WWE SummerSlam 2018: 5 biggest Superstars who will miss the event

With the 2018 SummerSlam pay-per-view just around the corner, over 30 WWE Superstars are preparing to compete on the match card of this year’s August extravaganza.

The featured matches include Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship), AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Championship), Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw Women’s Championship) and Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins (Intercontinental Championship).

Daniel Bryan will also be in action, facing The Miz in a match eight years in the making, while every title from Raw and SmackDown Live, as well as the Cruiserweight Championship from 205 Live, will be defended on the show.

However, while this might be the most stacked SummerSlam card in recent memory, it’s also notable that several of today’s most prominent Superstars are missing entirely from the event.

Elias, Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton are the exceptions, as they are not included on the card but they are still likely to make appearances, but the same cannot be said for some of their high-profile colleagues.

In this article, let’s take a look at the five biggest full-time Superstars (i.e. not John Cena and The Undertaker) and tag teams who WWE has decided not to book in a match this Sunday.

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#5 The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection

Bayley has never competed at SummerSlam

Reason for SummerSlam absence: The recent rivalry between Sasha Banks & Bayley, aka The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection, and The Riott Squad only heated up last week with the return of Ruby Riott, so this feud isn't yet worthy of being on a big PPV.

Chances of appearing on the show: There’s next-to-no chance of Sasha and Bayley getting involved in the Raw Women’s title match. The only realistic way they’ll make an appearance is if they’re included in a backstage segment or video package about famous WWE matches that have taken place in Brooklyn.

Possible future storyline: Right now, Sasha and Bayley seem to be on the same page, and speculation about them turning against each other once and for all has quietened. Both women deserve great spots on the Evolution card, so perhaps Women’s tag titles will be introduced and The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection can be among the contenders?

#4 Bray Wyatt

Has Bray Wyatt split from Matt Hardy?

Reason for SummerSlam absence: The Deleters of Worlds lost another rematch against The B-Team for the Raw Tag Team Championships on this week’s Raw, with The Revival also involved in the match, and they no longer appear to be in the title picture.

Chances of appearing on the show: Very slim. In fact, judging by social media posts in recent days, it looks like Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy are finished as a tag team, which means “The Eater of Worlds” has no obvious rivals on the SummerSlam card.

Possible future storyline: Bray has hinted on social media that he is looking for some new entrance music, so it’s possible that his character could change in the near future if and when he becomes a singles performer again. One dream rivalry would be with Braun Strowman, the man he brought to WWE as a Wyatt Family member.

#3 Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam 2017

Reason for SummerSlam absence: Jinder Mahal has played a bit-part role in the rivalry between Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens in recent weeks, which means he has been without a meaningful one-on-one rivalry of his own.

Chances of appearing on the show: Very likely. KO has been known to pull out all the stops to win matches in the past, and he is in desperate need of a victory this Sunday to win the Money In The Bank contract from Braun. Jinder is one of Owens’ few allies, so expect him to appear at some point and attempt to cost "The Monster Among Men".

Possible future storyline: It’s difficult to see where Jinder goes from here. He’s unlikely to be in the hunt for either singles title on Raw right now, while he’s already feuded with Roman Reigns. Finn Balor will need a heel to face once his rivalry with Baron Corbin is over, so maybe we’ll see a Jinder vs. Balor story soon?

#2 The Bar

Sheamus & Cesaro are four-time Raw Tag Team champions

Reason for SummerSlam absence: The Bar returned to SmackDown Live after a two-month break to defeat The Usos in the tag team tournament. However, they lost the #1 contender match against The New Day, meaning they didn’t advance to face The Bludgeon Brothers this Sunday.

Chances of appearing on the show: Very unlikely. Sheamus and Cesaro have both appeared on several SummerSlam cards in the past, but there isn’t a SmackDown Live storyline that they could slot into in Brooklyn.

Possible future storyline: The Bar have been a brilliant tag team over the last two years, but can any duo really recover from losing to a 10-year-old at WrestleMania? No. No, they cannot. The best thing they can do is split up and go back to being singles performers.

#1 Asuka

Asuka won the Royal Rumble in January

Reason for SummerSlam absence: Asuka lost back-to-back PPV matches for the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella, with James Ellsworth interfering to cost “The Empress of Tomorrow” on both occasions, and she hasn’t been seen on WWE television for the last three weeks.

Chances of appearing on the show: Hmm, 50/50. There was a lot of speculation recently that she would be added to the Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair match at SummerSlam, while she has been working alongside Becky and Charlotte at live events, so an interference or appearance after the match can't be ruled out.

Possible future storyline: With Evolution on the horizon, it would be a shame if a Superstar of Asuka’s calibre doesn’t have a meaningful storyline. In all likelihood, she’ll probably return to the SmackDown Women’s Championship scene soon – after all, her two matches against Carmella for the title were marred with controversy.