Speculation About What Matches Will Be Seen at “SummerSlam”

The latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has provided some extra speculation about what matches will be seen at “SummerSlam” in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 23. As previously reported, The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar will main event the annual Summer Pay-Per-View, and is currently the only confirmed match for the card.

Dave Meltzer speculates about what the “SummerSlam” match line-up may look like, taking notes from backstage and what has been seen on television since WWE “Battleground” on July 19 into effect when determining what he believes the card may be, which we previously listed in match-card format here. He writes the following about what the WWE Universe may be treated to at Barclays Center on Aug. 23,

“Seth Rollins vs. John Cena is clearly the WWE title match at SummerSlam. Other current directions are Ryback vs. Big Show for the IC title, The Prime Time Players and New Day (possibly with other teams involved) in the tag title direction, and Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens.

If Dolph Ziggler’s movie shoot is over, he’d be working with Rusev. They will probably do the three-way teams women’s match with the Bellas & Alicia Fox vs. Naomi & Tamina Snuka & Sasha Banks vs. Paige & Becky Lynch & Charlotte on this show.

Not having the title at stake at SummerSlam would make it a good shot that Nikki Bella breaks the A.J. Lee record that they’ve talked about, but given all the changes in directions this angle has gotten (and Nikki Bella was originally to lose the title before setting the record believe it or not), the only thing certain is whatever is planned will change weekly.

Advertising has already been cut for SummerSlam that featured both Undertaker and Sting. Sting’s return at SummerSlam had been planned for months to be part of a six-man teaming with Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose against the reunited Wyatt Family.

But with the injury to Erick Rowan, that had to be changed. It’s not clear exactly how this will change. An angle that appeared to set up Reigns & Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper took place on Raw after Battleground on 7/18 in Kansas City. So one of three things will happen.

Either there will be a new member of the Wyatt Family introduced in the next week or two, which results in Reigns & Ambrose getting Sting as their mystery partner (which was the scenario as of two weeks ago), or there will be an Ambrose injury and Sting will take his spot, or they’ll drop Sting.

I doubt it’ll be the latter of the three, since people who have seen Sting of late noted to us he’s in incredible shape right now.”

It should be noted that Sting is expected to compete at the event, but others that were thought to possibly work the event earlier in the ring, such as Triple H, are not currently booked.

Editor’s Note:

His list and ours matches up pretty well. Let’s see what WWE actually books over the next four weeks.