SummerSlam is an annual pay-per-view (PPV) produced every August by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 1988.

Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer",[2] it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".

It was scheduled to be held on August 21, 2005, at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.[6][7][8] WWE had originally planned a match between Muhammad Hassan and Batista for SmackDown!

The storyline was scheduled to begin at The Great American Bash in which he faced The Undertaker in a number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but it was scrapped in the aftermath of the London bombings that occurred three days after SmackDown!

[9][10] Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, which were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE's script writers.

Wrestlers portrayed either a hero or villain gimmick, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.

The main feud heading into SummerSlam on the Raw brand was between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels.

Carlito, along with Kurt Angle, made comments about Hogan's daughter Brooke and eventually attacked him.

brand was between Batista and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship.

was left temporarily without a top championship after John Cena, the reigning WWE Champion, was drafted to Raw.

draftees Chris Benoit, Christian, and Muhammad Hassan was made and General Manager Theodore Long was to present a new title to the winner called the SmackDown!

JBL won the match by eliminating Christian last, but Long announced that plans had changed and there was no need for a SmackDown!

Instead, Long revealed that Batista, who had been the reigning World Heavyweight Champion since defeating Triple H at WrestleMania 21, was joining the brand as the final draft pick and by winning the match, JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

[26] Another rivalry leading into the event was between John Cena and Chris Jericho, with the two battling over the WWE Championship.

The two had a match at Judgment Day which ended in a disqualification when Guerrero repeatedly hit Mysterio with a steel chair.

On the August 11th episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero and a social services representative came to the ring and demanded that Mysterio and Angie hand over Dominik to him.

Before the event officially began, Chris Masters defeated The Hurricane in a match taped for Sunday Night Heat.

Benoit applied the Crippler Crossface to force Jordan to submit to win the match and the title in 25.5 seconds.

This match, seen by many as a disappointment, was highly anticipated due to the WWE's storyline exploiting real life events between Edge and Hardy.

Mysterio then performed a dropkick, sending the ladder into Guerrero's face, and a springboard seated senton to the outside.

After the match, Angle threw Eugene out of the ring and had the referee place the gold medal around his neck.

A fan then entered the ring and distracted The Undertaker, allowing Orton to perform an RKO and win the match.

[1] In the sixth match, John Cena faced Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship.

Cena performed a diving leg drop bulldog and attempted an FU, but Jericho countered into a DDT.

JBL fought back, performing a Clothesline from Hell for a near-fall and bringing the steel steps into the ring.

He then performed a spinebuster and two Batista Bombs, with the second onto the steel steps, to win the match and retain his title.

During Hogan's entrance, a huge American flag unrolled from the top of the stage and covered the entire set.

Hogan fought out of it with a belly to back suplex, but failed to gain the advantage as Michaels performed a flying forearm smash.

[1] The following night on Raw, Eric Bischoff made a You're Fired match between John Cena and Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship.

Afterwards, Guerrero became the number one contender to Batista's World Heavyweight Championship while Mysterio resumed his singles career.