WWE SummerSlam 2019: Predicting the quality of every match

We're a day away from the 2019 edition of WWE's "biggest party of the summer." Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like that big of a party. The card is underwhelming, to say the least, and feels more like it should be a filler pay per view in September or October. It's a stark contrast to even just last year, let alone some other events.

One of the good things, though, is that it looks like a relatively condensed card. There are 10 matches as of now, instead of the even more exhausting 12 or 13 we'd normally expect on the card of a "big four" pay per view.

Out of the 10, which should you anticipate the most? Which the least? Which should you go out of your way to watch? Let's take a look.

#10 Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

After the disastrous Undertaker match two months ago, Goldberg is no doubt looking to redeem himself, but all the same, this match feels totally random. It feels like WWE are trying desperately to pull an ace from the "old-timer" deck because they know how unexciting the current state of the company is.

Goldberg's SummerSlam return could have been made into something more if he got a more exciting opponent, like the new Bray Wyatt, who could have used a victory over a legend like Goldberg. That isn't what's happening, though. Does anyone really expect Dolph Ziggler to be anything other than fodder?

Goldberg's entrance will probably take longer than this match.

The squash should be a fun sight to see, but will otherwise be pointless in terms of positioning the company heading into the fall. Its brevity will probably be its biggest selling point. Goldberg will turn Dolph Ziggler into paste quickly and that's going to be that.

#9 Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

If you'll recall, it was at SummerSlam two years ago when these two began their overlong feud that dragged all the way to WrestleMania 34. Now they're doing battle again, albeit with the roles reversed.

Kevin Owens is channeling the spirit of Stone Cold Steve Austin against another McMahon, but it really hasn't been that great, even if it is getting the former over.

Despite all of it, there's not much pop to this match. Shane McMahon is the worst thing on WWE television right now and has been for almost the entirety of the year. The best we can hope for is that Owens will put us out of our misery and let us move on.

#8 Becky Lynch vs. Natalya

Exactly a year after the genesis of "The Man" persona, Becky Lynch's SummerSlam opponent this time around is the technically sound but unexciting Natalya.

There's little realistic chance that Lynch will lose her championship tomorrow night, so that lack of suspense will take away from the match on its own. The most we can hope for is a well-choreographed match that sucks us into the action, although Lynch hasn't always been the most consistent performer on the technical end of things.

Natalya should bring the most out of her but again, there's hardly any pop.

Hopefully Becky Lynch will get a certain NXT newcomer for an opponent after SummerSlam.

#7 Bayley vs. Ember Moon

This match is in much the same boat as the Raw women's title match. It doesn't have a lot of pop to it. The build has arguably been worse. But at least it's fresh. It's the first time we've ever seen this match in a WWE ring. Ember Moon also has a more explosive style than Natalya, which will make her a more exciting title challenger.

Either way, there's little realistic chance that Bayley will lose her championship to Ember Moon, who hasn't been built up as a slightly credible champion at this point. That lack of suspense should deplete from the match.

#6 Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan

Among the most underrated performers in the company, Drew Gulak and Oney Lorcan will meet for the purple strap. Technically, this should be one of the best matches of the night. We all know what both of these guys can do. Unfortunately, it will surely take place on the kickoff show, so the crowd will take some away. It always does in Cruiserweight Championship matches.

Drew Gulak should retain here after a hard-fought battle. Seeing him maneuver the tough Orcan into a submission will be a selling point.

#5 Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

There's some intrigue behind this match, as Randy Orton has history with Kofi Kingston stretching back a decade, where he tried to undercut him. WWE has capitalized on this animosity and now the two men will meet again as competitors transformed.

Unfortunately, Orton is off his game. If this match had taken place a year ago, when Orton had returned and was doing some of the best heel work of his career, it would have a lot more pop to it. As it stands, Orton has reverted back into his typical heel persona.

It should still be a fun match, but not as fun as it could have been.

#4 Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Speaking of things that would have been better a year ago, this is the textbook example. If this match had taken place last year, it would have been the hottest thing on the card. Now, it's just exhausting to think about. We've seen enough Brock Lesnar matches. We've seen enough of this rivalry. Seth Rollins has cooled off significantly.

This match should be good as far as pure work rate goes, but it feels more like a zombie acting out of instinct than something with any real breath of life. Unfortunately, Rollins is probably going to lose and Raw will go into another holding pattern until WrestleMania 36.

#3 Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus

WWE is pulling another ace from its "old-timer" deck by bringing Trish Stratus back to face the woman who broke her record, Charlotte Flair, at SummerSlam. A lot of fans had been anticipating a match like this for a long time, and now it will happen.

It's surely not going to be anything brilliant as far as work rate goes, but Charlotte always comes to life in the biggest moments (this year's WrestleMania main event being the unfortunate exception) and she should be able to carry this match at the very least.

Charlotte will probably win, too, which is the right way to do these kinds of matches.

#2 Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor

This rivalry was poor two years ago. Now it's coming back, but Bray Wyatt has been transformed and is doing some of the best work of his career. Now he'll finally come back to the ring under this new persona that's got everyone buzzing.

If Finn Balor was the Demon, this would be without question the most exciting match of the night, but unfortunately, it looks like he won't be. Still, there's going to be enough excitement to see Wyatt return that Balor's obvious loss won't hurt this thing too much.

#1 AJ Styles vs. Ricochet

AJ Styles cut Ricochet's United States title reign short last month with a little help from some friends. Since then, he, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows have emerged as the most dominant faction on Raw, holding all of its male midcard titles.

To get his gold back, Ricochet will need to overcome not only Styles, but Gallows and Anderson. It's going to be an explosive match, work-rate wise, if these two are allowed to go all out for a while, and since the card won't be as bloated, they just well might. Fewer matches means more time for the matches that do make the card.

Ricochet probably won't win due to Gallows and Anderson, but he might seek allies. Either way, this match should do the most to establish the storylines that dominate Raw following SummerSlam. We should just sit back and enjoy the action.