SummerSlam is just a few days away, and the card is so massive that we had to break up our preview into two parts. Part I was posted a couple days ago and features the non-title bouts as well as the matches on the Kickoff Show. Today’s SummerSlam preview features all of the championship matches on the main show, as well as one Kickoff Show match that was announced right after Part I was published.
The Miz, Bo Dallas, & Curtis Axel vs. The Hardy Boyz & Jason Jordan
Last week, this exact match happened on Monday Night Raw and the faces won. Since there is not enough time to put The Hardy Boyz on SummerSlam and also have an Intercontinental Championship match, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle decided to run the same match again on the Kickoff Show.
Prediction:
Since it is the Kickoff Show, WWE is going to want to keep the fans as excited and energized as possible, so the faces will probably win again on Sunday. Winners: The Hardy Boyz & Jason Jordan
Sheamus & Cesaro (c) vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose – Raw Tag Team Championships
The Raw Tag Team Champions kind of got themselves in this mess. Over the past month, Seth Rollins has been trying to regain Dean Ambrose’s trust three years after betraying the Lunatic Fringe and Roman Reigns to join the Authority. Throughout weeks of “will they, won’t they,” Sheamus and Cesaro antagonized them for not being able to get along.
On Raw this week, they were unsure if they should finally reunite when the champs attacked them. Now that they both had a common enemy, they worked together to ward of Sheamus and Cesaro, which was exactly what they needed to get on the same page. Kurt Angle liked this so much, apparently, that he booked a Tag Title match just six days in advance. The question remains though: How long can this alliance last?
Prediction:
I don’t like making my predictions based on rumors, but word is that Sheamus is going to take some time off to film a movie after SummerSlam. This would be a good time to give ⅔ of the Shield a short run with the gold, and if they decide to turn Ambrose, Sheamus and Cesaro can pick up where they left off. If not, then Raw will just have an even more stacked tag team division. Winners, and NEW Raw Tag Team Champions: Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose
AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens – United States Championship (Shane McMahon as Special Guest Referee)
For months, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens have been battling over the United States Championship. Styles won the title from Owens at a Madison Square Garden Live Event, only for Owens to win it back at Battleground. Then two days later on SmackDown Live, Chris Jericho made a surprise return and Styles recaptured the title in a Triple Threat Match against Owens and Jericho.
After the last loss, Owens cashed in his rematch as soon as possible, but Styles retained the title because of a bad call from the referee. Owens demanded a competent referee, so Daniel Bryan decided to make Shane McMahon in charge for the match. Neither competitor has had a good history with McMahon, and the Commissioner of SmackDown is known to screw people over as a referee, so this could go haywire.
Prediction:
This is a good place to end the current story of AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens. SmackDown could use more fresh match-ups, and if Styles is the man of his word, he could and should bring back the US Open Challenge. Winner, and STILL United States Champion: AJ Styles
Naomi (c) vs. Natalya – SmackDown Women’s Championship
Based on her track record this year, Naomi can probably stake her claim as the greatest SmackDown Women’s Champion thus far. She captured the belt a couple months before WrestleMania and only forfeited the belt due to injury. She then came back at WrestleMania to win the belt for the second time (in her hometown of Orlando) and she has retained against all challengers. Now she takes on Natalya, who earned this opportunity by surprisingly winning a Fatal Five-Way Elimination match at Battleground, defeating Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Tamina, and Lana.
Prediction:
It seems like no matter who wins, Carmella is going to steal the spotlight with the Money in the Bank briefcase (and win this time, unlike Baron Corbin). It would be interesting to have a triple threat title feud going on, so let’s give Natalya the win. Winner, and NEW SmackDown Women’s Champion: Natalya
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks – Raw Women’s Championship
A few weeks ago, Bayley defeated Sasha Banks to challenge Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam, but she injured her shoulder a week later against Nia Jax. After two triple threat matches, Banks and Jax squared off to determine Bliss’ new opponent, and without any tomfoolery, Banks forced Jax to tap out in the middle of the ring.
There hasn’t been a ton of build for this match, but rumor has it that Bliss and Banks have real-life animosity between each other, so that always makes for an enticing match.
Prediction:
With the changeup of who is facing Bliss, it seems odd that WWE would pull the trigger on a new champion with a last-minute plan. Winner, and STILL Raw Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss
Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Championship
After defeating Randy Orton in three consecutive WWE Championship matches, it was time for Jinder Mahal to have a new opponent. In a first-ever match, Shinsuke Nakamura defeated John Cena (and almost broke his neck) to become the new #1 Contender for the title. Mahal and Nakamura have nothing against each other; they are just battling for the title. It is refreshing to see a feud that isn’t about hating the other guy’s country.
Prediction:
Mahal has had a three-month long run with the WWE Championship and now it is time to have SmackDown Live led by the King of Strong Style. Winner, and NEW WWE Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Universal Championship
This is definitely one of the biggest SummerSlam main events in terms of both spectacle and sheer size. Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns all made valid points to Kurt Angle that they deserve a title opportunity so instead of choosing, Angle went with all of them. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman find this unfair so if Lesnar loses, he is walking out of WWE.
Prediction:
The talk of Lesnar leaving WWE might get some more fans to tune in, but it definitely won’t happen until his contract expires. Winner, and STILL WWE Universal Champion: Brock Lesnar
