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SummerSlam is merely a couple of days away and it has WWE fans excited, particularly with the new ThunderDome concept that will debut on this week's SmackDown. The biggest event of the summer has a buzz to it, especially after the months of every WWE show taking place at Performance Center.
The main event of SummerSlam will be a WWE Championship match between two of the company's biggest full-time stars, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. Undefeated all year, McIntyre is on a great run as the WWE Champion. He is doing the best he possibly can, given the circumstances.
Meanwhile, Orton is doing some of the best work of his WWE career. He feels completely invested and energized, after taking out multiple legends recently. The Viper has cut quite a few mesmerizing promos on RAW, still riding off the high of his victory over Edge at Backlash in June.
This is one of the biggest WWE Title matches in recent memory, but there is a high likelihood that there won't be a winner. WWE's new anonymous faction, called RETRIBUTION, might have something to do with it.
Anyway, if SummerSlam was to end with a No Contest between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre, the fans would be disappointed. Here are five signs that make this outcome a real possibility.
#5 The fans would start taking RETRIBUTION seriously if they interrupt the SummerSlam main event
So far, RETRIBUTION has not been particularly impressive on RAW and SmackDown. At times, they have seemed more like a bunch of teenagers looking to cause trouble just for fun. But there are a few directions WWE can go to turn the new group's fortunes around. SummerSlam could play a pivotal role in what comes next for RETRIBUTION.
If the masked hooligans interfere in the WWE Championship main event between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton, fans would have no option but to pay attention to them. This instantly shows that WWE means business with RETRIBUTION and with some good booking in the following weeks, the faction becomes a proper threat.
Once the members of RETRIBUTION are revealed, then we can get properly invested in the angle. It would suffice even if the leader is the only one revealed. Finding out the stars behind the carnage over the past few weeks would be a worthy moment to end SummerSlam on.
If WWE does not have a winner between McIntyre and Orton, revealing the leader of RETRIBUTION would go a long way in making the final image of SummerSlam 2020 a memorable one. If the group stands tall at the end of a 'Big Four' event, the fans will pay attention. RETRIBUTION will have already succeeded where the Nexus failed.
#4 It might boost the viewership of the post-SummerSlam RAW
With RETRIBUTION halting the SummerSlam main event between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton, fans are certain to be intrigued. As mentioned earlier, WWE's presentation of the group has not been the best. But they could make a serious impact on Sunday, enough to turn heads.
Monday Night RAW has been getting some pretty low viewership numbers lately, with various attempts being made to send them into an upward trend. WWE will have to do something drastic. And by the way, drastic does not mean throwing cinder blocks through a door. After a devastating attack on the WWE Champion and his challenger, RETRIBUTION should reveal themselves.
The buzz would be enormous heading out of SummerSlam if somebody like Tommaso Ciampa was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION. Fans will want to tune in to the post-SummerSlam episode of RAW one night later to find out the motive behind this group and all of its members.
Along with the revelations about RETRIBUTION, the issue between McIntyre and Orton would still require resolving. WWE has used pay-per-views to promote their TV shows, particularly in recent times. This could be another example of such.
#3 Neither man should get pinned at SummerSlam
It is safe to say that the two biggest full-time stars in WWE today are Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. The two of them have earned brilliant victories this year, along with countless memorable moments of true quality. And while booking them against each other for SummerSlam creates an obvious buzz, one of them would have to lose eventually.
However, that does not need to happen on Sunday. Neither man would lose if RETRIBUTION were to come in and ruin the match. McIntyre and Orton could still have a 20-minute barnburner before the No Contest, keeping both of them strong with the finish.
McIntyre should not lose clean any time soon, at least until WWE fans return to arenas. Meanwhile, the Viper cannot lose after the major roll he has been on recently. Defeating Edge in the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" has only raised his stock, and it is not ready to be lowered right now.
Something will have to give in the future, ideally without damaging any of Orton's and McIntyre's respective momentum. But for SummerSlam, neither man should be staring at the lights. The No Contest is an easy escape from having a clear winner.
#2 The clue is in SummerSlam's tagline
Ever since WWE has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, all of their pay-per-views have featured a specific tagline. A few words underlining the theme of the event. WrestleMania was "Too Big for One Night", competitors had to "Climb the Corporate Ladder" at Money in the Bank, Backlash featured the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" and Extreme Rules was a "Horror Show". SummerSlam has one as well.
You'll Never See It Coming.
This adds a layer of unpredictability to the event, as we do not know what this tagline pertains to. It could be for one specific match, probably involving Braun Strowman and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, or a common theme over the course of the show.
A likely possibility is the finish of Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton. By now, RETRIBUTION interfering in the match would not be unpredictable. But the manner in which they do could be something we never saw coming.
This particularly pertains to the reveal of the leader of RETRIBUTION. It might end up being somebody out of the blue, vindicating the tagline in the process. SummerSlam could end on a complete shocker.
#1 WWE Payback is only one week after SummerSlam
In a rather confusing move, WWE has scheduled another pay-per-view in August. Just one week after SummerSlam, the company will present Payback. And with only one episode of RAW and SmackDown to build to the event, the majority of matches on the card would likely be rematches from SummerSlam.
Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton will likely be one of them. So it makes sense for neither man to lose, heading into their rematch in the main event of Payback. That is where we see a winner between Orton and McIntyre. The new pay-per-view instantly receives the boost of featuring a huge main event, with a guaranteed winner.
The two could possibly do battle in a Steel Cage Match at Payback, as a way of keeping RETRIBUTION out. However it plays out, expect SummerSlam to be a vehicle to promote the upcoming WWE pay-per-view. The WWE Title match at Payback would essentially be an extension of their upcoming contest.
McIntyre vs Orton is a main event that draws fans. And if they face each other at Payback as well, the fans will be drawn. It will be interesting to see what WWE's plans are for the event.
We will most likely have to wait an extra week to find out the winner between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton. Hopefully, things become clearer and we find out exactly why Payback is scheduled for one week after SummerSlam.
