WWE SummerSlam 2015: Best Moments from Buildup to PPV Event

This Sunday, August 23, WWE will present its 28th annual SummerSlam pay-per-view, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Headlining the event will be the rematch too big for WrestleMania between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, a bout nearly 16 months in the making.

Lesnar vs. Undertaker was the first match officially announced for the show one night removed from Battleground. Since then, the rest of the card has filled out quite nicely. Other matches include Seth Rollins vs. John Cena in an unprecedented WWE World Heavyweight Championship vs. United States Championship unification match, Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens and much more.

In the last month, WWE has consistently produced some of the best programming it has put out in ages, taking its time with each angle and confirming more and more matches for the show on a weekly basis. It's made Raw feel more must-see, offering fresh content that has helped build toward the summer spectacle.

With the current card, SummerSlam 2015 has all the potential in the world to be the best show of the year so far. Past installments of the event have proved to be phenomenal, and this year looks to be no exception.

Before the biggest party of the summer kicks off Sunday night, we will take a look back at the most memorable moments that have occurred on the rocky road to SummerSlam.

A Divas Revolution Begins: Raw, July 13, 2015

For months, fans were force-fed pointless Divas matches featuring the same faces every week. The division was in desperate need of a shake-up, and that day finally came to fruition on the July 13 edition of Raw.

Halfway through their address of the Divas division, The Bella Twins were interrupted by Stephanie McMahon, who said it was high time for a "revolution" of sorts. She then proceeded to introduce the likes of Becky Lynch, Charlotte and NXT Women's champion Sasha Banks to the WWE Universe for the first time.

At that very moment, the battle lines were drawn. All three factions (Team PCB, Team B.A.D. and Team Bella) stood across from each other in the ring before brawling as the live crowd came unglued for the chaos that was ensuing before their eyes.

As awesome of a segment as it was, it was even cooler to see the NXT women make a major statement by locking in their patented finishing maneuvers on the members of Team Bella. It established them as threats straight from the get-go, and WWE Creative has done right by them in the weeks since.

At SummerSlam, the three trios will collide in a highly combustible three-team elimination match. Whichever stable emerges victorious will establish itself as the single most dominant one in the division today.

The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar Go to War: Raw, July 20, 2015

Speculation had been running rampant for days leading into July's Battleground pay-per-view regarding a potential return of The Undertaker to WWE. Then again, such had been speculated before, and nothing had ever come of it, so seeing was believing for a majority of those who had heard the rumblings.

In shocking fashion, Undertaker reappeared at the conclusion of Battleground during the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, costing Brock Lesnar the coveted title. With a swift kick to the nether regions of The Beast Incarnate and two subsequent Tombstone piledrivers, he made it clear that his bad blood with Lesnar was far from over.

The very next night, Undertaker opened Raw by explaining his actions, saying he had grown tired of hearing Paul Heyman brag about Lesnar ending his illustrious 21-0 undefeated streak at WrestleMania 30. Fans figured that would be the last they would see of him that evening, but it was merely the calm before the storm.

Once Heyman lured 'Taker out to the ring, Lesnar made a beeline toward the squared circle and immediately went into attack mode as he set his sights on his longtime rival. The Deadman valiantly fought back in what was one of the most memorable brawls in the history of Monday Night Raw.

The physicality between the two behemoths got so out of control, it forced Triple H to call out the rest of the locker room to restrain them. Even that attempt to restore order was to no avail as Lesnar and Undertaker duked it out and set the stage for their SummerSlam matchup.

John Cena and Seth Rollins Contest a Classic: Raw, July 27, 2015

John Cena and Seth Rollins have never been strangers to each other, as their history dates back to Rollins' time in The Shield years ago. However, their longtime rivalry didn't start to heat up until the July 20 edition of Raw when Cena called Rollins out for being a paper WWE World Heavyweight champion.

Angering the self-proclaimed future of WWE, he had The Authority force Cena to defend the United States Championship against him on the subsequent episode of Raw. A fighting champion, Cena was up for the challenge and didn't back down from the manipulative Rollins.

The U.S. champion has been involved in his fair share of Match of the Year contenders this year, but he outdid himself yet again in his match with Rollins on this night. As always, the two developed great chemistry in the ring and produced an exciting affair that saw the momentum constantly shifting between them.

Down the stretch, Cena and Rollins pulled everything out of their respective arsenals in order to put the other away, resulting in Rollins connecting with a vicious knee to Cena's nose and shattering it. Instead of throwing in the towel, Cena insisted he carry on with the contest and continued to battle back against Rollins.

Despite being at an extreme disadvantage, Cena still managed to score the submission victory by way of the STF. The grand win earned Cena a title-for-title match against The Authority's top prospect at SummerSlam.

Paul Heyman Sends a Message to Undertaker: Raw, Aug. 3, 2015

One week removed from their epic brawl on the July 20 edition of Raw, barely any mention was made of either Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker on the show. Neither was expected to appear on the subsequent episode, but WWE's follow-up to the hot angle was disappointing, to say the least.

On Aug. 3, Lesnar returned to Raw alongside Paul Heyman to address The Undertaker for the first time since going to war with him. But instead of speaking, he simply stood on top of the ring steps and let his incredible essence do all the talking for him.

Heyman took control of the microphone and proceeded to sell viewers on the long-awaited rematch between Lesnar and Undertaker at SummerSlam. In addition to reminding the audience of The Beast Incarnate's credentials as he had done countless times before, he promised that history would repeat itself come Aug. 23 when his client ensured he be put to rest indefinitely.

As he has been known to do, Heyman took the fans on an emotional journey with this one promo, forcing them to hang on every word. He promised The Deadman a beating of a lifetime at the hands of "his conqueror" Brock Lesnar, emphatically punching 'Taker's one-way ticket to Suplex City.

Without saying a single word, Lesnar was made out to be the most mythical being in the entire WWE Universe. If fans weren't already sold on the rematch too big for WrestleMania, they undoubtedly were following this phenomenal performance.

Ryback Makes His Triumphant Return: Raw, Aug. 10, 2015

Shortly after capturing his first piece of gold in WWE, Ryback entered a program with Big Show and The Miz over the Intercontinental Championship in early June. The three competitors traded wins for weeks, and both Big Show and Miz made it abundantly clear that they had the strap in their sights.

The three-way feud was set to culminate with a Triple Threat match at July's Battleground pay-per-view, but Ryback's abrupt staph injection prevented him from defending the belt that night. Because it was projected Ryback would be cleared to compete sooner rather than later, officials held off on stripping him of the title.

In the weeks Ryback was gone from WWE programming, Show and Miz taunted him by claiming the championship deserved to be vacated and awarded to either one of them. There was nothing The Big Guy could do to defend himself in his absence—that was until the Aug. 10 edition of Raw.

The Miz's talk-show segment with special guest Daniel Bryan was crashed by Big Show, who was met with "Please Retire" chants from the Seattle crowd. Before he could continue going off on the WWE Universe, the entrance music of a returning Ryback cut him off.

Wasting no time in making his way down to the ring, Ryback instantly took the fight to the vehement giant and cleared both him and The Awesome One from the ring. He's vowed he's back and better than ever coming off his injury, but he'll have to put that to the test in his Triple Threat title defense at SummerSlam.

Stephen Amell Steps Inside a WWE Ring: Raw, Aug. 10, 2015

Many have believed for months that Stephen Amell of Arrow fame would have a role of some kind at WWE's SummerSlam extravaganza this year. His face-to-face confrontation with Stardust on the May 25 edition of Raw sparked speculation that a match between them was in the works for the event, but the speculation died down once Stardust took time off TV to mourn the loss of his father, Dusty Rhodes.

Since his return last month, his career has been reinvigorated in his rivalry with Neville. He's taunted him at every turn for not being a "hero" of the people and has ambushed him backstage on countless occasions.

On Aug. 10, Amell was invited back to Raw for the first time in three months and sat ringside throughout the show. Following Neville's quick win over King Barrett, Stardust rushed the ring to attack The Man That Gravity Forgot before shoving Amell back in his seat.

Behind his crazed competitor's back, the infuriated Amell jumped the barricade and leaped over the top rope in impressive fashion as he hurled himself toward Stardust. The crowd was hot for the actor's assault on the former tag team champion, and it took a whole team of security guards to get him under control.

Backstage, Amell demanded that WWE chief operating officer Triple H give him a match against Stardust at SummerSlam. Although it took a fair deal of lobbying, The Game agreed to the match, making Neville and Amell vs. Stardust and Barrett official for the event.

Dolph Ziggler Comes to Lana's Aid: Raw, Aug. 17, 2015

Tension had been teased between Rusev and Lana for weeks following WrestleMania 31, but it finally came to a head the night after Payback when Lana left him for Dolph Ziggler. The two feuded over the next month, ultimately leading to Rusev putting Ziggler on the shelf with a throat injury.

With the bleached-blond Superstar temporarily out of the picture, Rusev recruited Summer Rae to be his new "Lana" and ridicule his former flame. Having none of it, Lana fought back week after week but failed in her attempt to exact revenge when Summer locked her in an Accolade of her own on the Aug. 10 edition of Raw.

One week later, Lana once again stepped inside the squared circle and dared Rusev to confront her, but before he could, Ziggler hit the ring to a thunderous reaction and laid out the Bulgarian brute with a scintillating superkick.

To celebrate, Ziggler and Lana locked lips as their rivals watched from the top of the stage, causing Rusev to fume with jealousy. As awful of an angle as this has been since its start, this was the one saving grace of the storyline because it featured the red-hot return of the former World Heavyweight champion.

At SummerSlam, Ziggler will go one-on-one with Rusev and look to put an end to his ruthless ways once and for all.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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