Apart from WrestleMania, SummerSlam is WWE’s second most significant PPV of the year. Labeled as the "Biggest Party of the Summer", the PPV plays host to some of the highest-profile matches that WWE produces all year.
The history of the event dates back to 1988 and has played host to some of the most iconic battles in WWE history. With loads of fans turning up for the event every year, SummerSlam has been exceeding their expectations. Starting up as a 2.5-hour show, SummerSlam gradually extended its time as the WWE roster grew. Without further ado, here's a look at the 10 longest SummerSlam events ever!
10 SummerSlam 1997 - Two Hours & 49 Minutes
The 1997 SummerSlam PPV emanated live from the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and had a total run time of two hours and 49 minutes. The card contained seven matches in total, and three of them were championship contests.
The result of the PPV saw Mankind defeated Triple H in a steel cage match, The British Bulldog retaining the European Championship over Ken Shamrock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin winning the Intercontinental Championship from Owen Hart.
The main event of the PPV saw Bret Hart win the WWE Championship from The Undertaker in a one-on-one match, which also had Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.
9 SummerSlam 1996 - Two Hours & 51 Minutes
The 1996 SummerSlam PPV had a total run time of two hours and 51 minutes. Emanating live from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, the PPV consisted of eight matches, including two title contests.
The main rivalries for the event were between Mankind and The Undertaker, which saw Mankind defeating the Deadman in a Boiler Room Brawl.
The main event saw Shawn Michaels defend the WWE Championship against Vader. HBK overcame the challenge and emerged victorious to retain the title and ended the PPV on a positive note.
8 SummerSlam 2009 - Two Hours & 52 Minutes
The 2009 SummerSlam PPV marked the first time the event took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, as WWE would host the PPV at the same venue until 2014.
The PPV had nine matches on the card with a total run time of two hours and 51 minutes. The two main feuds were between Randy Orton and John Cena for the WWE Championship and CM Punk Vs. Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship.
The other main matches included DX taking on Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, and Rey Mysterio defending the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler.
Randy Orton retained the WWE Title over John Cena in one of the main matches. Meanwhile, the official main event saw CM Punk defeating Jeff Hardy to become the new World Heavyweight Champion only for The Undertaker to take him out after the match.
7 SummerSlam 2005 - Two Hours & 53 Minutes
WWE's 2005 SummerSlam PPV was live from the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., and had a total run time of two hours and 53 minutes. The card consisted of nine matches, and despite having three big title contests, the entire spotlight fell on the bout between Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan.
The results of the PPV saw Chris Benoit winning the United States Championship from Orlando Jordan, Rey Mysterio defeating Eddie Guerrero in the custody of Dominick ladder match, and John Cena and Batista retaining the WWE and World Heavyweight titles against their respective opponents.
The main event of the night was the match between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, which saw the Hulkster overcoming HBK to end the PPV.
6 SummerSlam 2010 - Two Hours & 55 Minutes
Emanating live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the 2010 SummerSlam PPV consisted of seven matches with a total run time of two hours and 55 minutes.
The main feuds going into the event was John Cena's struggle against The Nexus faction. The build-up towards the event saw Cena assembling a team to take on the heel group.
The other major matches in the event saw Kane retaining the World Heavyweight Championship against Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton beating Sheamus via disqualification in their WWE Championship match.
The main event was a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match between Team WWE and Nexus. Team WWE had a surprise recruit in a returning Daniel Bryan, and the ending saw Cena getting the win for his team.
5 SummerSlam 2019 - Three Hours & 25 Minutes
Last year's edition of SummerSlam had a total run time of three hours and 25 minutes. The card comprised of three matches on the pre-show and nine contests on the main card.
Seven title matches took place at the event, and all champions except Brock Lesnar retained their titles. The other major non-title contests included Goldberg Vs. Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens Vs. Shane McMahon, Charlotte Flair Vs. Trish Stratus, and The Fiend vs. Finn Balor.
The two main events for the night saw Kofi Kingston retaining the WWE Championship against Randy Orton and Seth Rollins once again slaying the beast Brock Lesnar to reclaim the Universal Championship.
4 SummerSlam 2015 - Three Hours & 44 Minutes
The 2015 SummerSlam marked the first time WWE held the event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. SummerSlam took place at the same venue for the next three years following the 2015 event.
The card consisted of 10 matches and had a total run time of three hours and 44 minutes. The results of the main contests included Seth Rollins becoming a double champion by defeating John Cena in a winner takes all match for the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Championships.
The main event of the night saw The Undertaker defeat Brock Lesnar in a one-on-one match via TKO to avenge his loss at WrestleMania XXX.
3 SummerSlam 2018 - Three hours & 56 Minutes
The 2018 SummerSlam PPV comprised of three matches on the kick-off show and 10 contests on the main show. The event had a total run time of three hours and 56 minutes.
Nine out of the 13 matches on the card were title contests, and four titles changed hands at the event. Some of the main results of the PPV saw Seth Rollins winning the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler, and Ronda Rousey winning the Raw Women's Championship from Alexa Bliss.
The final match of the night saw Roman Reigns finally overcoming Brock Lesnar to become the new Universal Champion.
2 SummerSlam 2017 - Three Hours & 57 Minutes
The 2017 SummerSlam PPV comprised of 10 matches on the main show apart from the three contests at the kick-off. Eight title matches took place at the event, and including the other non-title bouts, the show had a total run time of three hours and 57 minutes.
The results of the PPV included John Cena defeating Baron Corbin, Sasha Banks winning the Raw Women's Championship from Alexa Bliss, The Demon Finn Balor overcoming Bray Wyatt, and Jinder Mahal retaining the WWE Championship over Shinsuke Nakamura.
The main event of the night was a fatal-4-way match for the Universal Championship, which saw Brock Lesnar retain the title against Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman.
1 SummerSlam 2016 - Four Hours & One Minute
The 2016 SummerSlam PPV is the longest running show in the namesake's history, with a total run time of four hours and one minute. The event comprised of nine matches on the main card apart from the three on the kick-off show.
The 2016 brand split played a significant role in the PPV and WWE also looked to crown the inaugural Universal Champion at the event.
The results of the major matches of the night saw Charlotte Flair winning the WWE Women's Championship from Sasha Banks, AJ Styles defeating John Cena, and Finn Balor becoming the inaugural Universal Champion by beating Seth Rollins.
The main event of the night saw Brock Lesnar defeat Randy Orton by TKO after busting him open with repeated punches to the forehead.