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Very shortly, the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada will be filed with a sea of WWE fans for the "biggest party of the summer," SummerSlam.
WWE's second biggest Pay Per View of the year (just behind WrestleMania), this year's event is shaping up to be huge, with ten matches being announced, including special appearances by WWE Hall of Famers like Trish Stratus and Bill Goldberg.
But, with so much planned for tonight's show, it can be difficult to keep track of all the vital tidbits of information you may have missed before tonight's epic event.
So. here are six things you absolutely need to know before WWE SummerSlam 2019.
#6: Tonight's show could be graphic
In 2008, the WWE adjusted their content to become a PG-rated product and even now, over eleven years later, some fans still aren't happy with the switch. In the years since, the company has held back on several more graphic ideas, including intentional blading and chair shots to the skull.
With that said, tonight's show may be a lot more graphic than those that have come before it. Tonight's telecast of the event will be rated TV-14 instead of the standard PG. According to the FCC, a show given a TV-14 rating may contain "contain crude humor, drug/alcohol use, inappropriate language, strong violence (may include some amounts of blood and gore), and moderate suggestive themes or dialogue."
For context, the last WWE Pay Per View to receive this rating was the 2008 Great American Bash event, which saw a bloodied Shawn Michaels get demolished by Chris Jericho. Could the WWE be using blood as part of tonight's show? Tune in to find out.
#5: Will history repeat itself tonight?
Though SummerSlam has almost always taken place inside the United States of America, tonight's show will mark the third time that the biggest party of the summer has ventured outside of the US of A.
And if you believe in superstitious precedent, then tonight's show may be bad news for WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar, who is in the main event tonight against Seth Rollins, will hope to do what no other Superstar has done before: retain a title in the main event of SummerSlam held outside of the States.
In 1992, "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith defeated his brother-in-law Bret 'Hitman' Hart at the famous Wembley Stadium in London, England to claim the Intercontinental Championship. Years later, at SummerSlam 2004 (a show which also took place in Toronto), Randy Orton captured the World Heavyweight Championship and became the youngest man to ever hold that gold at the end of the night.
Will history repeat itself tonight? Or will the reigning, defending, conquering, undisputed WWE Universal Champion find a way to extend his legacy in WWE as a true groundbreaking, history-making Beast?
#4: Could more matches be announced
WWE SummerSlam 2019 has come together to be a huge show, with ten matches being announced.
However, that might not be the end of things just yet, as according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, an eleventh match is expected to be added.
According to Dave Meltzer, a match between Cedric Alexander and Drew McIntyre is expected for the show which already features matches for six different championships.
Interesting, none of the three main roster tag team titles will be defended at the show. Neither the New Day, the OC, or new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are booked to compete.
In addition, several huge stars have not been announced for matches These include Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns, the latter of which closed out last year's SummerSlam in a major way, finally ending Brock Lesnar's 500+ day reign as WWE Universal Champion.
Whether Alexander Vs. McIntyre is added remains unclear, though it'll certainly be interesting if it does get added to the show.
#3: The second time could be the charm for the Prizefighter
In a matter of hours, the five-year WWE career of Kevin Owens could come to a sad end.
As part of his war with the 'Best in the World' Shane McMahon, Owens has promised that he will quit WWE if he comes up short, a heavy promise by the former Universal Champion, though one that has been made before.
Shortly after last year's show, Owens quit the company on the August 27, 2018 edition of RAW, though this departure didn't last long. The Montreal native was back on TV just one week later.
That being said, the last time Owens left WWE, he was a heel, and though he isn't a goody-two-shoes babyface this time around, it's clear that the former Universal Champion has embraced the WWE Universe.
Though many are expecting Owens to crush the so-called Best in the World with ease tonight, fans can rest easy knowing that even if the Prizefighter loses, it seems like it won't be long at all until he's back in a WWE ring.
#2: Streaks could be broken
We all remember where we were when The Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania winning streak was broken in 2014. However, the Deadman isn't the only Superstar with a record.
At the biggest party of the summer, there have been plenty of Superstars with streaks, some of which will be in serious jeopardy tonight.
Charlotte Flair will hope to go 4-0, when she faces Trish Stratus in the Canadian's retirement match. "The Queen" will certainly have her hands full with the seven-time former WWE Women's Champion.
Meanwhile, Trish's fellow Canadian Natalya will put her own 2-0 record at stake when she takes on RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch with the title on the line. Fans should remember that Natalya does know a thing or two about what it takes to win a title at SummerSlam - she became SmackDown Women's Champion at the event in 2017.
Will the Hart family member and the Queen both be able to extend their SummerSlam winning streaks tonight? Or, is it time for these records to be broken, courtesy of Stratus and the reigining WWE RAW Women's Champion, "The Man" Becky Lynch?
#1: Will the Big Dog's attacker be revealed?
This year's SummerSlam has plenty of major stars including Brock Lesnar, Trish Stratus and Goldberg, one major player who isn't booked to compete is Roman Reigns.
Despite being one of the company's biggest stars, as well as main-eventing last year's show, the Big Dog won't be competing after a series of attacks backstage have left Reigns looking for answers.
On this week's SmackDown Live, Buddy Murphy told Roman that it was Erick Rowan responsible, though Rowan's mentor Daniel Bryan has denied the allegations.
Bryan and Reigns do have a history together, as shortly after the Big Dog won the 2015 Royal Rumble, Reigns put his WrestleMania title match on the line against Bryan at that year's Fastlane Pay Per View, and was able to overcome the eco-friendly warrior.
Interestingly, a match between Reigns and Bryan (who has been rumored to be the mastermind behind the attacks), was rumored to take place at the Pay Per View, so maybe tonight will be the night the former Universal Champion finally gets to the bottom of this mystery.
What are your predictions for SummerSlam tonight? Share your ideas in the comments section below! Enjoy SummerSlam!
