Come one, come all as WWE prepares to showcase their finest talent at the biggest party of the summer – SummerSlam. Of course, we all know that the second biggest pay per view of the year doesn’t always deliver, and over the course of the last few years, there have been a few errors in the system so to speak. Yes, we’re looking at you 2016 main event.
But never fear because this time round we’re here to run down all of the things we want to see in Brooklyn – bur we aren’t overly optimistic. The whole weekend will include Takeover: Brooklyn III and Raw/SmackDown, obviously in addition to SummerSlam itself, meaning that there will be a lot of wrestling to get through for the WWE Universe come the end of August.
While that may be considered a bad thing to some, others will see it as a big opportunity for WWE to create some fascinating storylines heading into the back half of 2017. Either way, you just know that we’re going to see some incredible moments throughout the weekend, if only from the juggernaut that is NXT.
So with all of that being said, here are 10 things we want to see over SummerSlam weekend.
#1 The fall of Asuka
The Japanese sensation that is Asuka has been running through the competition in WWE for quite some time now. Whether it’s Nikki Cross, Bayley or even Nia Jax, the Women’s Champion has been able to remain undefeated throughout her tenure in WWE. Now, in addition to her overwhelming success, she has a heel persona to protect.
Many fans are anticipating her eventual arrival on the main roster, and we think that SummerSlam weekend would be the perfect time for it to all come to fruition. We’d love for the person who finally defeats Asuka to be Ember Moon, as there was certainly an aura of controversy surrounding their match back at Takeover: Orlando.
Also read: 5 questions from WWE Money in the Bank 2017 that most need answering
#2 McIntyre’s rise
Ever since appearing at Takeover: Orlando, Drew McIntyre has been the name on everyone’s lips when it comes to the superstars down in developmental. The former Intercontinental Champion rejuvenated himself on the independent circuit, and now he seems poised to find success at Full Sail before coming up to the main roster once more.
The natural progression of Drew as a character, in our minds anyway, should see him challenging Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship in Brooklyn. You just know it’d be one of the most physical matches we’ve seen in years, and McIntyre is a believable threat when it comes to dethroning Roode as the champion.
The Big Dog has arrived.
#3 Reigns cements his legacy
If you saw Roman Reigns’ promo on this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, then you’ll understand why we believe that he’s on his way towards a full blown heel turn. The former Shield enforcer has been stagnant for a long time now, and with a potential bout against Brock Lesnar on the cards there’s no better time than SummerSlam for Roman to fulfil his bad guy destiny.
We aren’t quite sure whether we want to see him actually win the belt just yet, but even if he doesn’t, there’s still potential when it comes to a potential turn to the dark side. Just have Brock fluke his way towards successfully retaining the belt, only for Roman to snap and brutally attack Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Boom – instant heat.
#4 The Game returns
We haven’t seen Triple H properly on WWE television for a couple of months now, ever since his dramatic loss to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 33. Since then he’s been promoting and improving the product from behind the scenes, but after a short hiatus, we think the time is right for the Cerebral Assassin to re-surface once again.
It doesn’t have to be anything major, but we do believe that HHH needs to either interfere in or actually have a match at the Barclays Center. There’s no doubt in our minds that he can still go in the ring, and if his involvement in the pay per view leads us towards a potential bout at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans, then we’re all for it.
#5 SummerSlam Axxess
One of the main attractions during WrestleMania weekend is Superstar Axxess, which is a multi-day event that sees fans of all ages meet their favourite WWE superstars. There are signing booths, an NXT showcase section and even memorabilia for everyone present to enjoy.
WWE has actually run a couple of editions of this at SummerSlam in the past, but it never seemed to be as successful as many would’ve hoped. Because of that, we’d like to see them bring it back by modelling the design of the event around what they do at WrestleMania. If it works on that kind of stage, then it should be fine for the biggest party of the summer right?
#6 NXT call-ups
Over the last few years, the Raw after Mania has been the place for NXT debuts and big returns, which is understandable given that it marks the start of a new storytelling year for the company. However, what some people may not realise is that the night after SummerSlam has provided us with a few key moments too – including the debut/return of both Bayley and The Dudley Boyz.
So then, why not throw a couple more NXT call-ups into the mix for both Raw and SD Live? The aforementioned Asuka would be a good place to start, with both members of DIY also being in with a chance of reaching the big time following their eventual upcoming feud. It may seem a bit played out, but it’s worth it in the long run.
#7 2018 hype video
Every year at WrestleMania, one of the traditions of the event is a promo video that promotes the following year’s edition of the show. So then, why not start doing that for SummerSlam – starting off in a big way. Thirty years after the first ever SummerSlam, we want to see Wembley Stadium in England host the event for the second time.
There are obvious risks involved which have been pointed out several times over the years, but in terms of venues, you aren’t going to find many better in the world. If you leak this news more than a year in advance, then we guarantee that you’ll end up with attendances in excess of 80,000 and potentially even closer to 90,000.
#8 Unique stage
One of the big attractions behind any big pay per view, and by that we mean WrestleMania, is the staging. Back in the day, WWE would produce unique staging and sets for every single big event they ran, but unfortunately over the last few years that has fallen through the cracks in terms of importance levels compared to other things.
We aren’t asking for a whole lot here given how many people behind the scenes would have input on this, and it would make the event feel that little bit more unique (shockingly enough). This way, in years to come when people talk about SummerSlam 2017 they’ll easily know how to differentiate it from the other editions.
#9 The rise of tag team wrestling
In the last decade, tag team wrestling on the main roster has been fairly abysmal, and that’s an understatement. From joke champions to thrown together teams, there hasn’t really been a format to the madness on either Raw or SmackDown Live. Thankfully, a little project called NXT came along a few years back to save the day.
With teams like The Revival, The Authors of Pain, Heavy Machinery, The Hardy Boyz, Sheamus & Cesaro, American Alpha, The Usos, New Day and more all set to appear over the course of the weekend, there’s no excuse for failure. Give these teams some time and let them show the world what they can do.
#10 Shane takes a beating
Less than twelve months ago Shane McMahon made one of the biggest mistakes in his professional career, deciding to get into the ring with Brock Lesnar. As you can imagine things didn’t go so well for the boss’ son, as the Beast Incarnate took it upon himself to F5 McMahon into oblivion. You brought it on yourself, Shane-o-Mac.
This time round we want to see that happen again, but this time at the hands of Kevin Owens. The two men have an obvious chemistry together on the mic, and the story of Owens finally losing it and putting Shane on the shelf for months would be fascinating to watch. They don’t even necessarily have to blow it off at Mania either because there’s always Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble.
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