By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
The annual SummerSlam event is upon us, taking place tonight and Sunday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at U.S. Bank Stadium. There’s a lot that can be said about this show, from the ticket sales to the booking decisions and the current state of WWE in general. I won’t go in depth into any of that except to say that this once-run family business is becoming more and more a corporate entity, less concerned about the fans that watch the product and more concerned with making as much money as possible. Whether or not that is a good thing is up to the individual to decide. If I’m taking this event as a standalone example, there are a couple of things that have my interest, but a lot that has either fallen flat or started interesting only to become too complicated storyline-wise. In any case, let’s run down the card!
CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. I wasn’t pleased when WWE teased us with a Sami Zayn Championship win, only to change course nine days later. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed the build to this one and think they did as good a job as they could do on such a short timeframe. In addition, unlike other matches we’ve seen recently featuring two babyfaces, they’ve done a decent job of avoiding a situation where both become unlikable by the time we get to the match. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a heel turn by one or the other by the end of the night, but for me, it’s a toss-up. And, in terms of the outcome, I’m cautiously optimistic that Punk retains, as I think going back to Cody too fast would be a mistake, unless of course he’s the one that turns heel.
Don Predicts: CM Punk defeats Cody Rhodes to retain the WWE Championship.
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi in a Hell in a Cell match. This one baffles me. I understand the need for the rubber match between the two, but they just had a big event in New York where this would have been better suited. Instead, you’re taking your next big babyface and putting him in a situation where he becomes the villain since Lesnar will be the hometown favorite. In doing so, Oba put off the title shot he earned, which makes little sense. I’ll give them credit for trying to explain it, but still. And finally, why Hell in a Cell? With Lesnar matches typically running between 10-15 minutes, it seems like overkill for something that won’t last that long. All that being said, it should be quite the spectacle.
Don Predicts: Oba Femi defeats Brock Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match.
Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship. This one gets a bit of a pass from me. With Rhea Ripley’s injury, SummerSlam plans for the women’s titles were thrown into flux. Unfortunately, the side effect of this is that it has created a predictable situation. They could always surprise us, but with Sky beating Morgan to become Queen of the Ring, I don’t see a situation where Morgan does the honors twice.
Don Predicts: Liv Morgan defeats Iyo Sky to retain the Women’s World Championship.
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis. I’m probably most interested in this match. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Aldis compete, so I’m intrigued to see how he performs in a WWE ring. If you’ve never seen him work, you’ll like what you see. And working with Gunther can only up his game. My only concern would be Gunther taking the loss to Aldis now. As I said, Aldis is a credible worker, but to WWE fans who have never seen him in the ring, he’s just the GM. Gunther taking a loss to Aldis at this point could hurt his standing within the WWE Universe. I think Gunther goes over in a highly competitive match. You can always have Aldis get the win down the line.
Don Predicts: Gunther defeats Nick Aldis.
LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys vs. Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso in a six-man tag team match. Ugh. This side storyline with the Bloodline and friends is doing nothing for me. And the worst part is that they are slowly diminishing any babyface equity they have with LA Knight. He’s still wildly over with the crowd, and this program is doing nothing to advance him. I expect Jimmy Uso to take the pin here.
Don Predicts: LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys defeat Jacob Fatu, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso in a six-man tag team match.
“Fatal Influence” Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid vs. Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, and Paige in a six-woman tag. I’m happy to see Fatal Influence make the main card, and I can only hope that they can pick up a spotlight win over legacy women’s stars. I fear that Henley or Reid take the loss here to set up a tag team title rematch against the Bellas. That’s where my head is, though I hope I am wrong.
Don Predicts: Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, and Paige defeat “Fatal Influence” Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid in a six-woman tag.
Join Jason Powell for his live review of both nights of SummerSlam at 5CT/6ET. Jason and Jake Barnett will co-host same-night audio reviews each night for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
I’ll be back in a separate article for SummerSlam Sunday. Until then, enjoy wrestling!
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