WWE Summerslam: Full Card and Predictions

We are just days away from the 25 installment (read: NOT 25th anniversary, as WWE will tell you) of what most consider WWE’s second biggest pay-per-view of the year (behind Wrestlemania), Summerslam. Rumour had it a few months ago that Vince McMahon was looking to make the annual summer event a bigger deal than it has been in years past, and considering the card, that looks to be the case.

WWE United States Championship (pre-show): Antonio Cesaro (w/Aksana) vs. Champion Santino Marella

WWE has been saying that it’s basically “make or break” time for Cesaro, and I think this Sunday night will be his moment to begin shining. While I have nothing but respect for Santino Marella and am a big fan, let’s face facts-WWE has done NOTHING with the US title since Marella won it, with his defenses being few and far between. If WWE wants the belt to mean anything to the fans, it’s time to take it off a comedy wrestler and put it on someone who can use it as a springboard to the next level. Cesaro is in prime pouncing position for that push, and has already defeated Marella twice in non-title matches. Cesaro handily earns his first championship Sunday night by defeating Marella. Expect the match to be short and somewhat one-sided, with Cesaro dominating.

WWE Tag Team Championship: Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. The Prime-Time Players (Titus O’Neil and Darren Young)

Despite PTP losing AW as its mouthpiece, Vince seems to be high on these two, and them winning the gold has been in the works for several months now. With Triple H planning to put more emphasis on tag team wrestling as he takes on more power and backstage duties, the perfect start would be with a young, hungry team looking to break through. Although I’m not a fan of PTP, they’ve been the most consistent team in the company over the last few months, and it would make no sense to have Kingston and Truth retain once more. Expect new champions in this one.

Intercontinental Championship: Champion The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

This one is hard to predict. On one hand, Miz seems to be in the midst of a bit of a career rejuvenation, and taking the title off him so soon could kill that momentum in an instant. On the other hand, Mysterio, despite being a troublemaker, moves a hell of a lot of merchandise and appeals to kids, which means he’ll always get a push, whether deserved or not. I’m going with Miz on this one, since Triple H has stated he wants longer title reigns for all champions, but a Mysterio win is also not out of the question.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

Honestly, there isn’t much to this match. Outside of the business with AJ Lee earlier this year, Bryan and Kane’s feud has pretty much run it’s course. Kane has done absolutely nothing since putting the mask back on late last year, and I don’t expect that trend to stop. He’s in the twilight of his career and could be retiring by the end of the year, so I fully expect him to continue to put others over. Bryan, despite losing the World title and narrowly being defeated by WWE Champion CM Punk on several occasions, is a gold mine, and everyone in WWE knows it. Expect somewhat of an upset win here with Bryan getting the duke.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero)

Much like Kane, Jericho is in a position to help younger guys get over rather than get himself over. The fact is, Jericho has pretty much done everything there is to do in WWE, and doesn’t need this win. Ziggler, on the other hand, has been building momentum all year, and the current “Mr. Money in the Bank” can only benefit by defeating Jericho. Also like Kane, rumors have been floating around for sometime that Jericho will be done with WWE before the end of the year, and that this is likely his last run with the company. I expect Ziggler to take this match in what could potentially steal the show.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

Normally, it would make a lot of sense for Lesnar to go over in this one. He’s younger, bigger, stronger, faster, has major cross-over appeal and would likely benefit from a win over Triple H, much like he did in victories over Hulk Hogan and The Rock in 2002. However, this is a different time, and Lesnar has a different contract. Lesnar’s deal is up come after Wrestlemania, and he’s on a very limited number of dates, with nearly half of them already being used up. Lesnar’s deal was more or less for publicity, thanks to him returning to WWE after retiring from UFC and mixed-martial arts altogether. Since he has been back, although he has created quite a stir, he really hasn’t done anything all that noteworthy. He has wrestled a total of one match, which was against John Cena, and he lost. That’s it. There’s no more to it than that. At Summerslam, he’s got Triple H, another very established WWE star. Although “The Game” is semi-retired at this point, the fact is he’s basically in charge of the company and will likely take full control when Vince McMahon eventually retires. He’s in it for the long haul and isn’t going anywhere, while there is absolutely no guarantee Lesnar will still be in WWE this time next year, as there has been no talk of renegotiating once his deal is up. If we knew for sure Lesnar was hanging around after Wrestlemania, a win here would not be out of the question. However, that scenario is extremely unlikely at this point, and we’re all but guaranteed a Triple H win in this one.

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: The Big Show vs. John Cena vs. Champion CM Punk

As we all know by now, The Rock is scheduled to face whoever the champion may be at the 2013 Royal Rumble for the title, and both Cena & Punk are likely candidates to take that spot. However, I personally think Punk is the better choice. Cena/Rock was done once this year at Wrestlemania, and while good, it’s not something I need to see again. Punk, on the other hand, would be a completely fresh face for The Rock to face, and a literal dream match for some fans. After Punk knocked Rock out with a GTS a few weeks ago, he seems the logical choice to continue tearing through WWE until January rolls around. As for Big Show, like nearly all of his championship matches, he’s a lame duck opponent, and has little to no chance of coming out of this one the victor. Punk should retain here.