SummerSlam is WWE’s second most important pay-per-view of the year, behind WrestleMania. The storylines leading up to it have proved this fact.
Every major title will be defended, which is crucial to a major show such as SummerSlam.
(Note: the World Heavyweight Championship was taken off the card last week on Smackdown, but it will certainly be put back on before the show begins.)
There are six matches currently scheduled on the card, with the World Heavyweight Championship match likely to be added, along with a pre-show.
Santino Marella vs. Antonio Cesaro
(Pre-Show, for the United States Championship)
Santino is very fun to watch, but it is about time that he loses his US title. He rarely defends it, which is leading to diminishing importance of the title.
Cesaro is an up-and-coming star and would help bring back relevance to the belt. Santino can continue to entertain fans, while Cesaro can routinely defend his US Title as he rightfully should. This match is relegated to the pre-show, which means a short match that will likely result in a new champion.
- Prediction: Antonio Cesaro defeats Santino Marella
Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
This match was added to the card by AJ upon becoming General Manager of Raw. It looked like Charlie Sheen would have something to do with Daniel Bryan, but that quickly fell through.
AJ could possibly make an appearance during this match, which would distract Bryan and further humiliate him in her eyes.
- Prediction: Kane defeats Daniel Bryan
Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho is on his way out of WWE, due to a Fozzy tour, so he will certainly give his all to have a great match with Ziggler on Sunday night.
This feud began once Ziggler told Jericho that he could not win the “big one,” which has actually been true since Jericho’s return at the beginning of the year. Instead, he has been getting guys like CM Punk over in the process.
It would be great to see Jericho get a win before he went on another hiatus, but that win would barely benefit him while it would hurt Ziggler. Guys who leave mostly do it with a loss, and Jericho will follow that trend.
- Prediction: Dolph Ziggler defeats Chris Jericho
The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
(Intercontinental Championship)
The Miz began his rise back to the top on Raw 1000 when he defeated Christian to win the Intercontinental Championship. He was buried throughout the past year before he left to film a movie, and upon his return it seemed that he was back on the right track.
Mysterio defeated The Miz on Smackdown recently, which is likely the reason why this match was set up. While beating the champion demeans his title reign, it is not likely that The Miz will lose to Mysterio once again.
It could be that WWE is trying to cash in on Mysterio’s popularity by putting him on the card, but no matter the reason he should not end The Miz’s reign prematurely.
- Prediction: The Miz defeats Rey Mysterio to retain the Intercontinental Championship
R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. The Prime Time Players
(WWE Tag Team Championship)
The Prime Time Players are beginning their new era minus AW, who was recently fired due to comments he made during July 30th’s Raw. They no longer have someone to talk for them, so it will be interesting to see how they fare on the mic now that they are by themselves.
Truth and Kingston have been the champs for a while now, and it is time that they lose the titles to a true tag-team. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil have achieved their current level of popularity as a tag-team, and they should be rewarded by becoming champions.
Truth and Kingston can go back to competing in singles competition, while Young and O’Neil can defend their titles against their new rivals Epico and Primo.
- Prediction: The Prime Time Players defeat Truth and Kingston for the WWE Tag Team Championship
*Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio
(World Heavyweight Championship)
This match was called off last Friday night after Del Rio hired men dressed as police officers to attack Sheamus, but there is no way that the World Heavyweight Championship would not be defended on Sunday.
I am sure that tonight on Smackdown, Booker T will somehow reinstate the match. When (not if) he does this, it sets up Del Rio’s last chance to win the title. Randy Orton has returned, and even after his suspension for banned substances he will likely be pushed into the title picture.
Del Rio as champion would not be able to last long, and Sheamus would likely win it back quickly. Also, with Randy Orton back it would make much more sense for him to face Sheamus, as Orton plays the heel to Sheamus’s face character.
I am not sure where Del Rio will be placed on the card after SummerSlam, but the main event seems to be slipping away from him.
- Prediction: Sheamus defeats Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Big Show
(WWE Championship)
CM Punk defended his title against John Cena on Raw 1000 in a match that was ended when Big Show interfered and attacked Cena. This set up a truly memorable segment, which included The Rock taking out Show to help Cena, and ended by CM Punk clothes-lining The Rock and giving him the GTS.
The Rock announced that he will take on the WWE Champion at Royal Rumble next year, and it seems that Punk would be the likely choice to face The Rock in this match. While it is still a long ways away, it is not out of the question that Punk holds the title until then. This could lead to The Rock ending a historically long run by Punk as champion.
There is still a possibility that Cena could win the title, while Big Show is the least likely out of the three to emerge as champion. There are countless possibilities, but I still see Punk as champion after Sunday night.
- Prediction: CM Punk defeats John Cena and Big Show to retain the WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar
This match has been built up for months now and will finally take place on Sunday. Lesnar started the feud by “breaking” Triple H’s arm back in April, and Triple H kept asking for a match until Paul Heyman finally said Lesnar would compete just a few weeks ago.
The new angle added to this match has to do with Shawn Michaels, who was attacked by Lesnar at the end of Raw this past Monday night. Michaels was leaving the arena when his car was blocked by Paul Heyman’s. Lesnar then pulled Michaels out of his car when the picture on the perfectly placed camera went dark, but the audio still remained.
Lesnar then brought Michaels to the ring and “broke” his arm the same way he did to Triple H back in April. Triple H then went to help Michaels in the ring but it was too late, and Michaels was telling Triple H to get away from him.
It is very possible that Michaels could interfere on Lesnar’s behalf at SummerSlam, and claim that he did this because Triple H was not there to protect him on Monday. It would not be the first time the two friends feuded, as they have done so in the past.
Back to the actual match, I see Lesnar winning, as he was not brought back simply to lose. After losing to Cena at Extreme Rules, Lesnar needs a victory to build some credibility for a highly publicized match at WrestleMania.
Triple H would then be on a losing streak, but at this point in his career wins and losses do not matter. Just ask Chris Jericho.
- Prediction: Brock Lesnar defeats Triple H
About Steve Kubitza
[...] Midwest Sports Fans [...]