WWE SummerSlam 2016 Matches: Full Card, Best Moments from Buildup to PPV Event

The Road to SummerSlam has been paved with numerous moments that have not only laid the groundwork for the extraordinary matches that will unfold Sunday night but also created a sense of excitement and intrigue among the members of the WWE Universe.

From Finn Balor's unexpected rise to championship contention to Dolph Ziggler's latest opportunity for redemption, the moments that have made up the journey to the summertime spectacular have captivated fans.

Championships will be up for grabs, as will bragging rights. Superstars will compete to make history and secure their spots at the top of the Raw and SmackDown brands. Who will stand tall and how did they make it to that point?

Just hours before the four-hour extravaganza hits the WWE Network and changes the wrestling world as we know it, relive every significant encounter, match and promo that has helped craft the enormous card WWE has in store for its audience, both inside Barclays Center and watching around the world.

SummerSlam Match Card

Credit: WWE.com

Live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, World Wrestling Entertainment will present the following matches as part of its gigantic SummerSlam card:

• Pre-Show: Sami Zayn and Neville vs. The Dudley Boyz
• Pre-Show: American Alpha, The Hype Bros and The Usos vs. The Vaudevillains, Breezango and The Ascension
• Best-of-Seven Series, Match One: Cesaro vs. Sheamus
• Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi vs. Natalya, Alexa Bliss and TBD
• Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. The Miz
• WWE United States Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Rusev
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
• WWE Women's Championship Match: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte
• John Cena vs. AJ Styles
• WWE Universal Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
• WWE World Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
• Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar

Coverage begins on the WWE Network at 5 p.m. ET with two hours of pre-show festivities.

The main card portion of the show begins at a special start time of 7:00 p.m. ET.

Crowning The Boss

From the moment Ric Flair screwed Sasha Banks out of the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32, The Boss made it her mission to dethrone Charlotte for the top prize in women's wrestling. Most suspected she would do just that on the grand stage that SummerSlam presents, in front of thousands of fans at Barclays Center, but she got a jump on things.

The July 25 episode of Raw saw Banks use her Bank Statement finisher to defeat Charlotte and capture the title that had eluded her.

It was an emotional moment, a coronation of the lifelong wrestling fan as the new face of the women's revolution in WWE.

The victory also set in motion Charlotte's push for a rematch, which will occur Sunday night when the two battle in one of SummerSlam's marquee matches. Can the second-generation challenger regain her title, or will The Boss do what no other competitor has done in one year: beat Charlotte on pay-per-view?

Only time will tell, but it will certainly be easier for Banks without Dana Brooke at ringside to distract her.

Finn Balor's Explosive Debut

Just two hours after defeating Rusev, Kevin Owens and Cesaro in a Fatal 4-Way match to earn a spot in the main event of the July 25 episode of Raw, Finn Balor stood across the ring from former WWE champion Roman Reigns and never once allowed the enormity of the moment to affect him.

Though it was his birthday and the opportunity to compete for the WWE Universal Championship was up for grabs, Balor remained focused enough to do what few had been able to: pin Reigns' shoulders to the mat.

The former NXT champion launched himself off the top rope with the Coup de Grace and defeated the man once considered wrestling's next franchise star.

On a night when many expected Reigns to recoup the good will he lost upon his suspension, it was Balor who stole the show and cashed his ticket to SummerSlam and a showdown with Seth Rollins for wrestling's newest prize.

Dolph Ziggler Earns His Shot

For three years, Dolph Ziggler watched as Superstars nowhere near as talented as him, or newcomers who had not earned a damn thing under the WWE umbrella, catapulted past him to championship contention. Frustration understandably set in, but he never allowed it to consume him or affect his performance.

Instead, he remained focused and continued to deliver the show-stealing performances he has become so closely associated with.

Then the brand extension happened, and Ziggler wound up on SmackDown Live where he could once again prove himself an elite wrestler and earn himself a championship opportunity.

He did just that on night one, defeating Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, AJ Styles, John Cena and Bray Wyatt in a Six-Pack Challenge match to become the top contender to Dean Ambrose's WWE title.

The Showoff leaped back to the top of the card for the first time since 2013 and his disappointing run with the World Heavyweight Championship. For longtime fans of the Kent State graduate, it was a moment that made every week of disappointing losses and wallowing in the midcard worth it for their favorite wrestler.

#OuttaNowhere

The main event of SummerSlam does not feature a championship or some form of personal hatred. Instead, it features two Superstars of the same legendary rookie class who have not competed against each other since 2002.

On Sunday night, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar will wage war in the marquee match of wrestling's second-most prestigious event—the only thing up for grabs being bragging rights. 

The August 1 episode of Raw saw Orton deliver an RKO to The Beast Incarnate that sent shock waves across the WWE Universe and intensified the hype for their encounter.

As Orton escaped through the crowd, Lesnar recovered and stared a hole through his rival. While The Viper may have struck, sending a clear message to the man he hopes to ground at SummerSlam, he knew it was only a matter of time before Lesnar responded, which he did 24 hours later on SmackDown.

A Bride Humbled

While Rusev and Roman Reigns may wage war over the United States title Sunday night at SummerSlam, The Bulgarian Brute will fight for his wife wife's pride. It was the humiliation of the once-blushing bride that intensified the feud and added a personal edge to it.

A verbal altercation on the August 8 episode of Raw between Reigns and Rusev became physical. A brawl ensued, and Lana, in the wrong place at the wrong time, was sent face first into a wedding cake that had been set up in the center of the squared circle.

She cried and stomped in anger while a grinning Reigns left to the most positive response he had experienced in months.

The embarrassment experienced by the Ravishing Russian infuriated Rusev and reintroduced the angry, ferocious side of the U.S. champion to the WWE Universe. Whether he can channel that rage into a successful title defense in Brooklyn remains to be seen. 

Booking a Rematch

John Cena and AJ Styles stole the show at Money in the Bank, delivering a near-classic that was just a step below the Match of the Year candidate most fans were expecting. A six-man tag team match at Battleground saw Cena atone for the loss to Styles, picking up the win and tying the score with The Phenomenal One.

On the August 2 episode of SmackDown Live, Cena and Styles came face to face for an electrifying in-ring promo segment. Over the course of the minutes spent insulting each other, a third and deciding match was booked for SummerSlam.

Cena vowed to remind Styles while he is the face that runs the place, while the former leader of The Club expressed his desire to beat up Cena and drive him from WWE once and for all.

It was an outstanding exchange that sold the match on words alone and left fans eager to see who would emerge with their arm raised in victory.

Often WWE Creative gets too cute with its promo segments, but this struck the right tone and worked tremendously.

"You're Going to Get...It"

There is no denying the awesomeness of the Chris Jericho-Kevin Owens union. Two of the most entertaining characters on the roster, their budding rivalry with Enzo Amore and Big Cass has made for some of the most enjoyable segments of Raw over the last month.

Few were as memorable or humorous, though, as the August 8 confrontation that featured the most intimidating threat of Jericho's entire Hall of Fame career.

Or something like that.

Leaning into the microphone, his face painted with seriousness, Jericho warned Amore and Cass that if they were not careful, they would "get...it."

He never expanded upon what "it" was, but he did not have to. His delivery was perfect, the look of confused curiosity on the faces of the three Superstars around him brilliant.

Even now, fans have no idea what "it" is, nor do they care. The master of the mic delivered another one-liner that is destined to outlive so many of the buzzwords and manufactured catchphrases that have been spun by WWE Creative over the last decade.

The Demon King Emerges

Unaffected by the aura of Finn Balor and his Demon King persona, Seth Rollins called out his SummerSlam opponent's face-painted alter ego on the August 15 episode of Raw.

It proved problematic for The Architect, who was visibly shaken by the appearance of The Demon King. An attack did not work out in his favor, either, as he was laid out and nearly the recipient of a Coup de Grace before rolling out of the ring to safety.

Now having experienced the undeniable aura of The Demon King, it will be up to Rollins not to allow the presence of any alternative personas to affect him as he chases history in Sunday's WWE Universal Championship match.

Whether he can is the real question hovering over The Man's attempt to win gold at the summertime spectacular for the second straight year.

Lights Out

For weeks, Dean Ambrose openly iterated that Dolph Ziggler does not have what it takes to beat him for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. He even claimed that The Showoff is not nearly as good as he thinks he is. The comments, designed to eat away at Ziggler's confidence before Sunday's show, were even echoed by SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan.

Determined to prove his doubters wrong, Ziggler vowed to outlast Ambrose Sunday, then put an exclamation point on his promo with a superkick that flattened The Lunatic Fringe.

It was a defining moment in Ziggler's latest main event run, and one that established he will no longer sit back and allow others to adversely affect him with their negativity and doubt.

Ahead of SummerSlam, he needed that boost of confidence and a hot angle to convince fans he has a chance.

It worked.