WWE Summerslam 2018: Here Are The Best Events To Check Out This PPV Weekend
Whenever a city hosts a major cultural event, it becomes an economic boon for the entire area. People fly in from all over the world. Hotels are booked. Restaurants are reserved. And everyone with an affiliation or connection to the major event hosts satellite events to capitalize on the public interest.
For years, this has been the case for Wrestlemania. It's no longer a single event; it's a full weekend of activities. Wrestlers host autograph signings. Commentators hold live Q&A sessions. Indie promotions book shows in smaller, nearby arenas. WWE hosts community events around town to further visibility.
Starting in 2015, when Summerslam moved from the Staples Center in LA to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, WWE has made efforts to turn this single, major pay-per-view into a Wrestlemania-esque weekend of fun activities. And if you're in the New York area--even if you can't find last-minute tickets for NXT Takeover or the big show--there's still plenty of other things to do.
Here's everything happening this WWE Summerslam weekend. Check out the full Summerslam match card and our latest event predictions. And be sure to check Gamespot Universe this Sunday starting at 5:00 PM ET. We'll have live coverage of every match.
10. Amazon Treasure Truck
Where: MCU Park, Brooklyn, NY
When: Friday, August 17, 11:00 AM ET
According to AJ Styles, Amazon's famed, elusive Treasure Truck will be in MCU Park on Friday. Exclusive action figures, along with other discounts, will be available. Kevin Owens and Big E have been announced as special guests, starting at 2:00 PM ET.
9. Numerous WWE Meet and Greets
Where: 40/40 Club, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Multiple times (see below)
Instead of bothering the WWE Superstars in their hotel lobby or in the baggage claim of the airport, you should go see them at a Meet and Greet instead. Below are the major Meet and Greets at the 40/40 Club in the Barclays Center on Friday and Saturday.
This site has an updated list of other Meet and Greets in the Tri-State area.
Friday, August 17
- 1:00 PM ET: AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan
- 3:30 PM ET: Alexa Bliss, Bella Twins, Samoa Joe
- 7:30 PM ET: Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Saturday, August 18
- 10:00 AM ET: Kurt Angle & Paige, Braun Strowman
- 12:30 PM ET: Finn Bálor, Seth Rollins
- 3:00 PM ET: Roman Reigns, The Miz & Maryse
8. House of Glory: High Intensity 7
Where: Amazura, Queens, NY
When: Friday, August 17, 7:00 PM ET
If you get into town early and want to take in some independent wrestling, you can go to House of Glory's High Intensity 7 event. Indie stars Low-Ki and Sami Callihan will be there, and former WWE Superstars Austin Aries and Real1 (Enzo Amore) will both make appearances.
7. GCW Presents: Janela's Lost in NY
Where: Melrose Ballroom, Long Island City, NY
When: Friday, August 17, 8:00 PM ETThe other independent show that you might want to check out is Janela's Lost In New York, presented by GCW. The main event is indie star Joey Janela vs. former WWE Superstar Hakushi (Remember him? The White Angel with the tattoos all over his body?). Also scheduled to be there are legitimate tough guys Meng/Haku and Hart family member Teddy Hart.
6. DZ & Friends
Where: Caroline's, New York, NY
When: Friday, August 17, 11:59 PM ET
Dolph Ziggler is a comedian, and he'll be at Caroline's in Times Square on Friday at midnight. Also scheduled are Zack Ryder, Tyler Breeze, Renee Young, and Charly Caruso. We're not sure what they're planning to do, but if you're a fan of the Show Off, you can pay a cover charge plus a 2-drink minimum to see them do it.
5. WWE Presents: Walk With Elias
Where: Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
When: Saturday, August 18, 5:00 PM ET
In a perfect example of art imitating life, Elias will be playing a concert at the Gramercy Theatre on Saturday evening. He already has a trending album on Spotify; it'll be interesting to see how this next step of his musical career pans out. Is he going to play a legitimate set, with cover songs and original material? Or is he just going to play a few chords and spend the entire time insulting the audience? These are relatively uncharted waters for WWE, which makes this interesting.
4. WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Saturday, August 18, 7:00 PM ET
As a general rule of thumb, the Brooklyn editions of NXT Takeover are especially good shows with especially good cards. This year looks to be no different. Among the highlights: Tommaso Ciampa (c) will take on Johnny Gargano in Last Man Standing Match for the NXT Championship; Shayna Baszler (c) will face Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship; and Adam Cole (c) will square off against Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship.
3. WWE Summerslam
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Sunday, August 19, 7:00 PM ET
The biggest party of the summer has a particularly early start time on the WWE Network; the official start time is 7:00 PM ET, but the pre-show begins at 5:00 PM ET and includes three kickoff matches. Check out this link to see the full match card and all of our predictions.
2. WWE Raw
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Sunday, August 20, 8 PM ET
Sometimes, if we're lucky, the best thing about Summerslam are the Raw and Smackdown directly after the PPV. This is where we see the fallout from whatever big twists happened the night before.
Things that will definitely be followed up on during Raw: Dean Ambrose's return, Paul Heyman's proposed deal with Roman Reigns last week, and the status of Braun Strowman's Money in the Bank briefcase.
1. WWE Smackdown
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Sunday, August 21, 8 PM ET
At Summerslam, AJ Styles will fight longtime rival Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship. And it's entirely possible that Joe will walk into the following Smackdown as WWE Champion. OddsShark currently has Styles as a favorite, though not by a blowout. Smackdown will also address the results of the Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz match. Whatever happens on Sunday, that feud is far from over.
