SummerSlam is an annual professional wrestlingpay-per-view event held in August by World Wrestling Entertainment. The first SummerSlam was held on August 29, 1988 in Madison Square Garden in New York City. SummerSlam is regarded as the second biggest pay-per-view of the year after WrestleMania. Some fans of WWE call it one of the "Big Four", as along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, it was one of the original four annual WWE pay-per-views. As with the other three, this event also bring together both the RAW and SmackDown! brands onto the same card, something that hasn't been true of the remaining pay-per-views of the year since 2003. The 2006 SummerSlam event will be the first to feature the recently established ECW brand.
SummerSlam has seen more ladder matches than any other WWE pay-per-views. The 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2005 events all featured ladder matches. However, following WrestleMania 22 in 2006, WrestleMania now ties the record with five pay-per-view ladder matches (1994, 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2006).
In 2007, SummerSlam celebrates its 20th anniversary. WWE has decided to create an anthology DVD set for SummerSlam similar to the WrestleMania anthology set.
