WWE SummerSlam 2020: 5 Interesting facts you need to know

After almost six months in lockdown, WWE will present their first pay-per-view since March outside of their Performance Center in Orlando, Florida at SummerSlam.

The Amway Center, also in Orlando, will now be the home of WWE until at least October as the company looks to take steps towards a return to a new normal. While the arena move means that WWE won't have to pre-record shows anymore, the deal also means that fans will not be allowed inside the arena at present but WWE's new ThunderDome will make it appear as though there are fans in attendance.

WWE Summerslam

This weekend's show could be the biggest pay-per-view of the year as well as The Biggest Party of the Summer. Given the feuds surrounding some of this weekend's matches, SummerSlam could follow through on the hype.

Ahead of this weekend's show, here are five facts every fan needs to know about this year's SummerSlam.

---

#5. A potential Money in the Bank cash-in

SummerSlam has traditionally been seen as the pay-per-view that follows Money in the Bank so there has always been the potential for a contract cash-in. In recent years, Bayley decided to cash in her contract on the same night while Brock Lesnar then cashed in his contract at Extreme Rules so both contracts had been used before SummerSlam came around.

This year, Asuka's contract has already been taken out of the equation, but Otis is still in possession of the men's Money in the Bank contract and could choose to cash it in at SummerSlam on the winner of the match between Braun Strowman and The Fiend.

If Otis does cash in then he will be following in the footsteps of Alberto Del Rio, who successfully cashed in on CM Punk in 2011, and Randy Orton, who was successful when he cashed in on Daniel Bryan back in 2013.

At present, there are a number of combustable elements that could take place as part of the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam, including rumors that Roman Reigns could be making his return.

If this is the case, then it's unlikely that Otis will be able to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. There is also the added factor that Heavy Machinery are not on the card this weekend.

#4. Randy Orton has already made history at SummerSlam

Despite a terrible ending to his bout against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in 2016, it could be argued that SummerSlam is actually Randy Orton's pay-per-view since he has been able to make history of his own as part of the event.

The former 13-time World Champion won his first-ever WWE Championship at the Biggest Party of the Summer back in 2004, making him the youngest-ever Champion when he dethroned Chris Benoit.

Orton has since gone on to win the Championship on two more occasions at SummerSlam, making history for the most Championship victories at the event. The Viper defeated Christian at SummerSlam in 2011 in a No Holds Barred match and then cashed in the Money in the Bank contract in 2013 to win the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan.

This weekend, Orton could further this by becoming the only man to have won four World Championships at SummerSlam when he takes on Drew McIntyre in what is expected to be the main event of the night.

#3. Quite the SummerSlam debut for Asuka

Ahead of SummerSlam, Asuka has already made history on WWE's main roster as the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble winner. She is also a former Women's Champion as well as a Women's Tag Team Champion.

While The Empress of Tomorrow has already appeared at some of the company's biggest pay-per-views, Asuka has never wrestled at SummerSlam. This weekend the Japanese star will take on both Sasha Banks and Bayley for the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships in two separate matches.

This is the first time a woman who isn't defending the title has been given the opportunity to pull double duty.

Asuka isn't the only female wrestler making her debut at SummerSlam. SmackDown stars Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville will wrestle at The Biggest Party of the Summer for the first time this weekend when their deeply personal issues will be settled in a Hair vs. Hair match.

Deville and Rose have been feuding since the week leading up to WrestleMania. After The Pride Fighter gave Mandy Rose a makeover backstage a few weeks ago, Deville could be about to get her comeuppance.

#2. The Fiend debuted at SummerSlam

The Fiend will fight for the Universal Championship this weekend at SummerSlam in what is another chapter in a deeply personal feud between Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt.

The two men were once part of The Wyatt Family together and had nothing but respect for one another. But that all seems to have changed after The Monster Among Men lifted the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Strowman was barely able to survive their Wyatt Swamp Fight back at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules and now he will be forced to go one-on-one with The Fiend.

Interestingly, The Fiend actually made his in-ring debut under this new guise at SummerSlam last year when he defeated Finn Balor, whom he had previously attacked. The Demon King hasn't been seen on the main roster since this defeat.

Could the same fate await The Monster Among Men when he steps into the ring against Bray Wyatt's alter-ego this weekend with The Universal Championship on the line? Or does Strowman have a backup plan?

#1. Brock Lesnar's streak ends this year at SummerSlam

Brock Lesnar has been the most dominant star in WWE ever since his return in 2012 and no one has ruled SummerSlam like The Beast Incarnate. Over the past six years, Brock Lesnar has main evented every SummerSlam pay-per-view, starting with his win over John Cena back in 2014.

Lesnar was then defeated by The Undertaker in 2015, was able to defeat Randy Orton by Technical Knockout in 2016, and Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe were on the losing end of a Fatal 4-Way for the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar the following year.

Roman Reigns was finally able to defeat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in 2018's main event. And Seth Rollins defeated The Beast in SummerSlam's main event last year to become a two-time Universal Champion.

This year, Brock Lesnar hasn't returned to WWE since he lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania and won't be part of the show. This means that for the first time since 2014 someone other than Brock Lesnar will main event at The Biggest Party of the Summer.