WWE SummerSlam predictions

The biggest party of the summer is upon us, and I for one have my party hat on! The Authority certainly wasn't lying, when they said this would be the biggest SummerSlam in history, as they've definitely stacked the deck here; in fact, I think the anticipation and build for this event has been bigger and better than this year's WrestleMania.

I don't want to take up anymore time, so here are my thoughts and predictions from start to finish...

[Jon Stewart comes out to the top of the stage, to open the show. I have admittedly never watched The Daily Show, so I unfortunately cannot write for him. However, the guy has hosted The Oscars, and he's a fan of wrestling, so I'm sure he'll be fine]

[The opening video for SummerSlam airs next]

Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro

These two guys are indie to the bone, and I'm sure they'll have a fantastic opening match. My only concern is that with 10 matches on the card, I don't think they'll be given too much time here. I see this being a very competitive match though, with several near falls, just to get the crowd into it, if they're not already. The finish comes when Cesaro attempts his springboard European uppercut, but Owens catches him with a powerbomb in midair, and then doesn't waste one motion, as he immediately picks Cesaro up and whips him to the ropes for his third delivery of the pop-up powerbomb in the match, to finally pick up the clean win.

[A video airs, showing all the highlights of SummerSlam week]
 
The Prime Time Players vs. The New Day vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores in a fatal four-way match for the Tag Team Championships

I don't know yet if this is an elimination match, but it should be a fun match, regardless. Both The Dragons and The New Day are super over, so I think there will be a lot of crowd interaction for this one. I see the finish come when Titus hits Big E. with the Clash of the Titus (terrible name), but the referee doesn't count, as he tells Titus that Big E. is not the legal man. Xavier Woods then sneaks in and schoolboys Titus, with his back to the referee, so the ref thinks it's Kofi, and makes the pin, so The New Day regain the titles. 

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper

These guys have been having pretty good matches with each other lately, and I'm sure this will be no different. They've really been pushing the idea that Reigns and Ambrose are closer than brothers, and I've been hearing rumors all week about a major heel turn here, so I'm thinking that's exactly what's going to happen. Reigns controls most of the match, but when he's in a bit of trouble and goes for a tag, Ambrose stretches his hand out, but just before Reigns makes it to him, Ambrose jumps off the apron and deserts his 'brother.' Later in the match, which is basically now a handicap match, Reigns regains control and sets up for the Superman punch on Wyatt. Harper tries to get involved, so Reigns hits him with the move instead. As the referee tries to get Harper out of the ring, Ambrose sneaks back in, through the crowd and nails Reigns in the back with a steel chair, which leads to Wyatt hitting Sister Abigail for the win. 

[After the match, Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds to Reigns on the chair, and then sits on the chair, as he looks down at a helpless Reigns]

[The New Day are shown backstage with Jojo, drinking milk out of champagne glasses]

Jojo: Gentlemen, congratulations on a big win!

Big E.: Oh, you're right it was a big win!

Kofi: The biggest!

Big E.: It truly is a new day for us all

Xavier: I have been saying for the longest time that we are the best tag team in the history of this business. And guys, you know what's even bigger?

Big E.: Tell us, brother

Xavier: It seems like everybody's issuing open challenges lately, so we got one of our own. Now turn the excitement meter down a notch, Jojo, because it's not gonna happen tonight. But tomorrow night on Raw, we're issuing an open challenge to any team around the world that thinks they have what it takes to take these belts from us.

Big E.: Oh it's a new dawn...

Xavier: It's a New Day!

Kofi: And we're feeling good!

Xavier: Come on, let's go celebrate our victory, boys

(Someone on one of the Facebook groups I belong to made a suggestion that they should debut Enzo Amore and Big Cass this way. I'm sorry that the guy's name escapes me at the moment, but I thought it was a great idea. My only suggestion was to save it for Raw the next night, where more eyes are watching, as I believe they're still in the New York area)

Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

We've seen this match so many times in the last few years. These two guys do gel pretty well together, but I couldn't care less about this match. The referee accidentally gets poked in the eye, and then Sheamus tries to hit Orton with the briefcase. Orton ducks, and drops Sheamus with the RKO for the win.

[Dolph Ziggler and Lana are backstage with Jojo]

Jojo: Dolph, welcome back! What a return it was

Ziggler: You're damn right it was a big return, Jojo. But I promise you that Rusev hasn't seen nothing yet. When I laid that superkick into the side of his face, that was just a glimpse of what he can expect tonight. After everything that he's put Lana through in my absence, I assure you, he's got some serious hell to pay. And like I've said before, and will keep saying 'til the day I die, it's just too damn bad that I'm too damn good!

Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler

I'm not sure how I feel about this match. I might be in the minority, but I'm still not sold on Rusev. The match should be okay, and I expect Ziggler to control the early portion of it. Rusev eventually gets the advantage, and Ziggler is non-stop selling from then on. The finish comes when Rusev goes for the Accolade, taunting Lana in the process, but the momentary distraction by Lana allows Ziggler to twist his body around and pull Rusev into an inside cradle for the win. 

[Ziggler and Lana celebrate afterwards, but Rusev attacks Ziggler from behind and applies the Accolade, using the Bulgarian flag to choke Ziggler out, while in the move. Rusev then grabs Lana and walks out with her, basically kidnapping her. Ziggler eventually comes to and races to the back, trying to find them]

[A video airs next, showing highlights of the Divas revolution that has been going on for the last month on Raw and Smackdown]

Team PCB vs. Team BAD vs. Team Bella in a three team battle royal

I'm all for the women's movement in wrestling, but I just don't like the idea that the divas are separated into teams; it just makes them feel so generic, in my opinion. Of the three NXT divas, while they're all great in-ring performers, Sasha's the only one who has shown me any potential, in terms of character development, and I think the other two need to separate themselves from Paige and each other, in order to do that. Having said that, this should be a good match, which hopefully doesn't turn into a big mess, with all the bodies to keep track of. Alicia is probably going to be eliminated early, while The Bellas make it all the way to the end, along with Sasha and Charlotte. Sasha is thrown through the ropes, but is able to hang on, only for Alicia to sneak back down to ringside and pull her out. Sasha then beats the hell out of Alicia, all the way to the back. So this leaves Charlotte against The Bellas, basically in a handicap match. Charlotte elevates Brie to the ring apron, and as Nikki charges at Charlotte from behind, Charlotte sidesteps her, and Nikki accidentally knocks down and eliminates her own sister. As the referees all go to check on Brie, Sasha returns and hits Charlotte from behind with the NXT Title (assuming that she's still the champ by then. Otherwise, she uses Nikki's Divas title). Nikki then thinks she's going to win, so she picks up Charlotte and starts taunting the crowd. But as Nikki goes to throw Charlotte out, Charlotte reverses and tosses Nikki out instead, to win the match.

[Jojo is set to interview Neville and Stephen Amell]

Jojo: Coming up next is a match that the wrestling world has been buzzing about for weeks. Guys, the issue between yourselves and The Cosmic Kings has really gotten personal, lately. 

Neville: What a night it's been so far. We go straight from the killer queens to the cosmic kings. It must be SummerSlam! And seeing as how this is my first SummerSlam, I've got something in store for the so-called Cosmic Kings that they've never seen before, and I don't plan on introducing myself to gravity anytime soon. And on a night like this, I don't think I could have asked for a better tag team partner. 

Amell: Stardust...King Barrett...you have failed this city! 

Neville and Stephen Amell vs. King Barrett and Stardust

I think it would be cool if Amell comes out in his Arrow attire, although he might look too much like TNA's Manik. From what I've seen in the brief physical encounter between Stardust and Amell, Amell looked to be very athletic, which I guess isn't all that surprising, so I'm thinking this should be a decent match, and hopefully it will get all three Superstars some mainstream attention, specifically Barrett, who probably needs it the most out of the three. I'm going to predict that the heels will isolate Neville in their corner for the majority of the match, which will build to a hot tag to Amell near the end. Neville gets the win for his team with the Red Arrow on Barrett, as Amell takes Stardust out with a spear. 

[During the post-match celebration by Neville and Amell, Barrett attacks Neville from behind and knocks him out with the bull hammer. Barrett then sets his sights on Amell, and traps him in the corner, only for Stardust to have a sudden change of heart and toss Barrett out of the ring, before burying the hatchet with Amell with a handshake]

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. U.S. Champion John Cena in a title for title match
 

These two have had awesome matches in the past, and I expect this one to be no different. I think Rollins breaking Cena's nose, while unfortunate, has added some extra interest to this match, as it kind of makes Cena seem vulnerable, but also more intense, as he's now out for revenge. I would not be the least bit surprised if Cena were to tie Ric Flair's championship record here and also make history by being the first man to hold both the U.S. and WWE championships simultaneously. However, I don't see it going down that way. I see a ref bump at one point. Rollins then attempts to cheat to win, and hits a pedigree on Cena, but the ref is still down. Just as Rollins is about to revive the ref, the pyro goes off at the entrance, and Kane makes his return, mask and all. Kane grabs Rollins around the throat and just about chokeslams him through the ring, before exiting through the crowd. Cena and Rollins both struggle to their feet, with Cena getting up first and drilling Rollins with an AA, as a new ref comes down and makes the pin. The ring announcer is about to announce that Cena is the new WWE World Champion, until the original ref stops her, and has a bit of a word with Lillian, who then announces that Cena has been disqualified, due to Kane's interference, and therefore both champions keep their belts.

[Rollins starts gloating after the match, but Cena just beats the hell out of him and AA's him through the announce table]

[More Jon Stewart here, who throws to the pay per view panel, who each give their thoughts on the show thus far, as well as predictions for the main event]
 
Ryback vs. The Big Show vs. The Miz in a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship

Out of all the matches on this card, I think this is the one we could have done without. I'm thinking they'll keep this one short though. Miz tries to convince Big Show to work together, but Show quickly knocks him out. Show then tries the WMD on Ryback, who ducks and catches Show with a meathook clothesline, knocking him to the floor. Ryback then picks up Miz and hits Shell Shocked for the win.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

So this is the rematch that was too big for WrestleMania? Well let's just hope it's a lot better than the match they did have at Mania, which I did not think was a strong match at all. Having said that, I'm sure this will be fine, as they usually have pretty good matches. They are undoubtedly going to pull out all stops in this one, and I see both guys hitting their finishers at least twice, with the opponent kicking out. The finish comes where Lesnar tries the tombstone and hits it, but Taker kicks out. Lesnar then gets frustrated and starts yelling at Taker, while he's on the ground, only for Taker to pull Lesnar into the Hell's Gate (gogoplata). Lesnar hangs on as long as he can, but eventually succumbs to the pain and taps out. 

[After Taker leaves, Heyman gets in the ring and starts yelling at Lesnar, getting right in his face. Heyman then makes the mistake of slapping Lesnar in the face, causing Lesnar to grab a terrified Heyman by the collar and nail him with an F-5, so basically Lesnar turns face to close the show. This will eventually lead to Heyman grabbing another Heyman guy to take out Lesnar, which I think would be a perfect time to debut Samoa Joe]

So there you have it. 

Here are my match predictions for Night of Champions:

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena vs. Kane in a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship


Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro in 2/3 falls for the U.S. Championship - Cena drops the title to Owens on Raw, after interference by Rollins.

Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns


Randy Orton vs. Sheamus for the Money in the Bank briefcase


Ryback vs. The Big Show for the Intercontinental Championship with The Miz as the special guest referee


The New Day vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass for the Tag Team Championships


Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte in a divas lumberjack match for the Divas Championship


Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev in a flag match - If Ziggler wins, he gets Lana back, but if Rusev wins, Lana gets deported back to Russia.