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SummerSlam 2021 is just two days away. It's set to be the biggest pay-per-view of the 2021 calendar year in WWE and the main event will be the blockbuster Universal title clash between Roman Reigns and John Cena.
Edge and Goldberg are the other two part-time legends on the match card, with the former facing Seth Rollins and the latter challenging Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship.
SummerSlam doesn't have the luxury of being a two-day event like WrestleMania 37. There are bound to be mistakes made, but these are the six costliest mistakes that WWE should avoid at the event:
#6. John Cena winning World title No. 17 at SummerSlam
John Cena's last WWE Championship win marked his 16th world title reign overall - tying Ric Flair. While The Nature Boy has argued that he has won more World titles, WWE officially recognizes it as 16, and Flair has gone with it as well.
For Cena, he has the opportunity to create history by winning World title No. 17. The promotion's former franchise player John Cena faces Roman Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam with the Universal Championship on the line.
The build-up to the match has been entertaining and like their previous 2017 feud, the two men haven't laid hands on each other heading into SummerSlam. The last time the two men faced off, it was No Mercy 2017 and the two couldn't get the main event slot - with Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman's Universal title bout favored.
It even seems as though WWE wants us to forget about their match at 2017 since it didn't deliver in the ring. There's always the possibility of John Cena winning and capturing World title No. 17. It would get a great crowd reaction, but the aftermath might be a bit more controversial.
Will Cena be sticking around to defend the title full-time? It seems unrealistic since his profile in Hollywood only seems to be going up, particularly with his roles in Fast & Furious 9 and The Suicide Squad.
Roman Reigns winning at SummerSlam would make it the biggest win of his Universal Championship reign, if not the biggest of his career. He has many high-profile victories (including one against Cena), but this is undoubtedly the biggest match of his incredible world title run.
The Tribal Chief certainly deserves it more and a 17th world title for John Cena could be a controversial decision in the long run - especially since Reigns is on the cusp of a year-long title run.
#5. Not bringing Becky Lynch back at SummerSlam
Becky Lynch is the superstar who WWE needs back most at SummerSlam 2021. It's been 15 months since we last saw Lynch in the promotion. After completing a year-long reign as the RAW Women's Champion, she vacated the title and it was handed to women's Money in the Bank 2020 winner Asuka.
It was an emotional exit for her, but nobody would have thought that she would miss two consecutive SummerSlam editions in the process. Her last appearance at the event was in 2019 when she defeated Natalya in a good but forgettable title match.
Becky Lynch's most iconic SummerSlam moment came in 2018, when she turned "heel" by attacking Charlotte Flair. Not only did the heel turn backfire, but it hot-shotted her to true main event superstardom in WWE. It culminated with her headlining WrestleMania 35 and walking out as a Double-Champion.
Overall, that moment arguably kickstarted the greatest 21-month run in the history of the WWE Women's division. Never has any female superstar had such a run and Lynch's absence has been felt in the women's division.
A rumor from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com indicated that Becky Lynch might not even return to RAW.
"That match (RAW Women's Title triple threat) being made for SummerSlam was a bit of a surprise. A lot of people were expecting Becky to be back, but word is she might be heading to a different brand. So, who knows, but they need her back bad," said Sapp.
Since WWE has been putting some of the biggest names on SmackDown, it makes sense for her to be there as well. Not bringing her back at The Biggest Party of the Summer would be a big mistake. It needs to happen to signify a new era in the SmackDown women's division.
#4. Not capturing Damian Priest's momentum at SummerSlam
Damian Priest has a great deal of momentum heading into SummerSlam. He faces Sheamus in the United States title match and a change in the guard is most certainly expected.
Sheamus vs. Priest has been one of the more underrated feuds this SummerSlam season. An array of high-profile matches has overshadowed it, but that doesn't mean Priest's moment should be.
All it takes is an entertaining bout between the two superstars at the pay-per-view. A title change would mean Damian Priest's first championship on the WWE main roster and his second title in the company overall, including NXT.
WWE has admittedly been good at how they've handled him this year, not just heading into The Biggest Party of the Summer. His association with Bad Bunny seems to have done wonders for him and despite a small hiatus due to injury, he has returned better than ever.
It makes the most sense for Priest to defeat Sheamus for the US title this Saturday and WWE shouldn't make the mistake of avoiding a title change here. It will give The Archer of Infamy more momentum and popularity and he deserves it after the incredible year he has had.
#3. Avoiding both tag team title changes at SummerSlam
There are two great tag team title matches this SummerSlam. On the red side, AJ Styles and Omos defend the RAW Tag Team Championships against RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle).
On the blue side, WWE veterans The Usos will defend the SmackDown tag team titles against Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Both are good matches and will be fun to watch with the classic heel champions vs. face challengers dynamic.
For RK-Bro, it would be their first tag team titles together, while for The Mysterios, it would be the second. Orton and Riddle have been a great "odd pairing" tag team that finally reunited on this week's RAW. The Mysterios lost their titles to The Usos and have the opportunity to regain them at the upcoming pay-per-view.
For Dominik Mysterio, wrestling at this event is of great importance. It was last SummerSlam when he made his stunning debut against Seth Rollins, and although he came up short, not even Vince McMahon could hold back his admiration backstage.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio deserve their SummerSlam moment, and so do RK-Bro. It would be a mistake for either tag team champions to retain. A tag team title change on both brands is what WWE needs to do at the pay-per-view.
While Damian Priest winning the US title has more to do with capturing his momentum, RK-Bro and The Mysterios winning are more about feel-good moments at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
It's not always necessary for babyface wins, but in this case, it makes a lot of storyline sense. Events like SummerSlam are about big moments and these two would be big ones.
#2. Edge beating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam
Edge vs. Seth Rollins is a blockbuster SummerSlam clash that has somehow fallen under the radar. It's a marquee bout that is nearly seven years in the making. All the way back in the end of 2014, Edge hosted Rollins on an episode of The Cutting Edge.
During this time, The Authority was forcibly disbanded after Team Cena defeated them at Survivor Series (thanks to some assistance from Sting). As per the stipulation, only John Cena was able to reinstate The Authority. To force his hand, Seth Rollins attacked Christian and made Big Show and J&J security hold Edge down while The Architect had one foot on the legend's neck.
Since The Rated-R Superstar hadn't fully recovered and was still retired, there was a chance of something severe happening. To save Edge, Cena reinstated The Authority. Over six-and-a-half years later, the two came in each other's way on SmackDown once again.
This time, it was over Rollins' bitterness at Edge getting a Universal title shot over him. He would go on to cost the latter the Universal title in his match against Roman Reigns and instantly set up their SummerSlam feud.
It's a classic old vs. new generation match-up and it could steal the show. Edge has proven that he has grown as a performer well past his prime and with one of the best wrestlers in the world, a classic at SummerSlam seems to be a big possibility.
A mistake, however, would be Edge beating Seth Rollins. While he seems to be due for another win in 2021 after two losses to Reigns, Rollins should be the one getting the rub at the upcoming pay-per-view.
#1. Goldberg becoming the WWE champion at SummerSlam 2021
The WWE Championship match at SummerSlam could be the shortest on the entire card. When Goldberg wrestles, it's normally best to see his matches go five minutes or under.
His best matches in WWE have been short-but-explosive bouts. Earlier this year, he returned to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble but was unsuccessful. He will make a second attempt this year as he faces Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam 2021.
This is undoubtedly the second-most important match on the card. It could determine the future of RAW's direction. There seems to be a chance of Goldberg winning the title, but if he is following his current contract, he may have already spoiled the result as this will be his second match in 2021.
Either way, it would be a mistake for him to dethrone Lashley. WWE held back McIntyre's push in The All Mighty's favor. It turned out to be the right decision as fans started to feel The Scottish Warrior was getting one shot too many at the WWE Championship.
Goldberg winning would be a mistake and the best course of action seems to be Bobby Lashley winning in an intense five-minute match.
