This year's installment of SummerSlam is one that is going to test the endurance of fans at Barclays Center in New York and those watching on the WWE Network with a whopping 13(!) matches.
Headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey getting her second crack at WWE gold, SummerSlam 2018 is a loaded show. But the question is whether or not it will deliver. SN exerts Andreas Hale and Steven Muehlhausen make their SummerSlam predictions below.
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WWE SummerSlam 2018 predictions
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the Universal championship
For the third time in 4-and-a-half months, Lesnar and Reigns will battle again for the strap. The build has been well orchestrated and culminated on this past Monday’s edition of Raw with Paul Heyman spraying pepper spray in Reigns’ eyes and Lesnar beating the you-know-what out of him.
Steven: Should we be seeing this again? Absolutely not as the fans are tired of it, but WWE creative has done the best they could possibly do. Will WWE finally pull the trigger on Reigns?
All the signs point that way but the subtle hints of RAW General Manager Kurt Angle showing his disdain for Lesnar in wanting him to lose and Reigns continuously making UFC comments in conjunction with Lesnar’s return to the Octagon. It makes me think WWE chairman Vince McMahon is going to go with “The Beast” going forward and find a new person to dethrone Lesnar as Reigns just hasn’t cut the mustard in the eyes of the casual fan and the WWE Universe.
Hopefully, the match is kept short as the New York fans, after almost a six-hour show aren’t expected to be tolerant of anything short of a classic.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar retains the Universal title.
Andreas: Nobody aside from Vincent Kennedy McMahon wants to see this match again. No matter what twists and turns WWE creative has added to the narrative, rest assured that this match will be met with apathy from an exhausted New York crowd.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Reigns finally gets the job done. But the more it drags on, you have to wonder if the finish has been projected a bit too much and the WWE plans on pulling the rug out from under everyone with Lesnar again retaining the title. It’s entirely plausible that Lesnar retains and holds the title until the UFC heavyweight title fight with Daniel Cormier takes place. This will likely follow the same beats as their previous few encounters with Lesnar and Reigns spamming finishing moves. There’s always the looming presence of the MITB, but they’ve run it into the mud and it’s far too predictable.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar retains the Universal title.
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe for WWE championship
Shockingly, this is the first time they have met one-on-one in WWE as they squared off numerous times in Impact Wrestling. The storyline of Styles being away from his family because of wrestling has been well done. Joe has delivered the message in a way that you want to see Styles kick his butt.
Steven: This should be the best match on the show, but like the Universal title, it all depends on where it is placed. I’d personally close the event with Styles and Joe since they have the respect of the fans and they will put on a great show.
It's still too early in the feud for Joe to win his first title on the main roster.
Prediction: AJ Styles retains the WWE championship.
Andreas: If you’ve seen their encounters in TNA, you should know that this has the potential to be the best match the WWE has put on in years. However, the same thought went into Styles’ feud with Nakamura and that ended up being underwhelming and punctuated by ridiculous low blows that undermined the talent of both.
That likely won’t be the case here as they are clearly going to stretch this program out. Joe and his vicious streak will give Styles all that he can handle to fend off the monster heel who has been chained up too long. The added element of Joe taunting Styles for being a terrible family man should add another element of heat. Styles should narrowly escape with the victory and, if that’s the case, Joe should deliver a malicious beatdown that takes this feud to the next level. As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, a title change should happen here to shake things up.
Prediction: Samoa Joe captures the WWE championship.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women’s championship
The feud started when Bliss cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase during Rousey’s title match against Nia Jax at the June Money in the Bank show.
Steven: The little nuisances that have been done were well executed like Rousey’s 30-day suspension, Bliss only coming out with Rousey around if she had security protecting her and the former UFC champion subsequently beating them up and the mic work by Rousey and Bliss has been on point.
They have been working on the match at the WWE Performance Center, so it shouldn’t be bad as Rousey has exceeded all expectations going into her fourth ever match. Still feels too soon to give Rousey the belt as next April’s Wrestlemania should be her crowning moment.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains the Raw Women’s championship.
Andreas: You can only keep Rousey away from the title for so long, right? So the WWE needs to be creative in ways to play keep-away with the title. A feud with Natalya after Nattie turns on Ronda would appear to be the way to go to take her out of the title picture. However, with the recent passing of Jim Neidhart, those plans will be put on hold. Instead, expect Bliss to get herself DQed in order to retain and Rousey to go crazy with a prolonged beatdown.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains Raw Women’s championship by DQ.
MORE: Should Lesnar leave SummerSlam as universal champion?
Carmella (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte for the Smackdown Women’s championship
Originally, it was scheduled to be Carmella defending vs. Lynch after the latter beat the former to become the No. 1 contender. Charlotte got inserted into the match after beating Carmella, much to the dismay of Lynch.
Steven: While excelling on the mic, Carmella’s matches have been lackluster (read: trash) to say the least, and working with Charlotte and Lynch should be able to hide the champion’s weaknesses. The way WWE has booked this, it appears to be Lynch’s time to have another title run. Charlotte and Becky will cost each other the belt and the champ will sneak away with another successful title defense.
Prediction: Carmella retains the Smackdown Women’s title.
Andreas: Triple threat matches like this are made for the champion to retain and spark a feud between two friends. Carmella has been decent on the mic, but her in-ring work remains suspect. Going over on Asuka has been incredibly frustrating to see but they are clearly going to keep Carmella in the role of a chicken heel who escapes with the title more often than not. The same will likely happen here and set off a feud between Charlotte and Becky, who can’t get out of their own way to take the title off of Carmella.
Prediction: Carmella retains the Smackdown Women’s title.
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
This has been the best build up and the match we're most looking forward too on the show. You can feel the intensity and the hatred Bryan and Miz have for each other whether it was when they were on NXT, Talking Smack or on the road to SummerSlam.
Steven: Bryan should get the best performance we have ever seen from Miz. Like the WWE title match, it is too soon to end what has been the best rivalry right now in WWE. A slow burn to a bigger payoff (hint: Wrestlemania 35) at the end.
Prediction: The Miz.
Andreas: For a rivalry that has so much built-in heat over the past eight years, it’s amazing that these two are heading into SummerSlam without an even better build. Honestly, it should be the main roster’s version of Ciampa-Gargano. Obviously, it means that the feud will stretch out over several months with Brie and Maryse entering the fray at some point.
The only way this makes sense is that The Miz cheats his way to victory. Bryan winning is too easy and takes the steam out of the rivalry.
Prediction: The Miz.
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental championship
Previous title bouts with these two have been great to watch. And it should be no different this Sunday. It gets a some added intrigue with the returning Dean Ambrose in Rollins’ corner.
Steven: I smell a title change coming in Brooklyn.
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins the Intercontinental title.
Andreas: It certainly feels like Dean Ambrose is going to go full blown heel at some point. Probably not here because it’s too predictable. But Ziggler is much better with the title than without it and a feud with Finn Balor for the IC title makes a whole lot of sense.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler retains the Intercontinental title.
MORE: Roman Reigns on his 'rivalry' with Brock Lesnar
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy for the U.S. championship
Nakamura won the belt from Hardy in record time at July’s Extreme Rules event. The moment should have been the Japanese star winning his first title on the main roster, but instead focused on the returning Orton attacking Hardy after the match had concluded.
Steven: The build has been focused on Orton and Hardy with Nakamura just there, which is a mind-boggling way to treat the champion. Why Orton isn’t in the match is beyond me. The match should be good and hopefully is solely focused on the two participants who are actually wrestling.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura retains the U.S. championship.
Andreas: Too early for Nakamura to drop the title and he’s the third wheel in a pending Hardy-Orton feud. Duh.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura retains the U.S. championship.
Braun Strowman (h) vs. Kevin Owens for the Money in the Bank briefcase
Strowman won the briefcase at the MITB event two months ago. Owens won their steel cage match at Extreme Rules when Strowman threw him off the top of the cage.
Steven: Based on his actions, Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon made a rematch, but with Strowman’s briefcase on the line. “The Monster Among Men” has been getting the better of Owens at every turn as we head toward the match. It feels like an upset in the making here.
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Andreas: I’ve always felt that the Money in the Bank briefcase is a perfect fit for someone like Owens. He possesses all of the traits that would make him a constant threat. All we really need to see is for him to get his mean streak back that he was well on his way to when he headbutted Vince McMahon. Strowman clearly doesn’t need this and it’s hard to believe that he would use it to run-in on a match. The stipulation sets Owens up to steal MITB. Maybe he uses it in the main event.
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team championships
New Day became the No. 1 contenders beating The Bar in arguably the best WWE tag team match in the last decade.
Steven: The program has been ho-hum and just feels like a match to fill time on the show.
Prediction: New Day captures the Smackdown Tag Team titles.
Andreas: The Bludgeon Brothers have done next to nothing since becoming the champs. A win over New Day helps, but not a lot.
Prediction: Bludgeon Brother retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles.
The B Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) (c) vs. The Revival for the Raw Tag Team championships
The B Team attempts to keep their unbeaten streak as a tag team going against the resurgent Revival.
Steven: Maybe I’m in the minority, but Axel and Dallas have been a really entertaining team. Nice to see two guys who have been working hard get rewarded. The Revival are one of the best teams in the world and it's good to see them get this opportunity after a series of injuries have derailed their push on the main roster. The B Team have a lot of momentum with the fans and the WWE should continue to let them grow and see where this can get them.
Prediction: The B Team retains the Raw Tag Team titles.
Andreas: The Revival have been held back for too long. They are too good to not go over on the 2018 version of Rhyno and Heath Slater.
Prediction: The Revival capture the Raw Tag Team titles.
Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin
Constable Corbin has been picking on Finn Balor for the past few weeks. Will Balor finally get his payback?
Steven: What a fall from grace for Balor. Two years ago, he defeated Rollins to become the first Universal champion to now facing Corbin. Such a waste of time for Balor as he should be in a higher profile position. Let’s hope this is the end of the pointless feud.
Prediction: Finn Balor.
Andreas: Can we get Balor out of this program, please? He deserves so much better. Did he run over Vince's dog to get stuck in this trash feud?
Prediction: Finn Balor.
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Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak for the Cruiserweight championship
The rebuilding of 205 Live gives these two the opportunity to show what the brand has to offer on the preshow.
Steven: Alexander has been on a great run since winning the belt and Gulak’s gotten into a good groove since Enzo Amore got fired at the beginning of the year. A good way to get the fans going heading into the main card.
Prediction: Cedric Alexander retains the Cruiserweight title.
Andreas: 205 Live has been excellent for the past few months. But this is the wrong match for SummerSlam. Mustafa Ali has been a revelation and should be in this match to showcase what 205 has to offer. Nevertheless, Cedric should win and eventually enter a feud with Lio Rush.
Prediction: Cedric Alexander retains the Cruiserweight title.
Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega vs. Rusev & Lana
A mixed tag match that has had a pretty entertaining build will get us started before SummerSlam officially kicks off.
Steven: The other match that will air on the kickoff show has told good individual stories between the men and women to now have them join forces. Expect Aiden English to get involved in some way to affect the result.
Prediction: Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega.
Andreas: Lana needs her comeuppance.
Prediction: Rusev and Lana.