With Summerslam not too far round the corner, I thought Id take the time to analyse some possible match ups for the marquee event. Money in the Bank and Bryans health problems will play huge factors in how Summerslam unfolds but for now Ill do my best to predict some potential bouts. Please feel free to comment below what matches you think will happen and/or what matches you would like to see.
#1 Cody Rhodes v Goldust (I Quit match)
Personally I was hoping to see this match at Wrestlemania but Summerslam is an equally big enough stage to showcase this epic ‘brother v brother’ feud. It seemed evident that this match would eventually happen when Goldust made a fulltime in ring return last year. But now with the recent events of Cody airing his frustrations it seemed a heel turn was brewing and the dream matchup many have craved became more likely than ever.
However the storyline took a different swerve at Payback when instead of turning on his brother, he announced that Goldust deserved a better partner. Since then we have seen Goldust teaming with various other superstars from Sin Cara to R Truth. It appears this story may be more of a slow burn and Summerslam seems to be satisfying place for this feud to culminate.
I expect Cody to turn on his brother soon, possibly at the Battleground PPV and embrace his inner heel persona. An ‘I Quit match’ is a possibility I would really like to see but probably unlikely. Regardless, I will be looking forward to ‘Cody Rhodes v Goldust’ and truly hoping this dream matchup comes to fruition.
My Prediction If This Match Happens: A heel Cody wins and Goldust retires
#2 AJ Lee v Paige (Divas Title match)
Arguably the two best current divas that the company has to offer, could finally meet at Summerslam in what would be another dream match to many die-hard fans. AJ Lee is expected to return anytime soon and one can only assume she will evoke her rematch clause with Paige starting one of the most anticipated Divas battles in a long time.
If executed correctly, this feud could be on par with the ‘Trish v Lita’ or ‘Trish v Mickie James’ rivalries. Depending on when AJ returns, Summerslam may not be the first time they meet at PPV, they could quite easily have a match Battleground. Either way I fully expect this to be a long rivalry and hope it lives up to expectations. Once again an ‘I Quit match’ or a ‘Submission match’ are both quite plausible and would make the showdown even more memorable.
Last year AJ dominated the competition with her deadly ‘Black Widow’ submission and now Paige has been dominating with the ferocious ‘Scorpion Cross Lock’. The only problem is that WWE may be reluctant to go this route, or the idea may not have even crossed their minds. Hopefully they will invest in this feud, giving it a proper build up and allowing them sufficient time to work a match.
My Prediction If This Match Happens: As much as I love AJ, Paige should win round one of this rivalry
#3 Triple H v Roman Reigns
If the numerous “rumours” I’ve read online are any indication, then this match is almost a certainty. Two warriors finally colliding in singles competition, one a multiple time world champion with a decorated career, the other a young, hungry powerhouse who is destined to be the future of the WWE. This could be the big singles push the WWE have been preparing Reigns for.
But to be honest I am a little worried if Reigns is ready yet. He clearly has the fans behind him but his in ring work may not be diverse enough to cut it as a top singles star. There is no doubt that he is continually improving but his current in ring ability definitely suits the chaotic style of large tag team matches, so only time will tell if he can stand alone and still impress.
Also with the added element of Rollins betraying his ‘brothers’, there’s no saying who from The Shield will receive the biggest push first. Rollins has clearly been impressive of late and both he and Ambrose have done their way around the independent circuit, obviously showing they can hold their own as singles star. It’s possible that Rollins may be pushed into the world title scene as a feud with him and Bryan would be superb while Reigns may stay in a team with Ambrose where he will have time to further improve. Regardless, I still think it would be wrong to have Reigns lose to Triple H, however there is always room for a twist that surprises everyone
My Predictions If This Match Happens: I’ll have to go with a Reigns victory in what should be a gruelling battle
#4 Bad News Barrett v Sheamus (IC/US Unification match)
Admittedly, this is probably the least likely to happen compared to the all other matches I’ve mentioned so far. But I do believe it could happen and if it does, it should happen at a colossal PPV (yes, in case you hadn’t noticed yet, I will still refer to them as ‘Pay Per Views’, not ‘Special Events’) like Summerslam. Personally, I didn’t like that they unified the WWE and World titles.
However I do agree they may have had too many titles especially since the likes of Ambrose rarely defended and they never booked a proper feud for Big E. That’s why I hoped they would instead unify the IC and US titles. Of course that didn’t happen but now they have the opportunity to again with two solid workers, Barrett and Sheamus, holding the respective titles.
I believe that if they unify these titles then they won’t have enough belts, that’s why I’m still hoping they split the belts again and they have a perfect chance to do this coming up. Here’s an idea, since Bryan’s been stripped of the title, instead of just having one money in the bank match for the championship, split the titles again so you can have one mitb match for the WWE Championship and then have another one for the World Heavyweight Championship. Anyways I digress; Barret and Sheaumus have both been interacting recently along with Cesaro and RVD so it’s quite possible this could happen. They both have an aggressive, rough, and physical in ring style that I think would blend well. Barrett has been winning a lot of fans over as of late and Sheamus has grown stale so I think a Sheamus heel turn would be ‘best for business’. His character doesn’t really suit a ‘face role’ and past experiences show that he can excel a dominant monster heel.
My Prediction If This Match Happens: Barrett should really win this match. It would give his character a major boost and push him as a top star moving forward.
#5 Daniel Bryan v Brock Lesnar (WWE title match)
Similar to Lesnar’s match against Punk at Summerslam last year, in the since it would be a ‘David v Goliath’ battle and I'm afraid the outcome would also have to be the same. This is a matchup that would steal the show but Bryan’s health puts this match in jeopardy. With the mitb match now appearing to be for the title, it’s hard to see Lesnar entering and winning but that could happen.
Alternatively Bryan could enter and win back the title but that also seems wishful thinking. I'm struggling to see how this match could unfold, although I hope it does, there is an alternative that seems more reasonable at this stage.
My Prediction If This Match Happens: There is no way the WWE can have Lesnar lose his first match back after conquering the streak.
#6 Brock Lesnar v Cesaro
I thought this match would be more suited to Wrestlemania 31 but with the recent events that have unfolded, this blockbuster may come early. If Bryan injury is much worse than imagined, then Cesaro could win the title at mitb and Lesnar could return to start an intriguing rivalry amongst Paul Heyman guys.
However, I assume Bryan would probably be right to wrestle by Summerslam and in which case the WWE won’t want its most popular superstar not performing at their arguably second biggest event of the year. Therefore, a triple threat match between Bryan, Cesaro and Lesnar is an option. However I think this triple threat match would be better for Night Of Champions, the WWE wanting Bryan for Summerslam will play a factor.
Maybe Bryan will face Kane in a Buried Alive match at Summerslam to finally bury the hatchet before being granted his rematch for the title at NOC. Perhaps Rollins (with help from HHH) will win the title at mitb and battle with a returning Bryan at Summerslam while Cesaro and Lesnar will feud without championships playing a part. Regardless, Lesnar v Cesaro is a bout that could indeed happen.
My Prediction If This Match Happens: One again, there is no way the WWE can have Lesnar lose his first match back after conquering the streak.
#7 Final Thoughts
In closing, I will sum up with some final points. The road to Summerslam is still fairly long and there is plenty of time for some unpredictable swerves. There are also many key superstars who should be on the card that I haven’t predicted matches for including Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, The Usos and Randy Orton among many others.
That being said, I could also possibly see a Seth Rollins v Bryan match for the title, while Lesnar and Cesaro may still battle without titles on the line. Rollins v Ambrose seems likely to happen at mitb but a long rivalry like they had in FCW makes since so a match at Summerslam is possible. Who knows, we might even see Fandango v Adam Rose, maybe… in the pre-show. CM Punk might even return, well, I can still dream. No one really knows what we can expect, but as time roles on, expect the plans for Summerslam begin to become much clearer.
