Carmella, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya, Eva Marie & Alexa Bliss
Generally speaking, these multi-men – or, in this case, multi-women – tag matches aren’t really my forte and rarely do they really matter in the grand scheme of things however this may very well be an exception to the rule only because of the storyline that has developed in regards to Eva Marie.
As noted the other day, I find this gimmick of her finding all sorts of excuses to avoid competing totally brilliant and this is something I can easily see carrying on in this match. Now, sooner or later she’ll have to step in the ring and there can’t really be any avoiding it at Summerslam but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this storyline can’t still play out. The way I see it, any two women can start the match (except Eva Marie, of course unless she teases to start off only to immediately tag one of her partners in) and at some point, after almost all have had their ring time one on one, a brawl could start where all women are in the ring at the same time going at it, eventually knocking each other out while Eva Marie kind of stays in the background, avoiding once more to get into the action. Afterwards, with practically every women lying down, only THEN does Eva Marie tag herself, get in the ring, cover the first opponent available and pick up the win. Not a single move, nothing, just Eva Marie seizing the opportunity and making the most of it without lifting a damn finger, or, say worst case, perhaps a simple elbow drop and then the pin.
I think this would fit wonderfully to the gimmick she’s been given, both by playing her character as well as having the ability now to say that “hey, I competed and I won”.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (First Match in Best of Seven Series)
As of this writing there was no form of stipulation announced for this match so I guess it’s fair to assume it will be a regular one on one encounter. Just to be clear, I only say this thinking that at some point down the road these two will probably have a gimmick match or two, whether it’d be a last man standing, a street fight or anything of that nature.
As far as this specific match is concerned, given that Cesaro already had a couple of wins over Sheamus in the beginning of the month on back to back RAW’s, my pick here is Sheamus; that’s probably as simple a prediction as it gets…
The Miz vs. Apollo Crews (Intercontinental Championship)
It’s almost as if WWE are looking at this as a joke, which really saddens me because historically the IC belt has been very prestigious and important. I mean, if it wasn’t already enough that we barely had any build for this matchup, they actually did a promo on the go home show…during the commercial break. What is that suppose to tell us?
Anyhow, I feel that once more Miz will find a shitty way to win and retain. See, I’d personally be all for Apollo Crews winning had WWE made the proper steps to build the guy but the fact of the matter is they haven’t. They guy has barely been on TV, barely said a word, barely had any interaction and as noted above, their final promotional segment took place during the commercials. So, even though Smackdown is about opportunity for the new guys, it doesn’t feel that the proper steps were taken in order for us to accept Apollo Crews as the new IC Champion and as much as I am bored with the Miz, I feel he will retain.
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
I think it only makes sense that Enzo and Cass go over here. Needless to say they are one of the hottest acts in WWE these days, this is also a homecoming for Enzo and Cass and, well, they obviously need the win a lot more than Y2J and KO do.
The constant “I got your back” between Jericho and Owens basically leads me to believe that there will probably be some kind of miscue during the match that will be proven costly or, being that both are extremely cocky anyway, maybe one of them simply…walks out. If that were to be the case, I’d put my money on KO to walk out so Jericho would eat the pin fall and come to think of it, I don’t think a feud between those two would be a bad idea.
Aside from that, there are also a lot of rumors going around about possible trades taking place after Summerslam and Kevin Owens has been heavily speculated to be amongst those moving to Smackdown so if this were to be the case, there’s another reason why Jeri-KO doesn’t appear to be lasting much longer.
One way or another, Enzo and Cass win...
The New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson (Tag Team Championship)
Has the time finally arrived that New Day drop the belts? Over the past few months I’ve been speculating that New Day’s run would come to an end at Summerslam, however the idea I had pitched was for them to be facing Enzo and Cass in what I considered at the time a dream match (not to mention a money match) between two of the best face teams around these days. Instead, WWE decided to grant Gallows and Anderson a shot at the tag titles, which, don’t get me wrong, is absolutely fine.
The way I see it, a crowning of new tag champs is due and based once more on who needs it more, Gallows and Anderson seem like the logical choice. New Day are over as is anyway and them still holding the titles really won’t change much simply because they have nothing to prove, unlike Gallows and Anderson, not to mention that with a heel team as tag champs, Enzo and Cass could easily be next in line for a feud.
The only thing that got me thinking WWE may actually keep the belts on New Day is a recent reference Cole made in regards to the record holders. Up until recently, the announce team kept mentioning Kendrick and London as the ones holding the record for longest WWE Tag Team title reign, as was the case once New Day surpassed them. Last week, however, they actually acknowledged Demoliton as the team with the longest title reign as World Tag Team Champions, which I honestly found somewhat weird given that it kind of came out of the blue and more so in the midst of a law suit against WWE and in which two members of Demolition are involved in.
Would this mean that maybe WWE want to keep the belts on New Day so they can break Demolition’s record or am I reading too much into it? As much as nit picking as it may sound, you can’t disregard the fact that almost everything we hear from the commentators (or superstars for that matter) is scripted so one can only wonder.
Ah, fuck it, I’m going with Gallows and Anderson to win and be crowned new tag champs. Not for nothing, aside from thew new crowning of the Universal Champion, this is the only title change that makes any sense.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Women’s Championship)
This is pretty much a no brainer because how on earth does Sasha not retain, only a few weeks after capturing the gold and on her first title defense, in Brooklyn of all places? It would be quite sick if WWE were to swerve us all with a quick title switch but I really can’t see any logic behind it whatsoever
Rusev vs. Roman Reigns (U.S. Championship)
I’ve personally made my case in regards to this match up numerous times over the past month so most of you already know where I stand. Rusev retains.
If Rusev would to drop the belt now, all this build over the past few months would be for absolutely nothing and a waste of time. Have him beat up all the midcarders (Ryder, O’neal and co) only to lose to the first legit opponent? No, it doesn’t and shouldn’t work that way. For Rusev to be reckoned as a dominant force and a legit heel once again, he simply HAS to win here and it should be clean too: Accolade, Reigns taps or passes out, goodbye…
John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Typically “Cena always wins” is the theme however in this case I am picking AJ Styles, once more going with what actually makes sense and even though WWE tend to do otherwise from time to time.
Once again, it simply comes down to who needs the win more and there is no debate here. Furthermore, aside from the fact that Cena doesn’t need the win, it is no secret that he is taking time off shortly after Summerslam and even isn’t scheduled to appear on Backlash, the first Smackdown exclusive PPV that follows in September. That alone being said, why would you have Styles lose?
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
Any way I look at this, I honestly can’t see how Ziggler can win, thus Ambrose dropping the belt.
Over the spam of a month, Ambrose got past Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on numerous occasions in order to win and retain the title and that alone just makes it highly unlikely that a guy like Ziggler would just walk in and win the big one. A guy that, up until recently, was jobbing to Heath Slater and/or Barron Corbin is a guy that I personally cannot take seriously. To me, and I’ve said this before, this was just a good excuse for WWE in order to have Ambrose easily retain the title with no questions asked.
There’s also speculation that Ziggler may turn heel after Sunday. Maybe after another loss he snaps? Yeah, I guess I could buy that and it probably would make a lot more sense than him actually winning. Either way, Ambrose retains.
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrock Leeeeeeesnar wins.
Ever since the story about his UFC violation broke, several have speculated that maybe Lesnar would lose at Summerslam only for it to serve as some sort of punishment in WWE’s behalf. Bullshit.
While I have no doubt this will be a really good match, I personally don’t think WWE give a shit about Lesnar’s violation and, frankly, they already made us aware of that shortly after. Either way, Orton is one of the top stars in the business so winning wouldn’t really make that much of a difference, nor would it hurt if him if he loses, so long as he is made to look strong, which I have no doubt they will do. On the other hand, I firmly believe that keeping Lesnar’s undefeated streak intact is all that more precious because this is a moment that should be saved for someone else that will need it more. Defeating Brock Lesnar would undoubtedly be a massive rub and boost for whomever accomplishes it and, at this point, I would even dare compare it to the Undertaker relinquishing his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. Yes, I do feel it’s that big of a deal so on that note, again, I would save this moment for someone that will benefit the most out of it. Cesaro? Perhaps a Samoe Joe when he gets called up? You get my point…
On a side note, I would not be surprised at all if Bray Wyatt were to interfere during this match (that moment on Smackdown yesterday between Wyatt and Orton is a good hint) and how about Goldberg post match?
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)
Needless to say this has all the potential to be MOTN, I feel this is pretty much a coin flip.
On one hand, you have RAW’s number one draft pick in Seth Rollins, who already suffered a couple of losses to Dean Ambrose last month in his failed attempts to win the WWE Championship. Given that he is one of the top guys in the business anyway, do you start him off with another losing effort in this new era?
On the other hand, RAW’s first NXT draft pick, 3rd overall and Triple HHH’s boy in Finn Balor, whom from the getco they’ve pushed to the moon. Do you start him off with a losing effort, more so on his debut as the Demon King?
So many options, so many ways to go with this, including a possible double turn makes this probably the hardest match to predict. Gut says Rollins, logic points to Balor, going with my gut.
All in all, a really solid card and I have little doubt this will be a very good and entertaining show overall...
Generally speaking, these multi-men – or, in this case, multi-women – tag matches aren’t really my forte and rarely do they really matter in the grand scheme of things however this may very well be an exception to the rule only because of the storyline that has developed in regards to Eva Marie.
As noted the other day, I find this gimmick of her finding all sorts of excuses to avoid competing totally brilliant and this is something I can easily see carrying on in this match. Now, sooner or later she’ll have to step in the ring and there can’t really be any avoiding it at Summerslam but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this storyline can’t still play out. The way I see it, any two women can start the match (except Eva Marie, of course unless she teases to start off only to immediately tag one of her partners in) and at some point, after almost all have had their ring time one on one, a brawl could start where all women are in the ring at the same time going at it, eventually knocking each other out while Eva Marie kind of stays in the background, avoiding once more to get into the action. Afterwards, with practically every women lying down, only THEN does Eva Marie tag herself, get in the ring, cover the first opponent available and pick up the win. Not a single move, nothing, just Eva Marie seizing the opportunity and making the most of it without lifting a damn finger, or, say worst case, perhaps a simple elbow drop and then the pin.
I think this would fit wonderfully to the gimmick she’s been given, both by playing her character as well as having the ability now to say that “hey, I competed and I won”.
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (First Match in Best of Seven Series)
As of this writing there was no form of stipulation announced for this match so I guess it’s fair to assume it will be a regular one on one encounter. Just to be clear, I only say this thinking that at some point down the road these two will probably have a gimmick match or two, whether it’d be a last man standing, a street fight or anything of that nature.
As far as this specific match is concerned, given that Cesaro already had a couple of wins over Sheamus in the beginning of the month on back to back RAW’s, my pick here is Sheamus; that’s probably as simple a prediction as it gets…
The Miz vs. Apollo Crews (Intercontinental Championship)
It’s almost as if WWE are looking at this as a joke, which really saddens me because historically the IC belt has been very prestigious and important. I mean, if it wasn’t already enough that we barely had any build for this matchup, they actually did a promo on the go home show…during the commercial break. What is that suppose to tell us?
Anyhow, I feel that once more Miz will find a shitty way to win and retain. See, I’d personally be all for Apollo Crews winning had WWE made the proper steps to build the guy but the fact of the matter is they haven’t. They guy has barely been on TV, barely said a word, barely had any interaction and as noted above, their final promotional segment took place during the commercials. So, even though Smackdown is about opportunity for the new guys, it doesn’t feel that the proper steps were taken in order for us to accept Apollo Crews as the new IC Champion and as much as I am bored with the Miz, I feel he will retain.
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
I think it only makes sense that Enzo and Cass go over here. Needless to say they are one of the hottest acts in WWE these days, this is also a homecoming for Enzo and Cass and, well, they obviously need the win a lot more than Y2J and KO do.
The constant “I got your back” between Jericho and Owens basically leads me to believe that there will probably be some kind of miscue during the match that will be proven costly or, being that both are extremely cocky anyway, maybe one of them simply…walks out. If that were to be the case, I’d put my money on KO to walk out so Jericho would eat the pin fall and come to think of it, I don’t think a feud between those two would be a bad idea.
Aside from that, there are also a lot of rumors going around about possible trades taking place after Summerslam and Kevin Owens has been heavily speculated to be amongst those moving to Smackdown so if this were to be the case, there’s another reason why Jeri-KO doesn’t appear to be lasting much longer.
One way or another, Enzo and Cass win...
The New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson (Tag Team Championship)
Has the time finally arrived that New Day drop the belts? Over the past few months I’ve been speculating that New Day’s run would come to an end at Summerslam, however the idea I had pitched was for them to be facing Enzo and Cass in what I considered at the time a dream match (not to mention a money match) between two of the best face teams around these days. Instead, WWE decided to grant Gallows and Anderson a shot at the tag titles, which, don’t get me wrong, is absolutely fine.
The way I see it, a crowning of new tag champs is due and based once more on who needs it more, Gallows and Anderson seem like the logical choice. New Day are over as is anyway and them still holding the titles really won’t change much simply because they have nothing to prove, unlike Gallows and Anderson, not to mention that with a heel team as tag champs, Enzo and Cass could easily be next in line for a feud.
The only thing that got me thinking WWE may actually keep the belts on New Day is a recent reference Cole made in regards to the record holders. Up until recently, the announce team kept mentioning Kendrick and London as the ones holding the record for longest WWE Tag Team title reign, as was the case once New Day surpassed them. Last week, however, they actually acknowledged Demoliton as the team with the longest title reign as World Tag Team Champions, which I honestly found somewhat weird given that it kind of came out of the blue and more so in the midst of a law suit against WWE and in which two members of Demolition are involved in.
Would this mean that maybe WWE want to keep the belts on New Day so they can break Demolition’s record or am I reading too much into it? As much as nit picking as it may sound, you can’t disregard the fact that almost everything we hear from the commentators (or superstars for that matter) is scripted so one can only wonder.
Ah, fuck it, I’m going with Gallows and Anderson to win and be crowned new tag champs. Not for nothing, aside from thew new crowning of the Universal Champion, this is the only title change that makes any sense.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Women’s Championship)
This is pretty much a no brainer because how on earth does Sasha not retain, only a few weeks after capturing the gold and on her first title defense, in Brooklyn of all places? It would be quite sick if WWE were to swerve us all with a quick title switch but I really can’t see any logic behind it whatsoever
Rusev vs. Roman Reigns (U.S. Championship)
I’ve personally made my case in regards to this match up numerous times over the past month so most of you already know where I stand. Rusev retains.
If Rusev would to drop the belt now, all this build over the past few months would be for absolutely nothing and a waste of time. Have him beat up all the midcarders (Ryder, O’neal and co) only to lose to the first legit opponent? No, it doesn’t and shouldn’t work that way. For Rusev to be reckoned as a dominant force and a legit heel once again, he simply HAS to win here and it should be clean too: Accolade, Reigns taps or passes out, goodbye…
John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Typically “Cena always wins” is the theme however in this case I am picking AJ Styles, once more going with what actually makes sense and even though WWE tend to do otherwise from time to time.
Once again, it simply comes down to who needs the win more and there is no debate here. Furthermore, aside from the fact that Cena doesn’t need the win, it is no secret that he is taking time off shortly after Summerslam and even isn’t scheduled to appear on Backlash, the first Smackdown exclusive PPV that follows in September. That alone being said, why would you have Styles lose?
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
Any way I look at this, I honestly can’t see how Ziggler can win, thus Ambrose dropping the belt.
Over the spam of a month, Ambrose got past Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on numerous occasions in order to win and retain the title and that alone just makes it highly unlikely that a guy like Ziggler would just walk in and win the big one. A guy that, up until recently, was jobbing to Heath Slater and/or Barron Corbin is a guy that I personally cannot take seriously. To me, and I’ve said this before, this was just a good excuse for WWE in order to have Ambrose easily retain the title with no questions asked.
There’s also speculation that Ziggler may turn heel after Sunday. Maybe after another loss he snaps? Yeah, I guess I could buy that and it probably would make a lot more sense than him actually winning. Either way, Ambrose retains.
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrock Leeeeeeesnar wins.
Ever since the story about his UFC violation broke, several have speculated that maybe Lesnar would lose at Summerslam only for it to serve as some sort of punishment in WWE’s behalf. Bullshit.
While I have no doubt this will be a really good match, I personally don’t think WWE give a shit about Lesnar’s violation and, frankly, they already made us aware of that shortly after. Either way, Orton is one of the top stars in the business so winning wouldn’t really make that much of a difference, nor would it hurt if him if he loses, so long as he is made to look strong, which I have no doubt they will do. On the other hand, I firmly believe that keeping Lesnar’s undefeated streak intact is all that more precious because this is a moment that should be saved for someone else that will need it more. Defeating Brock Lesnar would undoubtedly be a massive rub and boost for whomever accomplishes it and, at this point, I would even dare compare it to the Undertaker relinquishing his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. Yes, I do feel it’s that big of a deal so on that note, again, I would save this moment for someone that will benefit the most out of it. Cesaro? Perhaps a Samoe Joe when he gets called up? You get my point…
On a side note, I would not be surprised at all if Bray Wyatt were to interfere during this match (that moment on Smackdown yesterday between Wyatt and Orton is a good hint) and how about Goldberg post match?
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)
Needless to say this has all the potential to be MOTN, I feel this is pretty much a coin flip.
On one hand, you have RAW’s number one draft pick in Seth Rollins, who already suffered a couple of losses to Dean Ambrose last month in his failed attempts to win the WWE Championship. Given that he is one of the top guys in the business anyway, do you start him off with another losing effort in this new era?
On the other hand, RAW’s first NXT draft pick, 3rd overall and Triple HHH’s boy in Finn Balor, whom from the getco they’ve pushed to the moon. Do you start him off with a losing effort, more so on his debut as the Demon King?
So many options, so many ways to go with this, including a possible double turn makes this probably the hardest match to predict. Gut says Rollins, logic points to Balor, going with my gut.
All in all, a really solid card and I have little doubt this will be a very good and entertaining show overall...
