WWE SummerSlam 2015: Date, Start Time, Matches, Live Stream, PPV Info

WWE SummerSlam 2015 will be rich with star power as the sports entertainment giant looks to have its summer pay-per-view feel more and more like a second WrestleMania.

Undertaker is set to wrestle at his first SummerSlam since 2008. Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins lead a stacked lineup. And WWE has pulled some strings to bring celebrities into the mix, with Jon Stewart and Stephen Amell from Arrow headed to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, as well.

It all begins Sunday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. A replay begins right afterward at 11 p.m. ET.

The last few years have seen WWE push SummerSlam as its clear No. 2 event. Leading up to SummerSlam 2015, the company has looked to go a step further and dub it "The WrestleMania of the Summer." Whether the in-ring action and storylines will deliver to that degree is uncertain, but there is sure to be big buzz in Brooklyn.

As WWE announced on its official website, "ESPN SportsCenter, live from SummerSlam, will air Sunday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 6-7 p.m. These broadcasts mark the first time ESPN's long-running sports-news franchise will be on-site for a WWE event."

Jonathan Coachman, former WWE personality and current ESPN anchor, will be front and center there.

Once SummerSlam kicks off, the former host of The Daily Show will captain the ship.

Stewart's presence brings more mainstream media attention, as does having ESPN partner with WWE. It will then be up to Lesnar and Rollins, the women's division and guys such as Cesaro to make use of all that added attention.

Live Stream, PPV Info

Before SummerSlam properly kicks off, a one-hour pre-show begins at 6 p.m. ET. 

Renee Young, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves and Booker T comprise a panel set to break down the night's biggest matches. Look for recaps of feuds and predictions from Young and company, as well as one of the night's bouts likely pushed to pre-show status.

Then the four-hour special begins in earnest.

You can stream the marquee event on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, Apple TV, Roku devices or supported smart TVs via the WWE Network (subscription required). Visit WWE.com's network help section for a full list of compatible devices.

The WWE Network is available in over 140 countries. It has still not made it out to Japan, India or Germany, though. To check availability around the world, check out WWE.com.

For those without access to high-speed Internet, cable companies still provide SummerSlam as a PPV.

Time Warner Cable and Comcast are among those companies carrying the event. Check with your local provider to see if it is on that list as well. Going this route will run fans about $45.

Match Card

• Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
• The Prime Time Players vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The New Day vs. Los Matadores (Tag Team Championship)
• Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens
• Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose
• Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
• Stephen Amell and Neville vs. King Barrett and Stardust 
• Team Bella vs. Team B.A.D. vs. PCB (Elimination)
• Ryback vs. The Miz vs. Big Show (Intercontinental Championship)
• John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Championship, United States Championship)
• Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker

Battleground Rematch

Orton outlasted Sheamus in their last PPV meeting. The two have not stopped colliding since.

The Celtic Warrior recently prevented Orton from winning the WWE title. The Viper paid him right back by derailing his attempted Money in the Bank cash-in. There's not a lot of story beyond that.

This is just a tale of two guys who hate each other.

Expect more brawling than wrestling. All of their previous matches have been slugfests with overflowing animosity. 

Tag Team Fatal 4-Way

The Prime Time Players find themselves in a crowded ring with three sets of challengers vying for their titles.

WWE hasn't put a lot of effort into booking the tag division as of late. Simply cramming all these guys in here with minimal backstory is a good example of that. 

The only real rivalry here is between the champs and The New Day. It was Titus O'Neil and Darren Young who dethroned the clap-happy trio. Since then, the two squads have barked at each other but haven't done a whole lot of biting.

Judging by recent multiple-team affairs, the action should be fast-paced and fun. Just don't expect anything deeper than that.

The Indy Favorites Battle

Former Ring of Honor rivals meet on a grand stage. WWE has largely let this feud build on SmackDown, giving it plenty of spotlight on the "B" show.

Cesaro and Owens' issues began as both men tried to defeat Cena for the United States Championship. Eventually, things got so intense between them that they have forgotten about the title they were chasing. Now it's just about proving who is better.

WWE has portrayed Owens as more of a coward than a predator lately. He's been ducking challenges and walking out of matches. Cesaro has played the hero who competes the right way.

This promises to be one of the night's better offerings. Cesaro and Owens have always had good chemistry and are both reliable, top-notch performers.

Family vs. Family

Reigns and Wyatt's battle has extended to now include both men's "family" members.

Wyatt prevented Reigns from winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. He has since haunted Reigns, worming his way into his head with threats and his usual array of psychological tricks. Eventually, Ambrose joined the fray, keeping Reigns centered and no longer outnumbered by the clan from the dark corner of the swamps.

With Rollins now a solo act and Erick Rowan nursing a biceps injury, The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family battles of the recent past get shrunk down to a tag match.

Reigns vs. Wyatt appears to be a narrative set to stretch on for months, so consider this the climax of Chapter 2. WWE would be smart to lead into the next part of the story with something newsworthy happening here.

Grudge Match a Long Time Coming

Rusev forced Ziggler off TV by cracking a crutch against The Showoff's throat. That left The Bulgarian Brute to pine for Ziggler's current girlfriend and Rusev's old squeeze, Lana. 

Despite replacing Lana with Summer Rae, Rusev can't stop thinking about his ex. 

And so this story has been the most soap opera-like of all the angles going on. Ziggler just returned on Monday's Raw to add some violence to the romance and broken hearts that have dominated the tale so far.

As Ziggler seeks revenge, Rusev is sure to be distracted by Lana, and the two women are sure to do some catfighting outside the ring.

Comic Book Collision

Neville, a man who moves like something out of a comic book, teams up with a man who plays The Green Lantern. Stardust, with his over-the-top rants, maniacal laughter and colorful vinyl getup, is the perfect fit as the supervillain to tangle with them. The directionless King Barrett gets tossed in to even things out.

Barrett and Stardust have displayed good chemistry early on. Amell has surprisingly taken to the art of the squared circle rather quickly.

Don't expect the actor to do a whole lot despite showing how much storyline anger he has toward Stardust. He's here to bring some buzz and give Stardust a moderately famous foil.

The Divas Revolution

A trio of quarreling factions finally all meet. The Bella sisters (who also had Alicia Fox in their corner) had been dominating the women's division with Nikki Bella, the Divas champ, at the helm of it all.

Then WWE plucked some of its best female wrestlers from NXT, and everything changed. Becky Lynch and Charlotte teamed up with Paige. Sasha Banks joined Naomi and Tamina Snuka to form their own squad.

Fans have since seen various collisions between the teams in singles and tag action. This is the first time all nine women will clash in the same match.

During what has been dubbed the Divas Revolution, WWE's women are getting more time and attention. If that trend continues, this is poised to be one of the bigger women's matches in company history.

This is a showcase of these women and an indication of where this story is headed next. Will someone knock down the Bellas? Will Nikki and her allies instead re-establish themselves as the division's linchpins?

Ryback's Return

A staph infection in Ryback's knee delayed what was scheduled for Battleground.

This now marks the first IC title defense for The Big Guy since mid-June. A big win would help him create some momentum for a reign that has started off slow thanks to injury. 

WWE is presenting The Miz as little threat here. It's more a battle of two Goliaths with an annoying gnat trying to shove his way into the fight.

Ryback has defeated both men before. He enters as the favorite in a match that doesn't look like much of an entertaining one on paper. 

Title for Title

Either Rollins or Cena can walk out of the Barclays Center with both the U.S. title and WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That is, of course, unless WWE has some screwy finish in the works.

Cena has been boosting the prestige of the U.S. belt for months. His frequent open challenges have put the title in the spotlight. His name power has elevated it as well.

Rollins, meanwhile, has been plagued by poor booking. He's not just the cowardly, sneaky heel. He feels like he just doesn't deserve to wear the championship belt. Rarely does he get a decisive win; too often he loses in non-title action.

This is a chance for WWE to turn that around. To knock off Cena and be a double champion helps erase some of those bad memories. Cena will be seeking his 16th world title reign, a mark that would tie him with Ric Flair for the most ever.

Either way, some kind of history will be made. 

The Phenom vs. The Beast

What Paul Heyman has people now calling "The Match Too Big for WrestleMania" allows Undertaker the chance to take down the man who ended his undefeated streak at The Show of Shows.

Lesnar has been an overpowering predator in the last few years. WWE has made him nearly unbeatable. Either that continues with him pounding Undertaker into the mat again, or The Deadman gets revenge and undercuts that air of invincibility.

Their story has been one that has defied standard wrestling dynamics. Both men have been acting like heels; it's unclear who the hero is supposed to be.

Bleacher Report's Dan Pecoraro discusses what Undertaker's new vicious side means for the outcome of the matchup:

The bout features two megastars in a match that is sure to attract viewers. The big question about the contest, though, is whether Undertaker can still deliver on center stage. He's now 50 years old and wrestling on worn legs against a man known for leaving his opponents in need of ice packs afterward.

A legendary performer will be asked to cap off an event with a glut of hype around it, star power everywhere and sky-high expectations.