused and predatory leading up to SummerSlam.
Y2J, though, has helped make their match a fairer one.
In defeating Erick Rowan and then beating Luke Harper, both of Wyatt's attack dogs will be banned from ringside. Even so, it's hard not to peg Wyatt as the favorite. He's still one of WWE's most haunting men.
[youtube height=”500″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwSfQBBX424[/youtube]
Brie has her job back and is going to get a change at tasting revenge against McMahon. She may not be thrilled with that prospect anymore, though.
McMahon has since slapped her off the ring apron, hit her and her sister with the Pedigree and had her arrested live on Raw.
[youtube height=”500″ width=”800″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6hGD_Ib0k[/youtube]
This has been one of the most hyped bouts between two females in company history. Expect it to be a prominent part of the show.
That will be true for Orton vs. Reigns as well. Reigns' emergence as a top-flight star continues with his biggest singles match to date.
He faces a man who pummeled him on July 28. It's likely Reigns who does the pummeling come SummerSlam, though. He has been unstoppable as of late, knocking off Kane in a Last Man Standing match and defeating both members of RybAxel despite a two-on-one disadvantage.
Paige failed to dethrone AJ at Battleground. She gets her second opportunity to do so, now on a bigger stage.
She has since gotten nastier, recently pushing AJ off the entrance ramp and mocking her afterward.
H/T – bleacherreport.com
Credit: Ryan Dilbert
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