WrestleMania is the reigning, defending, undisputed champion of all wrestling events every year and likely will be for the foreseeable future, but if you ask fans for a second place, you’re likely to get a lot of different answers. Some will say Royal Rumble. Some will say Survivor Series. Some might even say it’s AEW’s Double or Nothing. I suspect, however, the most common answer, at least from those associated with WWE, would be SummerSlam. The premium live event has run annually every summer since 1988, and it typically features many of the roster’s biggest names in action.
This year is missing a few heavy hitters, at least via announced matches, but it still boasts a laundry list of huge names including Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, Charlotte Flair, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Gunther, Logan Paul, Bianca Belair, Finn Bálor and the rapidly getting over LA Knight. Several of the matches have, in my mind at least, pretty obvious outcomes, but there’s enough toss-ups and lingering uncertainty that it should still be really intriguing for everyone watching.
There have been 8 matches announced so far, now that Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus has been delayed. I’d like to go at least 6 and 2 in my predictions, which would be pretty in keeping with my overall record seen below…
I’m pretty stoked I got both Money In The Bank matches right last month, as well as most of the rest of the card (6-1!), but in the predictions game, you’re only as good as your last outing. So, fingers crossed I can keep the hot streak going. Here’s a look at all my theories…
Cody Rhodes Vs Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar is Brock Lesnar, and given all he’s accomplished, I’m never going to take the possibility of a victory off the table in one of his matches. He’s too famous and still gets too strong of a crowd reaction to be a walkover, but unless The Beast is committing to working a full-time schedule in order to make another title run, this has to be Cody Rhodes for the sake of the story.
Right now, the most likely main event for WrestleMania 40 is Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, and if that’s still the plan, Cody needs to be winning all his feuds. He’s currently one and one against Lesnar and needs a win here to come out with the momentum and continue pushing himself back to the top of the card. I’m very confident that’s going to happen, though I expect we’ll get a close back-and-forth match with Lesnar landing a lot of offense and Rhodes fighting from underneath. I expect the victory to be clean though. More than likely, we’ll see Lesnar take some time off afterwards and return in a few months, presented as dominant as ever.
Predicted Winner: Cody Rhodes
Ricochet Vs Logan Paul
I think this program with Logan Paul is the biggest spot WWE has ever put Ricochet in, which is great because he’s a spectacular in-ring performer. I’m glad to see him getting a bit more shine, especially after he was left off WrestleMania 38, despite being Intercontinental Champion at the time. Maybe this will lead to a big push for him and more chances to continue refining his character and improving his mic skills.
But this match should be about getting Logan Paul back in the win column. Like Brock Lesnar, he’s a featured attraction type performer, but in order to maintain his must-see aura, he needs to pick up wins at least half the time he’s going out there. Unfortunately, his last four official matches have been a loss to Roman Reigns, a loss at The Royal Rumble, a loss to Seth Rollins and a loss at Money In The Bank. The Rumble and Money In The Bank failures don’t really matter, given the size of those fields, but that doesn’t change the fact that he hasn’t won since beating The Miz at SummerSlam 2022. He needs this victory, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t get it. Expect Ricochet to look great in a loss though!
Predicted Winner: Logan Paul
Gunther (Champion) Vs Drew McIntyre For The Intercontinental Championship
The big question here is what’s going on with Drew McIntyre’s contract situation. He was gone for an extended period of time after WrestleMania amidst rumors that he was unhappy with creative and his contract was set to expire in late 2023. Now he’s back and in a high profile spot with Gunther, who still hasn’t lost a singles match on the main roster. What that means for his contract or if any of those unhappy over creative rumors were true is unclear. Is this going to be the moment where he announces he’s a main eventer again or is he going to be a sacrificial lamb for Gunther on his way out the door?
Given his popularity and status as former WWE Champion, he’s certainly a threat to dethrone Gunther, but if he’s not locked in and ready to be in WWE for years with strong creative, I don’t see how he can win here. Plus, Gunther is about a month and a half from breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest IC reign in WWE history, and I think most fans, myself included, would like to see him do that. So, because of all the uncertainty around Drew McIntyre and because of the IC title record being right in view and because Gunther is a once in a generation monster heel that everyone loves to boo, I think The Ring General is gonna take this.
Predicted Winner: Gunther
Asuka (Champion) Vs Charlotte Flair Vs Bianca Belair For The WWE Women’s Championship
I’m covered in mist and at a complete loss trying to figure out where this story is going. All three of these women are credible champions, but none are anywhere near a peak moment in their popularity. In fact, you could make the case that all three are being misused right now. Charlotte Flair is currently a face, and while she’s getting cheers, I think fans are a lot more comfortable booing her as a heel. Asuka, on the other hand, is being used as a heel, but I think fans want to see her as a face. I was at WrestleMania, and most fans were very overtly rooting for her over Bianca Belair, who just desperately needs some level of character development. I don’t care if she stays a face, but she needs something interesting and important to do.
So, where does that leave any of this? Where do Triple H, Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard and company want to go? My guess is Iyo Sky is going to cash in and win this match, which will set up a feud with Asuka and then something will happen during the match, to spin off Charlotte and Bianca, who will then feud outside the title. But really, who the hell knows? My confidence level is very low here.
Predicted Winner: Iyo Sky
Seth Freakin’ Rollins (Champion) Vs Finn Bálor For The World Heavyweight Championship
This is probably the match I’m most excited about on the card, specifically because there are a ton of different directions WWE could take this story. Seth Freakin’ Rollins is getting some of the best crowd reactions of his entire career. He’s very hot right now, and I love seeing him getting his due and carrying the belt around. So, if WWE wants to keep it on him, I get it. Then again, The Judgment Day runs Monday Night Raw and is only growing in influence. A main event men’s belt would take the stable to another level, and Finn Bálor certainly has the resume and the gravitas to make the most of it, especially because of how it would advance his storyline with Damian Priest.
There has been a lot of tension in The Judgment Day, specifically after Priest won Money In The Bank. He’s going to cash in his guaranteed title shot on The World Heavyweight Championship sometime in the next few months, and given Bálor and Rollins have been feuding over that same belt, it has created drama. Rhea Ripley has done everything she can to squash it and put on a happy face, but while Mamí can control Dominik Mysterio, I’m not so sure, ultimately, she can control either of them. They both want the belt.
Whatever the outcome of this match winds up being, I expect Damian Priest to be involved. Maybe he comes down to the ring and simply watches. Maybe he jumps in and fights Seth Rollins immediately if Bálor loses. Maybe he even cashes in on Finn if he wins the match but is exhausted. All options are on the table, and I can’t wait to see which path WWE picks.
I think Finn wins the title and there’s a tease Damian Priest might cash-in but it doesn’t actually happen. That would create a lot of tension and story moving forward, but really, I have no idea. And that’s why I’m so freakin’ excited.
Predicted Winner: Finn Bálor
Ronda Rousey Vs Shayna Baszler
A year ago, if you told me Shayna and Ronda would be fighting at SummerSlam, I would have assumed Ronda would win without much question. At the time, Baszler was largely stuck in a holding pattern and not even showing up on TV a ton, while Ronda, despite some fan apprehension, was clearly at the center of the women’s title picture. But that’s just not the case anymore. Rousey and Baszler teamed for a brief tag title run. Baszler turned on Ronda, and the fans are clearly on her side. There are also rumors everywhere that Rousey’s contract is about to end, and obviously, things have not gone as either she or WWE had planned.
If she were wrestling someone random, I think WWE would have Ronda win to keep her looking strong for a possible return in the future, but since she’s real life buddies with Baszler and Baszler could use a push, I think Ronda is going to put her over on her way out the door in what could be her last WWE match ever. If it is the end, I would need about 15,000 words to even start processing her wrestling career, but since I don’t have that, I’ll just say it’s been a mixed bag.
Predicted Winner: Shayna Baszler
SummerSlam Battle Royal
Right now, this Battle Royal is reading like an excuse to get LA Knight a match. More than likely, it’ll also serve as a convenient excuse to get some other guys on the card. We’re missing a ton of huge names like Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Solo Sikoa, The Miz, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Kevin Owens and Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior is the only one of those to be officially confirmed; so, it’ll be interesting to see whether the rest of the spots are filled out by some of the heavy hitters above or whether we get more mid-card guys.
The upshot of getting in the big names is that it’s SummerSlam, and when casual fans watch one of WWE’s marquee events, they want to see the biggest names on the roster actually compete. Sami Zayn, as an example, has been one of the most featured acts on the entire roster over the last year. The idea of him not being at SummerSlam is weird. Then again, if this really is just a contrived match to continue the Megastar’s rapid ascent, then I get why WWE would rather keep most of their biggest acts out of it.
The other names, apart from Sheamus and LA Knight, that have been announced are Ciampa, Shinsuke Nakamura and Alpha Academy, which has me thinking they're going to go the mid-card route. If that’s the case, I suspect everyone in the crowd at the end will be screaming L A Knight. YEAH. Look for him to continue his delayed ascent and get a raucous ovation from the Detroit crowd.
Predicted Winner: LA Knight
Roman Reigns (Champion) Vs Jey Uso For The WWE Universal Championship
I love Jey Uso. The Usos are, to me, a top five tag team in WWE history. There aren’t enough positive things I can say about Jimmy and Jey and all they’ve done in WWE for the last decade. You could also make the case, given their family connections and extended history, that Jey is the right person to finish the story and beat Roman Reigns. He’s been the most important non-Roman person to the entire Bloodline arc.
But wrestling isn’t just about creating a moment or writing a fitting ending. It’s about setting yourself up to keep telling a story tomorrow, and there are simply way more compelling stories WWE can tell with Roman holding the belts than with Jey. is there any part of you that can even envision Jey Uso having a title defense by himself at an upcoming PPV that wouldn’t involve fighting Roman Reigns? Like is there anyone interested in watching him have a match against AJ Styles at Fastlane? Ok. Scratch that. I would watch that match, but it wouldn't feel like a PPV main event to me, which is a problem.
I expect this to be a good match. I expect to see some false finishes, maybe a Jimmy Uso return, but I would be shocked if Jey won this match. This needs to be Roman, and it will be Roman, unless he's hurt or planning to take a few months off.
Predicted Winner: Roman Reigns
SummerSlam will stream on Saturday August 5th. In The United States, it'll be available for free with a Peacock subscription. Don't miss out. WWE is really ascending in popularity right now thanks to a product that's better than it has been in years, and this event should continue that hot streak.
