SummerSlam is this weekend in Minneapolis’ US Bank Stadium, bringing us two nights of pro wrestling spectacle from WWE. Both Sat., August 1 and Sun., August 2 will feature a free “Countdown” pre-show, then the premium live event itself begins at 6 p.m. ET — streaming HERE on ESPN Unlimited in the U.S., and on Netflix pretty much everywhere else.
Saturday’s Night One always will also feature Undisputed and Women’s World title matches, a Hell in a Cell, an executive pushed too far comes out of retirement to take on a Ring General, Men’s and Women’s Trios bouts, and more!
It’s a lot to process. Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let’s get to it.
PREDICTIONS FOR SUMMERSLAM NIGHT ONE
Undisputed WWE championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Geno Mrosko: Rhodes is still QB1, right? You kind of have to have the title for that to be the case. Unless someone is showing up to stop that… Pick: CM Punk
Sean Rueter: Everybody talking ‘bout a Cody Rhodes heel turn, but I want the champ to be evil. Let’s say it’s how he stays champ while everyone’s waiting for the challenger to snap. Pick: CM Punk
Kyle Decker: I’m getting a little tired of the hot potato of the title that always ends up in Cody Rhodes’s hands I still like him as a top guy, but a longer period without the title would do him well. (I’d be interested in the path to a heel turn, but not a must.) Also, Sami and Drew can be transitional guys. Punk is too much of a top guy for that. Pick: CM Punk
Claire Elizabeth: Cody learning to sit with his defeat and not just immediately bounce back is the more interesting choice here and furthermore I think Punk just wants it more. Pick: CM Punk
Cain A. Knight: There should be one guy on the WWE roster who Cody Rhodes just can’t figure out. CM Punk is that guy. Pick: CM Punk
Marcus Benjamin: Cody Rhodes isn’t invincible, and CM Punk proves that. He’s more interesting when he doesn’t have the championship. Pick: CM Punk
M. G0MEZ: WWE has done a nice job of teasing a Cody Rhodes heel turn, but I’m not buying it. I expect Randy Orton or Drew McIntyre to return and cost Rhodes the match. Pick: CM Punk
Jon Velez-Jackson: WWE has been hyping the new “Summer of Punk” since The Second City Saint bested Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship, so it seems incredibly unlikely his reign will end at SummerSlam. Since this is the first one-on-one meeting between Punk and Cody Rhodes in almost 18 years, this match has a legit main event feel, and the results should have big implications, perhaps even a Rhodes heel turn. Another possibility is Randy Orton returns to avenge his WrestleMania loss against Rhodes. Pick: CM Punk
Josh Jagler: Heel turn or not, it’s time for Cody Rhodes to experience some adversity away from the WWE Championship for a bit. While this feels like the beginning of a longer series of matches between these two, I’m intrigued by the idea of Punk retaining and then running it back with Finn or facing Sami in the coming months. Pick: CM Punk
Hell in a Cell: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
Geno Mrosko: There is zero reason for any finish other than Femi standing tall. I think they need to give them a lot of time and make it an absolute war, a true slog that exhausts everyone but leaves you satisfied at the conclusion. Pick: Oba Femi
Sean Rueter: I don’t think it’s the end for Lesnar, but I really don’t see how they justify beating The Ruler here. If he’s the future as they’ve told us repeatedly even though no one was arguing with them, he should win beat anybody pushing 50… even Brock. Pick: Oba Femi
Kyle Decker: For this all to play out the way they end, Oba has to go over convincingly here. Does Brock leave his gloves in the ring again? If he does, I won’t believe it’s for real given we just did that. Pick: Oba Femi
Claire Elizabeth: If Oba doesn’t win I’ll be really, really, really, really bummed. He’s the Ruler, the Bringer of War, and he’s handed Brock his ass in more spectacular fashion than anybody else has in some time, let’s not fool around with anything else. Pick: Oba Femi
Cain A. Knight: It’s around that time of year for Brock Lesnar to disappear from WWE for about 4 or 5 months. This may be the shortest Hell in a Cell match in WWE history. Pick: Oba Femi
Marcus Benjamin: This is a situation where they don’t need to overthink it. Let’s not get too crazy here. Oba needs to go over and needs to do so in a big way. You’re either making the next generation or you’re letting the elders hold on by their shoestrings for reasons passing understanding. Pick: Oba Femi
M. G0MEZ: Oba has lost some shine since giving up a guaranteed world title match at this event. His promos with Paul Heyman weren’t his strongest, and Monday’s Raw weigh-in didn’t do much to help his aura. A loss to Lesnar — who I expect to stick around through SaudiMania for one more big payday — could give WWE a chance to hit a soft reset on “The Ruler.” Pick: Brock Lesnar
Jon Velez-Jackson: The Ruler has to take the rubber match in this feud to cement his status as one of WWE’s biggest stars. Given that Triple H recently revealed Lesnar has been mentoring Femi behind the scenes, the stage seems fully set for an Oba win. Pick: Oba Femi
Josh Jagler: Regardless of whether Brock’s career ends tonight, the buildup to this match necessitates an Oba win here. The only way Brock and Paul E. should be getting a one-up on The Ruler, like they have multiple times in recent weeks, is if Femi triumphs when the door to the Cell closes. Pick: Oba Femi
Women’s World championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. IYO SKY
Geno Mrosko: I want this result just to look back on this reign and see that she held the title for this long without defending it, and then lost at the first opportunity. If Stephanie Vaquer is back soon there is money there, but they can do the same with Sky. Why not? Pick: Iyo Sky
Sean Rueter: As much as it would pop her detractors, and others annoyed by her nearly-defense free 100+ days as champ, I can’t see her getting dethroned in her first televised/streamed defense. A win over the best wrestler in the world will help validate her thus far extremely suspect reign. Pick: Liv Morgan
Kyle Decker: While generally I don’t like picking wrestlers to go 2-0 in a series, I think the women’s division in the whole of WWE needs to be shaken up. Rhea’s injury absence and Becky’s time off absence has left a big hole. I’ve become a pretty big fan of Morgan, but her pretty inactive title run hasn’t done it or me. So let’s put the one real women’s title (I don’t count interims) on someone who can always put on a great match that the fans love and have her defend this title at least monthly. Pick: IYO SKY
Claire Elizabeth: The numbers game is interesting here, as is the point that Liv probably should manage at least one “real” defense, but I gotta pick with my heart and I just do not like Liv very much. Let’s go IYO! Pick: IYO SKY
Cain A. Knight: Morgan should probably have a successful title defense somewhere besides a WWE house show, and she has the numbers game on her side with Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. Maybe Stephanie Vaquer finally returns to beat her ass after the match is over. Pick: Liv Morgan
Marcus Benjamin: I want to pick IYO. I really do. Especially with how Liv and a few others questioned who she is without Rhea Ripley by her side. But the law of opposite momentum says the champ lives to fight another day. Pun intended. Pick: Liv Morgan
M. G0MEZ: There’s still plenty of mileage left in Morgan’s title reign, including an eventual rematch with former champ Stephanie Vaquer. Now that Morgan’s BFF, Raquel Rodriguez, is the Women’s Intercontinental Champion, it’ll be interesting to see how Morgan deals with the spotlight being on someone other than her. Pick: Liv Morgan
Jon Velez-Jackson: Liv Morgan winning the Women’s World Championship was a feel-good moment for the Judgment Day member, but her title reign has been a dud, mainly because she hasn’t been given the opportunity to defend the title. An Iyo victory would give a jolt of excitement to the championship, and I suspect we’ll see some interference to get there. Perhaps Liv’s stablemates will get involved before a returning Stephanie Vaquer comes to Sky’s aid. Pick: Iyo Sky
Josh Jagler: Liv Morgan has slowly but surely established herself as one of the biggest stars in the company. Iyo Sky was already there. Both women are capable of being interesting with gold around their waists, but I think Liv Morgan needs this one more. I say they try to salvage a completely uneventful title reign for Liv with one marquee win here, and maybe Iyo can win the rubber match in the coming months to set in motion the breakup of Judgment Day. Pick: Liv Morgan
Singles match: Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
Geno Mrosko: I hope Aldis looks good, for his own sake. He ain’t winning. Pick: GUNTHER
Sean Rueter: Really, really pulling for Aldis… to deliver the performance of a lifetime here. Cause he ain’t winning. Pick: Gunther
Kyle Decker: I’m looking forward to this match because Aldis can probably still go. But Gunther has to win as part of his tread water after retiring Cena pattern. Pick: Gunther
Claire Elizabeth: I’m not so ready to count ol’ Magnus out just yet here. Do I expect him to beat the Ring General clean and nice? Nah, not at all. I’m willing to go as far as to say that I think there’s zero percent chance Aldis gets a pinfall victory here. But do I think he might be able to goad GUNTHER into making a mistake and getting DQ’d? Ah, now that’s interesting! And how does GUNTHER deal with the fact that his latest hand-picked victim not only doesn’t go meekly into retirement, but managed to get his goat bad enough that the history books give him another mark in the L column? That’s where my head’s at, at least. Pick: Nick Aldis
Cain A. Knight: Can you imagine the guy who sent Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles into retirement losing to this other guy who hasn’t wrestled in almost three years? Pick: GUNTHER
Marcus Benjamin: They’ve dropped the ball with GUNTHER but, to Kyle’s point, he can’t logically lose this match. Pick:GUNTHER
M. G0MEZ: I could criticize WWE’s booking of Gunther, and question how silly it would be to have him lose to a General Manager. Instead, I’ll take Triple H’s advice and view this as a fan. Gunther made John Cena tap out, then he retired AJ Styles. Aldis, despite being a former NWA and TNA World Champion, hasn’t wrestled in almost three years. Seems fairly obvious as to who has the advantage. Expect a hard fought match, with Aldis earning everyone’s respect, including Gunther’s. Pick: Gunther
Jon Velez-Jackson: With all due respect to the ring ability of Nick Aldis, Gunther is not going to lose to a general manager at a PLE. Aldis will surely give a respectable performance, but his opponent retired John Cena, AJ Styles, and Goldberg. This match even existing has slowed his momentum. Pick: Gunther
Josh Jagler: After seeing the genuine emotion Nick Aldis seemed to be felling during his CVV interview this week, and because my Magnus Aldis fandom goes way back his British Invasion days in TNA, I’ve really been trying to concoct a way for him to win this one. Unfortunately, I’m still drawing a blank. Pick: GUNTHER
Six-Man Tag Team match: LA Knight, Solo Sikoa & Royce Keys vs. Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Geno Mrosko: Angle alert! They’re going to do some kind of major thing in this match, I’m just praying to the pro wrestling gods that it isn’t Solo turning on his team and joining The Bloodline once more. Pick: Knight & Sikoa & Keys
Sean Rueter: They just better keep my man Solo “Dolo” Sikoa hot, because I know they won’t put a loss on The Bloodline while they’re running over everybody on Raw. Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Kyle Decker: Thinking Solo Sikoa returns to the Bloodline fold here, making my man LA Knight even more paranoid going forward. Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Claire Elizabeth: Through twists and turns or just blind brute force, this is the Bloodline’s match. Pick: The Bloodline
Cain A. Knight: The Bloodline doesn’t lose matches against makeshift teams like this, especially when a simple miscue could cause Solo Sikoa and LA Knight to start fighting each other in the blink of an eye. Pick: The Usos & Jacob Fatu
Marcus Benjamin: Don’t turn Solo heel here. Let him ride this wave and protect him at all costs. The Bloodline have to reign supreme over three guys who just became a team five minutes ago, Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
M. G0MEZ: LA Knight? That’s all you had to say. Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Jon Velez-Jackson: The never-ending Bloodline saga is still one of WWE’s top storylines, and they will emerge victorious over this random, rag-tag trio. Plus, there’s a good chance Solo Sikoa will end up realigning with his family members during the bout. Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Josh Jagler: Solo Sikoa returning to the Bloodline feels too obvious and, quite frankly, lazy. I’d much rather see if a Solo Dolo babyface run has any sort of legs to it. The makeshift trio of Knight, Keys, and Sikoa doesn’t seem to have a long shelf-life, and I truly don’t know where this whole thing is headed, but the Usos and Fatu winning feels like a safer bet. Pick: Jacob Fatu & The Usos
Six-Women Tag Team match: The Bella Twins & Paige vs. Fatal Influence
Geno Mrosko: It’s time for one of the three legends to turn on each other here, right? Plus, you get a big win for the heels who are on the rise and need it. Pick: Fatal Influence
Sean Rueter: Probably fantasy booking more than predicting, but I really don’t see why you have three Legends beat a faction you just called up and thought highly enough of to have them dominate NXT. To help make the logical thing happen, Nikki and Brie turn on Paige (or vice versa), leaving her to team with someone to go after the Bellas and giving the Fatals a big PLE win. Pick: Fatal Influence
Kyle Decker: I’m kind of surprised they didn’t just make this the title match, but it makes sense getting Paige in the ring as well. The Bellas will have these titles within a month. Pick: The Bellas & Paige
Claire Elizabeth: It ain’ t on a preshow but it feels like the preshow babyface rule holds true here all the same. Pick: Bella Twins & Paige
Cain A. Knight: I think they go the straightforward route of having Nikki Bella win her return match, especially with Fatal Influence’s tag team belts not on the line. The Bellas can always turn on Paige on a future episode of SmackDown after they fail to win the championship. Pick: Paige & The Bella Twins
Marcus Benjamin: This is probably wishful thinking on my end but Fatal Influence have to win this since they’re the new champs. Pick: Paige & The Bella Twins
M. G0MEZ: Nikki Bella missed out on a feel-good moment with her sister at WrestleMania 42 because of an injury. Consider this her second chance prom. Pick: The Bella Twins & Paige
Jon Velez-Jackson: A Fatal Influence win would do much to help get over the young stable, but they probably won’t win here given the return of Nikki Bella. Since Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid already won the tag belts from Brie Bella and Paige, the feud can go on with the heel team losing and give a feel-good moment for Nikki. Pick: The Bella Twins & Paige
Josh Jagler: The endgame here is probably for the Bellas to turn on Paige at some point, but I’m not sure it makes sense to do that tonight. What feels more likely is Bellas and Paige winning tonight, giving Nikki a moment that her injury prevented her from having at ‘Mania in April. Long term prediction is that we eventually see the Bella Twins as Tag Team Champions, defending against Paige and AJ Lee. Pick: Paige & The Bellas
That’s how we see Saturday night’s matches playing out. In the comments, tell us where we’re wrong or why you agree, and give us your predictions for Night One of SummerSlam!
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