5 shocking twists that can happen at WWE SummerSlam 2025

WWE's Biggest Party of The Summer, SummerSlam 2025, is just two nights away. For the first time in the history of the company, the Stamford-based promotion will have a two-night SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Several big matches are on the card on both nights of the show. John Cena will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes, while Gunther will put his World Heavyweight Title on the line against CM Punk.

The OTC1 Roman Reigns will team up with Jey Uso to lock horns with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker on Night One in a tag team match. Similarly, Tiffany Stratton will square off against Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship. Naomi will also put her newly won Women's World Championship on the line against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY in a Triple Threat encounter.

Since it's one of the biggest WWE events after WrestleMania, the show is expected to have some dramatic twists and surprises that will leave the fans spellbound.

In this listicle, we will discuss five shocking twists that can happen at SummerSlam:

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#5. AJ Styles joins The Judgment Day after winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Phenomenal One finally gets an opportunity to win the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. He has been after the title for quite some time and has been looking to get his hands on Dominik Mysterio. However, the surprise that might unseat the fans at SummerSlam is AJ Styles turning heel and joining The Judgment Day as Dominik's replacement.

Dominik might also turn face at SummerSlam and exit the heel faction. There has already been tension brewing between Dom and Finn Balor for some time. After losing the gold, The Prince might come out to beat up Dom, and then officially induct Styles as the newest member of The Judgment Day after Roxanne Perez.

Styles turned face last year, after returning from his injury on SmackDown. As a heel in 2024, he fought Cody Rhodes twice for the Undisputed Championship at two big premium live events. It will be interesting to see if the two-time WWE Champion would challenge CM Punk or Cody Rhodes for the world title if either of them wins at SummerSlam.

#4. Randy Orton turns heel, attacking Jelly Roll after losing the match

Randy Orton will team up with singer-rapper, Jelly Roll, for a tag team match against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul at SummerSlam. However, The Viper might fall short of a victory as Jelly Roll is no match against McIntyre or Logan Paul. Orton will have a disadvantage in this match, as he may not be able to count on equal support from Jelly Roll in this contest.

Therefore, there is a chance that The Apex Predator ends up on the losing side, and if that happens, he can go mad against Jelly Roll and attack him, turning heel in the process.

Randy's heel turn has been speculated for some time, as he has been a face for a while now. Moreover, he has also lost quite a number of significant matches as a face in WWE. The Viper, as a heel, has always been an interesting option for the fans, as he does out-of-the-box stuff as a villain. At SummerSlam, the 14-time WWE World Champion can turn heel.

#3. Jey Uso turns on Roman Reigns

One big shocking event at SummerSlam could be Jey Uso betraying Roman Reigns and costing the tag team match against Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker. Roman Reigns is a strong contender to win at SummerSlam, but the creative team might not let Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker lose clean this early.

The only way to end the match is to get Jey to turn on Roman Reigns and then cost him the match. This way, Jey also turns heel and once again gets a chance to go one-on-one clash against The Big Dog. The last time they squared off against each other was in 2023 at SummerSlam, which Jey lost after Jimmy Uso betrayed him.

In both cases, the outcome of this tag team match will be unexpected, and WWE might end it on a high note with a big surprise.

#2. Seth Rollins returns and costs CM Punk his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match

Seth Rollins is currently out injured, but WWE might bring him back for a special segment. The Visionary might shockingly return at SummerSlam and disrupt the World Heavyweight Championship match between Punk and Gunther. The Best in the World has a good chance to win this world title match at SummerSlam.

Rollins can play spoiler by once again attacking Punk and costing him the match. The Visionary, who, according to some reports, seemingly has real-life heat with Punk, had earlier said that as long as he's there in WWE, he won't let Punk win a world title.

This might be one of the shocking twists on Night One of SummerSlam if Rollins returns and screws CM Punk out of his World Heavyweight Title opportunity.

#1. The Rock returns, betrays John Cena, and gets Cody Rhodes as his guy in WWE

The biggest shocker of SummerSlam 2025 could be The Rock returning and betraying John Cena. The 17-time WWE World Champion is expected to drop the gold to Cody Rhodes at the mega event.

However, the title change might not be that smooth, and instead, The Final Boss can be part of the whole segment. Since John Cena is confirmed to hang up his boots by the end of this year, he is also expected to turn face before then.

This can happen when The Rock turns on him and helps out Cody Rhodes, simultaneously leading to The American Nightmare's heel turn. SummerSlam with this ending will have an incredible effect on the WWE Universe. On the other hand, Cody's heel turn will be another exciting thing to watch.

The ball is now in Triple H's court, and it depends on the WWE CCO how he executes the finish of the main event of WWE SummerSlam 2025.