One of the biggest PPVs of the year for WWE, SummerSlam, will be held later this month, which will be the 33rd edition of the show. SummerSlam 2020 will not be held at the original venue, Boston's TD Garden, with WWE likely to announce a new venue soon.
The most recent reports have suggested that WWE is set to host the show in New Jersey. This will be a departure from recent pay-per-views, as WWE has hosted them at the Performance Center.
SummerSlam 2020 will have quite a few titles on the line, which should make it an exciting, action-packed pay-per-view. But, the show will also miss out on quite a few big names.
Here, we take a look 4 Superstars who are doubts and 9 who will surely miss WWE SummerSlam 2020:
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Kofi Kingston - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Last month, former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston revealed that he will be taking a break from WWE as he suffered an injury which will keep him out of action for a while. The SmackDown Superstar revealed that he will be out of action for six weeks.
Was this a legitimate injury, or was Kingston taken off air for some other reason? According to Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue, Kofi Kingston did not suffer an injury and that he is fine. He has been given some time off to take a quarantine period to see his family:
"Kofi is absolutely fine. He has just been given six weeks off to take a quarantine period, go and see his family, take a quarantine period and then come back to work."
Tom further stated that WWE have given Superstars the option to take a break, which is what Kofi has done. With him out for six weeks, he will miss SummerSlam 2020, which will take place on August 23, 2020.
AOP - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
One of the many Superstars out of action from WWE currently due to injury is Rezar. The AOP member tore his biceps back in March, which put him on the shelf for anywhere between 6 to 8 months. This means that he will surely miss SummerSlam 2020, and his tag team partner, Akam, will also not be at the pay-per-view.
Akam has also not been on WWE television since March, when the duo were a part of Seth Rollins' faction.
Austin Theory - Doubtful of featuring at SummerSlam 2020
Like AOP, Austin Theory has also been a part of Seth Rollins' villainous faction in 2020. Theory, who was brought to RAW from NXT earlier this year, seemed to be getting a big push on the red brand, but he was mysteriously pulled out of RAW shows.
It was reported earlier this week that Austin Theory has been suspended by WWE, although these are unconfirmed reports. This means that Theory will not be in Rollins' corner at SummerSlam 2020, where the Monday Night Messiah faces Rey Mysterio's son, Dominik.
Elias - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Another SmackDown Superstar that will surely miss SummerSlam 2020 is Elias. Elias suffered a torn pectoral muscle injury in June, which is why he was written off from WWE television with a hit-and-run angle.
There have been some reports suggesting that he could be out for a long time, with Dave Meltzer reporting that he may be able to return only by WrestleMania 37, next April.
The Usos - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Several SmackDown Superstars seem to have suffered an injury this year. Jimmy Uso, one half of The Usos, also suffered an injury earlier this year. He injured his knee, which will keep him out of action for 6 to 9 months.
His brother Jey has rarely featured on the blue brand, making just a handful of appearances. He was part of a Battle Royale on SmackDown in May, and then hosted the Karaoke Showdown last month.
These two Superstars will also surely miss SummerSlam 2020, and it'll be a while before the duo will be seen in a WWE ring.
Xavier Woods - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Two of the three New Day members are out of action, with Big E the only member of the faction currently fit and wrestling on ahead of SummerSlam 2020. Xavier Woods suffered a serious Achilles injury last year, which has kept him of action for 10 months.
He recently gave fans an update on his injury status and when he will be ready to return to action:
"I will say I’m feeling alright and that’s all I will say. I was really really in a bad way mentally for like six weeks after the initial injury happened, I was depressed. It all came from the fear of not knowing if I would ever wrestle again. I was able to work through that with some really good friends like Kofi, E, Tyler Breeze and Rick Victor. I’m much better now, but no spoilers on a return date.”
Kofi Kingston is nearing a return to WWE, but it's unlikely that he will return to wrestling by the time SummerSlam 2020 comes around, later this month.
Nia Jax - Doubtful of featuring at SummerSlam 2020
Nia Jax has been in trouble with WWE authorities lately, being fined for assaulting officials, and in this past week's SmackDown, she was suspended indefinitely for those actions.
This may be WWE's way of writing her off television for a while, and there is a big possibility that she will miss SummerSlam 2020.
Ember Moon - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Ember Moon too suffered an Achilles injury last year, and she has also been off television for a long time. Moon spoke about her injury last month and revealed that her injury was much more serious than originally thought. She said that she had torn her Achilles in two different places, which means that it will take a while for her to rehab and get back to a WWE ring. She is not fit and will surely miss SummerSlam 2020.
Daniel Bryan - Doubtful of featuring at SummerSlam 2020
Daniel Bryan has been off WWE television for a while, with his last match on SmackDown taking place back in June, when he faced AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship, which he lost.
Bryan is a big doubt for SummerSlam 2020 as he is not in a feud with anyone on the blue brand. With SummerSlam 2020 just over two weeks away, it may be too late for him to feud with anyone.
And with him and Brie Bella having their second baby recently, it may be wise for Bryan to stay at home during the ongoing pandemic.
Jinder Mahal - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Jinder Mahal suffered a major setback in June this year, when he suffered a knee injury, just weeks after returning from another knee injury. The former WWE Champion has undergone surgery, and he will be on the sidelines for a while. The one-time WWE Champion will surely miss SummerSlam 2020, where his friend Drew McIntyre will put his WWE Championship on the line against Randy Orton.
Charlotte Flair - Doubtful of featuring at SummerSlam 2020
Charlotte Flair has also been missing from WWE television for a while, as she underwent surgery for an issue that she had. Flair was written off television on RAW after being assaulted by Nia Jax backstage.
Flair seems to be alright now as her father Ric, gave an update on her health recently:
"She’s doing great, she of course is climbing the walls.
"This surgery was something that had to take place. Personally, I wish she had done it earlier, but she would never ever leave without fulfilling what she felt she had to do."
With her not having any major feud to be involved in, she may feature after SummerSlam rather than before it.
Sami Zayn - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Former Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn has been off WWE television since WrestleMania 36, where he put his title on the line against Daniel Bryan and retained the belt. But, WWE stripped him of the title in May, and a tournament was set to crown a new champion. AJ Styles eventually won the tournament to become the Intercontinental Champion. Zayn may not feature at this month's SummerSlam 2020.
Zayn has stayed at home during the pandemic, and with WWE giving their Superstars the option to stay at home, it seems highly unlikely that Zayn will return anytime and soon. He will surely miss SummerSlam 2020.
Roman Reigns - Will surely miss SummerSlam 2020
Like Zayn, Roman Reigns has also been on the sidelines for the last few months, not even featuring at WrestleMania 36. He was originally set to face then Universal Champion Goldberg at The Show of Shows.
Reigns will surely miss SummerSlam 2020, as he neither has any feuds lined up, nor have the COVID-19 cases dropped significantly.
While speaking in an interview in June, he revealed that he has been training hard, but did not reveal a return date. With SummerSlam 2020 just weeks away, it may not seem like a wise move to bring him back with no big plans in store for him.