SummerSlam 2026 matches bring Punk, Reigns and Lesnar to Minneapolis
WWE’s two-night SummerSlam card hits Minneapolis with title bouts, a Hell in a Cell match and several streaks on the line.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The SummerSlam 2026 matches arrive Saturday and Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with ESPN listing both nights for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN Unlimited and “Countdown” shows at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.
According to ESPN, this is the 39th annual SummerSlam and the second time Minneapolis has hosted the event. The previous stop came in 1999, when Mankind won his third and final WWE Championship.
What are the biggest SummerSlam 2026 matches?
ESPN lists CM Punk defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes on Saturday. Their last televised singles match came on the Dec. 29, 2008, edition of “Raw,” where Rhodes won by count-out, while Punk won their only other singles bout in September 2008.
Rhodes has gone 3-0 at SummerSlam since returning to WWE in 2023, ESPN notes, with wins over Brock Lesnar, Solo Sikoa and John Cena. Punk has one loss this year, against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42, and won the Undisputed WWE Championship from Sami Zayn on July 6.
Sunday’s top men’s title match is Roman Reigns against World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. ESPN reports it is their first meeting since WrestleMania 41’s main event, a triple-threat match with CM Punk that Rollins won while also securing Paul Heyman as his manager.
Reigns is seeking a sixth straight SummerSlam victory and carries a 7-1 record at the event, according to ESPN. Rollins has eight SummerSlam wins, including last year’s Money in the Bank cash-in after Punk beat Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Which SummerSlam streaks are on the line?
The Saturday card also includes Brock Lesnar against Oba Femi inside Hell in a Cell. ESPN says it will be the 54th Hell in a Cell match in WWE history and only the second held at SummerSlam, following The Undertaker’s 2008 win over Edge.
Lesnar is 2-0 inside Hell in a Cell, with both victories coming against The Undertaker, ESPN notes. Femi is entering the structure for the first time, and ESPN says he has lost only to Lesnar since moving to the main roster earlier this year.
In the women’s division, ESPN lists Liv Morgan defending the Women’s World Championship against Iyo Sky. Morgan has entered SummerSlam twice as champion and retained both times, while Sky won her first main roster singles title at the 2023 event after cashing in Money in the Bank.
Sunday brings an interim WWE Women’s Championship ladder match featuring Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green and one opponent still to be determined, according to ESPN. WWE uses “PLE” for premium live event, its term for major streamed shows.
ESPN notes this will be the fifth ladder match at SummerSlam, excluding TLC matches, and the first standard SummerSlam ladder match in more than 20 years. Flair is chasing a 15th world title reign, while Women’s United States champion Stratton could join Becky Lynch as one of the only women to hold two singles titles at the same time.
Other ESPN-listed matches include Penta defending the Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable, Trick Williams defending the United States Championship against Baron Corbin, Gunther facing Nick Aldis in Aldis’ WWE in-ring debut, Sami Zayn against Finn Bálor, and Dominik Mysterio against undefeated WWE newcomer Danhausen.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.