With WWE’s annual extravaganza of ladders and briefcases behind us, it is full steam ahead to Summerslam and the biggest party of the summer. We already know of a couple of matches, and there are sure to be plenty more big ones to come. Today we will take a look at what we know so far, what we hope is to come, and what may very well happen at WWE’s second-biggest show of the year.
Right off of the bat, we have to talk about the massive main event that is coming our way: the Wrestlemania 38 rematch between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. In what will be their 9th Pay-Per-View/Premium-Live-Event meeting in their careers, Reigns and Lesnar are set to do battle in a Last Man Standing Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. It seems the “in case of emergency, break glass” scenario has arrived with Randy Orton the original choice for Roman’s Summerslam opponent before he went down with an injury. Brock is always formidable, and this story between the two goes back many years, but things just seemed so perfect at the end of Wrestlemania. That was the finale in their 7 -year-long battle for the top, with Roman slaying the beast definitively once and for all. Now it cheapens the height of that matchup with them preparing to square off once again just under 4 months later. Regardless, Reigns and Lesnar will surely put on a spot-fest with the stipulation in place, and this will hopefully wrap a bow around all of this for good. At the end of it all, I can see the brand-new Mr. Money in the Bank, Theory, cashing in his opportunity here. Do I want Roman Reigns’ historic reign to end on a cash-in? Not really, no. Do I want Brock Lesnar ending the reign either? Not even close. So, this leaves a conundrum. If Roman goes over, will he be in Cardiff come early September to battle Drew McIntyre at Clash of the Castle? I would hope so. If not, do they take the title off of him to give Drew a rematch with Brock in front of a live crowd to redo what was taken from all involved due to Covid at Wrestlemania 36? That would make Lesnar a transitional champion, something I don’t think is very likely. Theory and McIntyre would be a good match, but I don’t think it would have nearly as much steam as McIntyre against either Lesnar or Reigns. So, realistically, I only see one likely option here, and it is merely my take given all the variables: Reigns retains over Lesnar at Summerslam, goes on to face McIntyre in Cardiff, drops the titles to McIntyre in Cardiff, only for Theory to cash-in there, getting maximum heel heat given McIntyre being in his homeland, and thus setting up a new top feud for WWE as the dreaded Fall months roll around.
Beyond the massive main event, 2 other matches are confirmed for Summerslam at the time of writing. The first is Pat McAfee against Happy Corbin. This one will likely resemble much of McAfee’s previous WWE singles matches against Adam Cole and Theory, where he gets his shine while taking the heat, and likely going over. I love Pat though, and he has been the perfect foil on commentary to Corbin and his abysmal character over the last year. Corbin is fantastic at being a heel, as everyone truly hates when he is on our TVs, and McAfee sticking it to him at Summerslam should be some fun filler on a huge stage, giving Pat yet another massive in-ring moment.
Also, on the card is the United States Championship rematch between Bobby Lashley and Theory (we’ve seen a lot of him in this article; goes to show he’s the future of WWE). This is by far the biggest surprise of the card thus far, and it makes me wonder why there were so many teases of Theory facing John Cena at Summerslam for the U.S. Title that Theory just lost to Lashley last weekend. They even teased it on TV when Cena returned to Raw a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t expect him to lose the title but immediately thought it will allow a match with Cena to be as predictable, as Cena most likely wouldn’t win if the title was at stake. Theory then won Money in the Bank on the same night, further complicating my mind on where things would head next. Finally, it was announced on the Raw after MITB that Theory would get his rematch with Lashley at Summerslam, all but eliminating Cena and Theory from the cards. Now, this could mean that they’re saving Cena vs. Theory for a bigger moment, possibly even Wrestlemania 39 in Hollywood next April. That could make a whole lot more sense and given that Theory may very well have a world title reign under his belt by then (so long as he is successful whenever he cashes in), which would only add to the hype of that match down the line. Here’s to hoping Theory and Lashley deliver something fun as we await Theory’s eventual cash-in.
So that raises several questions beyond what’s already been announced. The first is whether or not we will see John Cena on the card for the second year in a row. My best guess: yes, we will, but obviously not against Theory. Instead, I see Cena headed back over to Smackdown to battle the Intercontinental Champion, GUNTHER. GUNTHER has received the rocket so far in his few months on the main roster, destroying the likes of Drew Gulak, Ricochet, and others on the way to winning the Intercontinental Title a little over a month ago. Meanwhile, for as many things as John Cena has done in his WWE career, there is one title he has never held and alluded him for 20 years: The Intercontinental Championship. The story writes itself if you think about it. Cena comes back for one final chance at achieving that final accolade, while GUNTHER’s career will be made if he can defeat Cena. It’s also a personal dream match of mine, so seeing those two lock horns would be tons of fun for all to see, and Cena putting over GUNTHER would send him to another level. On top of all of this, the Intercontinental Title would FINALLY have meaning again, even for one night, so it’s wins all around if they go this route.
It seems as though Seth Rollins and Riddle are also destined to battle at Summerslam given their interactions of late, and that is all good by me! These two are so good at technical proficiency, and to have them battle at Summerslam would be the classic case of two upper-midcard acts showing up and potentially stealing the show right out from under all those who share the card. I would be 100% invested in this one, so let’s hope they go through with it.
The Street Profits and the Uso’s are destined for one final battle for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles and it would be at Summerslam. This may also be the night that Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins split up, sad as it may be. They are one of the few credible threats to Jimmy and Jey, so to see them split would do further harm to the tag division even if it sets up two stars on a potential pair of huge singles runs. This match will also be likely added to the card, and if they repeat what they did at Money in the Bank, they’re golden.
The last question remains what happens with the 2 Women’s Titles. Hopefully, Rhea Ripley will be medically cleared, and she can get the title shot with Bianca Belair she was supposed to get at Money in the Bank. If not, WWE may have to call an audible as they did with Roman Reigns and run back Bianca and Becky again. Alternatively, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, and the ever-looming Charlotte Flair remain candidates to battle the EST of WWE. Flair lurking makes me very worried because she’s like a plague to Women’s Title reigns. If she were to return, though, I see it more to challenge the brand new Smackdown Women’s Champion, Liv Morgan. Liv won Money in the Bank AND cashed it in on the same night to defeat Ronda Rousey to become champion. It was the night of her career, and she is ready for a long run. I am begging WWE not to do exactly what they did with Nikki A.S.H. this time last year with Liv. She deserves a long run, and I’m confident she will kill it. Let her have matches with the likes of Natalya, Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez, Shayna Baszler and even a rematch with Ronda Rousey to build her up. Flair is always a possibility though, and with both title matches unclear, one must wonder what will be next, and more likely when, not if, Flair will be back for a title shot.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
