{"id":9941,"date":"2018-08-18T18:28:28","date_gmt":"2018-08-18T18:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/?p=9941"},"modified":"2018-08-18T18:28:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-18T18:28:28","slug":"wwe-summerslam-2018-preview-and-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/18\/wwe-summerslam-2018-preview-and-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SummerSlam 2018: Preview and Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Laura Mauro @lauranmauro<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The A show might be happening tonight<\/a>, but don\u2019t think that\u2019s your lot for the weekend \u2013 there\u2019s still the small matter of SummerSlam 2018 to contend with. An enormous card, packed full of talent, and \u2013 thank goodness \u2013 a healthy handful of potentially good matches to look forward to. Oh, and Lesnar vs Reigns. Let\u2019s break down the card:<\/p>\n

Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The B-Team (c) vs The Revival<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look. It was fun to give the B-Team the belts for a bit. Everyone loves a good underdog story. But this match offers the opportunity to right two significant wrongs: restoring a degree of prestige to the Raw tag belts, and giving the Revival the push they\u2019ve deserved since stepping out onto the main roster. The B-Team will soon run dry on goodwill \u2013 best to cut the cord before they go from \u2018fun comedy tag team\u2019 to \u2018most resented team on the roster\u2019.<\/p>\n

Prediction: The Revival to win the titles<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rusev & Lana vs Andrade \u2018Cien\u2019 Almas & Zelina Vega<\/strong><\/p>\n

On first glance, there\u2019s a glaring weak link in this match. For all her recent improvement, Lana is still not good enough in the ring to make her part in things significant. That said, I have to give her credit: she took some legitimately hard bumps in the MITB match a couple of months ago, and the much more skilled Zelina may just be able to carry her to a few watchable segments. Rusev and Almas, on the other hand, are both great wresters, and their disparate styles should make for interesting viewing. It\u2019s all very low-stakes stuff, though, and I have a feeling the primary motivation for this match is to further the tension between Aiden English and Rusev\/Lana \u2013 leading, potentially, to an explosive breakup. Could be worth a watch for that alone.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Andrade \u2018Cien\u2019 Almas & Zelina Vega to win<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander (c) vs Drew Gulak<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fun fact: 205 Live is quietly killing it every single week, and if you\u2019re not watching it, you\u2019re missing out. It\u2019s frankly criminal that this show doesn\u2019t get a fraction of the attention it deserves. Ahem. Now that\u2019s out of the way: there\u2019s no way this isn\u2019t going to be a great match. Drew Gulak is a brilliant character worker \u2013 his transformation from \u2018PowerPoint-loving mayoral candidate\u2019 to \u2018PowerPoint-loving mayoral candidate who could break your neck (and probably will)\u2019 has been great fun to witness, and given him a ferocious edge in the ring which sets him apart from most of the 205 Live roster. Cedric Alexander is a likeable, entirely credible babyface champion with remarkable versatility in the ring, and his title defences until now have been convincing. But I think he\u2019s met his match in Gulak, whose newfound viciousness makes him look like a real contender.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Drew Gulak to win the title<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daniel Bryan vs The Miz<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one could steal the show. The epic rivalry between these two hasn\u2019t been properly consummated since 2010, and the recap video showcasing all 8+ years of their near-perpetual conflict just reinforces why this is unmissable. The Miz\u2019s uncomfortably genuine tirade on Talking Smack back in 2016 set the standard for all further outings between these two, and their mutual antipathy has lost none of its fire since then. This could be a classic. It should<\/em> be a classic. As for the outcome \u2013 assuming Bryan re-signs with WWE, then there\u2019s no reason to have him vanquish his rival just yet. Long-term storytelling isn\u2019t WWE\u2019s strong suit, but I\u2019m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here.<\/p>\n

Prediction: The Miz to win<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Corbin\u2019s \u2018Constable\u2019 character has proven a nice change of pace for a performer who has severely lacked direction in the past. Unfortunately, Balor now occupies that same directionless space. It\u2019s almost as though WWE has completely forgotten how over he was as the first Universal Champion. It\u2019s frustrating to see Balor thrown repeatedly into pointless feuds which do nothing for him, his character or his direction. Still, the in-ring action might be decent.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Finn Balor to win<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

United States Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs Jeff Hardy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assuming Orton isn\u2019t confined to the doghouse following accusations of unsavoury behaviour, it\u2019s almost a given that he\u2019ll be interfering in this match. It\u2019s way too soon for Nakamura to lose the title, though, and the story needs more time to cook before Jeff reclaims his title.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the title<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens<\/strong><\/p>\n

As much as I love Kevin Owens, he\u2019s not divesting Strowman of his briefcase. Owens excels at suffering: it\u2019s one of many things he does very well, and with Strowman as an opponent, it\u2019s inevitable that suffering is on the cards. Even though Owens is walking into the match looking as legitimate a contender as he ever has, I suspect misdirection is at hand. I just can\u2019t see Strowman losing the case here, and \u2013 more importantly \u2013 losing his shot at Lesnar (or Reigns). Much like Balor, Owens has (quite unfairly) been pushed to the back of the title shot queue: the Monster Among Men is a much likelier shout for the Universal Championship.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Braun Strowman to win<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Intercontinental Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s address the elephant in the room first: Dean Ambrose is back, he\u2019s hench, and he\u2019s ripe for a heel turn. Except I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to happen just yet. Ambrose provides a nice counterbalance against the imposing presence of Drew McIntyre and the likelihood of ringside shenanigans is very high indeed. As for the match itself \u2013 Rollins is one of the best WWE has to offer right now, and Ziggler has shown convincing chemistry against him, so there\u2019s a strong possibility that this is going to be at the very least a solid match. I think it\u2019s Rollins\u2019 time, though, and a victory here would be the perfect way to kickstart a push to the top.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Seth Rollins to win the title<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: The Bludgeon Brother (c) vs The New Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m bored of the Bludgeon Brothers. A dominant monster heel tag team is only as good as the outside possibility that someone might overcome them. It becomes dull quickly when they wipe the floor repeatedly with any and all comers, and that\u2019s been the pattern of their matches since before they secured the titles. That said, The New Day are smart, and fast, and that might stand in their favour\u2026.though it hasn\u2019t in the past. Sigh. Please help us, SAnitY, you\u2019re our only hope.<\/p>\n

Prediction: The Bludgeon Brothers to retain the titles<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship Match: Carmella (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair<\/strong><\/p>\n

As much as I\u2019d enjoy seeing either Becky or Charlotte take the title, this one\u2019s all about the dynamic between them. I foresee Becky coming within inches of victory, only to have Charlotte swoop in and snatch her opportunity away. Cue the rapid deterioration of their friendship \u2013 which could be the perfect vehicle for a long overdue Becky Lynch push. Carmella, meanwhile, will moonwalk off with the title still in hand.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Carmella to retain the title<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Raw Women\u2019s Championship Match: Alexa Bliss (c) vs Ronda Rousey<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can make a convincing argument that Rousey hasn\u2019t been around nearly long enough, and put in nearly enough work to really deserve this title shot, but WWE are clearly high on her, and she\u2019s a huge draw for casual fans, so it makes perfect sense that she\u2019d take the title on her first attempt. But WWE are also very high on Alexa Bliss: she\u2019s been heavily protected throughout her multiple title reigns, so it\u2019s going to be very interesting to see who gets the push here. It\u2019ll also be interesting to see if Alexa takes any hard bumps, given Ronda\u2019s uncompromising in-ring style. A hard match to call, but I think Ronda has the edge.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Ronda Rousey to win the title.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs Samoa Joe<\/strong><\/p>\n

AJ might be phenomenal, but this is Joe\u2019s time to shine. It\u2019s criminal that he hasn\u2019t yet held a title on the main roster, and although this feud has been a little lukewarm, Samoa Joe is consistently one of the best talkers on the roster, and you can guarantee that as WWE Champion he\u2019ll deliver on the entertainment front.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Samoa Joe to win the title.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Universal Championship Match: Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so tired of Brock Lesnar. I\u2019m tired of his turnip face and his chicken legs. I\u2019m tired of him turning up four times a year, suplexing some suplexes and then sodding off for the next few months. And I\u2019m tired of him facing Roman Reigns over and over while the crowd find solace in beach balls and Mexican waves. Nobody cares anymore. Give Reigns the title and have it done with. We all know Strowman will be cashing in at the end anyway.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Roman Reigns to win the title (and Braun Strowman to cash in on him)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Laura Mauro @lauranmauro The A show might be happening tonight, but don\u2019t think that\u2019s your lot for the weekend \u2013 there\u2019s still the small matter of SummerSlam 2018 to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":9942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,185],"tags":[452,501,529,47],"class_list":["post-9941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-wwe","tag-ppv","tag-summerslam","tag-summerslam-2018","tag-wwe"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-2Al","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/skysports-summerslam-logo_4384857.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9941"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9944,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9941\/revisions\/9944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}