411’s WWE Summerslam 2015 Preview

Introduction

This year’s WWE Summerslam is the biggest in history and WWE hopes that with its slate of 10 matches that it can also be the most successful as well. The four hour extravaganza taking place from the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York is headlined by two big matches. Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker and a Winner Take All Match between United States Champion John Cena and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. There’s also a three team Divas match, Steven Amell teams with Neville to take on Stardust and King Barrett, and even Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens as well. There seems to be at least something for everyone on this card. WWE has done a pretty good job of making this show feel like a big deal in the build-up. However, the bigger question is will it deliver? Well, we will find out on Sunday night when WWE presents Summerslam 2015 live at 7ET/4p on PPV and the WWE Network. Let’s go ahead and find out what the 411 staff think could happen on the show.

The Staff

Gary Vaughan, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast

Mike Chin, The Magnificent Seven

Michael Weyer, Shining a Spotlight

Paul Leazar, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast

Kevin Pantoja, WWE NXT Reporter, Wrestling Video Reviewer

Wyatt Beougher, Wrestling Article Writer, MMA Fact or Fiction Organizer

Sean Garmer, Wrestling 2 the MAX Podcast, WWE PPV Roundtable Organizer, Games Top 5 Organizer, Host of Co-operative Multiplayer Live Podcast,

(Champion) Primetime Players vs. New Day vs. Los Matadores w/ El Torito vs. Lucha Dragons
WWE Tag Team Championship Fatal 4 Way Match

Gary Vaughan: I see this as really a tag team match masquerading as a fatal 4 way match. Los Matadores and Lucha Dragons don’t matter here. It seems as though the Prime Time Players have been better color commentators rather than tag champs. Despite a not so great run, the tag team champions will give New Day fits all match long. I think the numbers game will catch up to the Prime Time Players and the New Day will win with Xavier Woods cementing the victory.

Winner: The New Day

Mike Chin:The 50-50, or perhaps more appropriately 25-25-25-25 booking of this program leaves no one with any momentum. I’m still of the mind that New Day has a ton of untapped potential as a unit, besides being a heel team surrounded by relatively strong face teams, giving them the most room to thrive as champions going into the fall.

Winner: New Day

Michael Weyer: Hard to pick here as New Day have been rising well and could be a surprise by the Dragons. However, these bouts tend to favor the champions so I’ll pick the Players to eke out the win and retain. Still a shame the Ascension got buried so badly, they’d be a much better pick as the tag scene needs some fresh blood at the championship level.

Winners and still WWE Tag team Champions: The Prime Time Players

Paul Leazar: The Primetime Players and The New Day are really the only options to go with here, and I think the WWE would be mistaken to lift the championships off The Prime Time Players. Just like with the Intercontinental Championship, the WWE has switched to focusing all their energies around pushing the champions, and I think the New Day are over enough to work on something else besides the tag titles if the WWE so chooses, while the Prime Time Players could still use the rub of being the champions, so I think the PTP retain here, but this match should prove to be fun on the bun.

Winners and STILL WWE Tag Team Champions: The Prime Time Players

Kevin Pantoja: A prime example of the WWE’s lazy booking can be found here. Instead of putting in the effort that it takes to book a competent Tag Team Title program, they just throw darts at team names on the wall and put them in a multi-team match. They did at WrestleMania and they’re doing it here again. It’s basically just been the three teams trading wins and losses while the champions do commentary. New Day is easily the best thing in the tag team division and should honestly win back the titles. That’s what I’m going to pick here.

Winner: New Day

Wyatt Beougher: I have been picking the New Day to win these matches since they won the belts from the Uppercats, and I am not going to go against that trend this month, as they are easily the most consistently entertaining part of WWE programming week in and week out. That’s not a knock on the other three teams in this match, as I have been enjoying the Primetime Players and Kalisto, and even Los Matadores have not been as unimportant in recent weeks as they have been essentially since their debut. But seriously, it’s time for the belts to come back to the New Day, because they’ve been SO GOOD, you guys. Big E has been my jam since he still had a last name in NXT, Kofi Kingston is the least interesting face in the world, but this heel turn has really shown how much he has to offer, and even Xavier Woods, who I didn’t particularly care for as Consequences Creed or in NXT/with R-Truth, has been comedic gold. They deserve another, lengthier reign with the straps.

Winners and NEW WWE World Tag Team Champions: New Day (double team Big Ending combination)

Sean Garmer: It seemed like WWE was starting to put some stock in the tag division again leading up to this, but what we got was the same thing WWE does for every division pretty much. I’ve enjoyed Primetime Players on commentary and watching New Day be their hilariously awesome selves. I don’t see why we couldn’t have just continued that program here, but I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t come down to those two in the final moments. I’d expect this to be a nice way to open the show, but I think New Day has proven they don’t need the belts right now to continue to be over. With Football season coming up and all the good press Titus O’ Neil has been getting, I think the champions retain here. I mean it would be nice to establish one of these teams for a little while.

Winners AND STILL WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Primetime Players (After Clash of the Titus)

Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens
Singles Match

Gary Vaughan:Two former Ring of Honor guys in a classic bout, sign me up. I think this match will be a huge highlight of the night; with both guys possibly having the best worked match. Kevin Owens needs this win and he will cheat to gain a victory over Cesaro.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Mike Chin: I hate to see either of these guys lose at this point, but alas someone has to. Between Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Ryback, the upper card for faces is very, very crowded right now, while the top heel ranks are a log thinner, so I’m giving Owens the duke in this sleeper choice for Match of the Night.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Michael Weyer: Damn, Owens. On fire two months ago, now slumming it down here. It should be a great match, one of the better of the show and would love to see Owens really show his stuff and illustrate how losing the U.S. title shot was a bad move. So expect a highlight of the night and a reminder to everyone how great a star Owens can be with the right push.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Paul Leazar: Here’s a show stealing match if I ever say one. Summerslam is going to be four hours, and that leaves plenty of time for these two to go out there and make everybody at the Barclay Center drop their jaws. The problem is both guys really need the win, but you can keep the support going for Cesaro if he loses in brave and amazing effort. I don’t think you can say the same for Kevin Owens as he is still trying to get his feet back under him after his feud with Cena.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Kevin Pantoja: Remember when Kevin Owens beat John Cena cleanly and everyone thought things were going to be amazing for him? Well, that win over Cena now looks like a complete fluke and he’s now in a SummerSlam match that is sure to be good but kind of pointless. How much cooler would this be if Owens, you know, had the US Title? Anyway, I can totally see Owens losing for obvious reasons, but I’ve picked a lot of faces so far so I’m going with him. The fans will stay behind Cesaro if he loses in a good effort and that’s what I see happening here. Should be the match of the night.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Wyatt Beougher: If the Wyatt Family/Shield tag match doesn’t steal the show, this match absolutely will. Two of the best, most decorated independent wrestlers over the past decade locking horns in a WWE ring at the second biggest show of the year with their entire main roster potential on the line? You can’t tell me that Owens and Cesaro aren’t going to make the best of however much time they’re given, be it five minutes or fifty (I’m guessing it’ll be seven or eight, but with Summerslam now stretched to four hours, hopefully they’ll get closer to twenty). Realistically, this match should be for the United States Championship, but something something status quo. I don’t care who wins this match in the least, so long as both guys get to look like the incredibly gifted professional wrestlers that they have proven themselves to be. Coming off of a PPV losing streak to Cena, I think Owens probably needs the win just a bit worse, but as long as they both get to showcase their abilities, I’ll be happy, no matter who wins.

Winner: Kevin Owens (Lights Out)

Sean Garmer: This should be all kinds of wonderful and could be the match everyone is talking about when the night is over as well. I do worry here that Kevin Owens could begin his slow descent into becoming another Bray Wyatt, but I’m going to keep the faith and think that there are those in WWE that see Kevin Owens and Cesaro are both stars in the making. Cesaro does seem to be on a bit of a push, but Owens losing in a match that may have some underlying stakes doesn’t help him any at all. I wouldn’t even be surprised if we get more of “Walk Owens Walk” and this doesn’t really get a result.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton
Singles Match

Gary Vaughan: I hope this match is in the middle of the show, that way I can get a 15 minute nap in before tackling the rest of the event. Sheamus will win because the match doesn’t matter.

Winner: Sheamus

Mike Chin: It’s pretty baffling that this program continues after Orton has so thoroughly dominated it and these guys still have yet to produce a match better than “pretty good.” To at all justify this matchup, I feel like Sheamus gets his win back to finally groom him a bit for a MITB run.

Winner: Sheamus

Michael Weyer: Why are these two feuding? Seriously, I forget. It’s okay but really no serious point to it all and hard to see either guy getting a push from it so I’ll flip a coin…

Winner: Randy Orton

Paul Leazar: Sheamus needs this win in a bad way, and then he needs to move on to something much more interesting. Whether he cashes in at the end of the night to set the championship situation straight, or he feuds with somebody else who’s also gunning for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity, it’s gotta be something that makes people care about him again since he’s got that briefcase. This nothing feud with Randy hasn’t done either guy any favors.

Winner: Sheamus

Kevin Pantoja: Heading to Battleground, I called these two the “oil and water” of the WWE. Both guys are good in their own right, but they almost never produce good matches. Outside of a Hell in a Cell match in 2010 and the Battleground match that turned out pretty good, I like none of their stuff. This should move to the Kickoff show or something. It’s tempting me to rip my eyes out. I’ll pick Sheamus here since the MITB winner gets jobbed out but wins once in a while and his current record against Orton has to be something like 6-119.

Winner: Sheamus

Wyatt Beougher: Does anyone actually want to see this match? The only thing I think it might be good for would be an accurate predictor of how the ending of the Cena/Rollins match is going to go – if Sheamus loses, he might decide to cash in his Money in the Bank on the winner of that match (who would then likely be John Cena), but if he wins, I would guess the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match will see through to its conclusion unmolested. The worst part is that these guys are both competent wrestlers, capable of putting on great matches, but when they’re wrestling each other, they basically just put it in autopilot. And as much as “Money in the Bank winner” Sheamus has been booked like “Intercontinental Champion/King” Barrett, I don’t think WWE wants to completely devalue the briefcase, so I look for Sheamus to get the win here, probably countering an RKO (and what sweet irony it would be for Orton to jump forward for an RKO, DDP-style, only to catch a Brogue Kick to the face.

Winner: Sheamus (Brogue Kick)

Sean Garmer: Somehow this feud continues with still nothing at stake. I have a feeling Sheamus gets involve in some form or fashion at the end of the night. So, just like at Wrestlemania 31, Randy Orton wins here to set that in motion.

Winner: Randy Orton

Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper
Tag Team Match

Gary Vaughan: This match could be decided by many means, but my best guess is we get a new Wyatt Family member aiding in a victory for them. Expect a battle all over the ring area up to that point. We could even see a heel turn by Ambrose or Reigns somewhere in this match as well.

Winner: The Wyatt Family

Mike Chin: I like the idea of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose having an extended, Mega Powers like run as top faces, and that can all start right here in earnest with a big tag win. Moreover, Luke Harper is, for all his talents, far and away the guy best positioned to eat the fall in this match.

Winner: Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

Michael Weyer: This mini-Shield reunion sounds fun and could be the thing to spark all the guys so this should be a good fight. It’s really to push the Reigns/Ambrose dynamic more and we know how great they are together so easily see them winning and reminding fans of their stardom which WWE can hopefully take notice of in Ambrose’s case.

Winners: Reigns and Ambrose

Paul Leazar: If the plan is to build to a six man tag situation with Sting, you have to put The Wyatt Family over here. You need them to look dominant, and you need Reigns & Ambrose to realize that they need something more. This would be way more convincing to believe if the WWE hadn’t spent the last year dragging Bray through the mud, but we have what we have. I know everybody and their mother thinks that Dean is going to turn on Reigns, but I just don’t see it happening yet. Dean still has some mileage left to give in this one before he turns heel.

Winners: The Wyatt Family

Kevin Pantoja: Remember that amazing Shield vs. Wyatt Family match at Elimination Chamber last year? Well, at SummerSlam this year, we get a diet version of it. I may be down on it but this has potential to be somewhat fun. A lot of people seem to be expecting the Dean Ambrose heel turn and part of me sees it too, but I’m going to pick it. Luke Harper is best suited to eat the pinfall here and I see that happening. Maybe Dean turns a bit later on in the feud.

Winner: Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose

Wyatt Beougher: According to rampant online rumors, one of the former Shield guys is turning heel in this match, though it makes little sense for either of them. Reigns is reportedly still the heir apparent to John Cena (and WWE seems to conveniently forget that no one cared about boring babyface John Cena until he turned heel with the Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick), so I doubt they turn him, and Ambrose is arguably the most directionless and inconsequential wrestler to have main evented three PPVs in the past year. And while either guy joining the Wyatt Family would be a much-needed shot in the arm for the similarly directionless Bray Wyatt, I would much rather they add someone like Baron Corbin or Leo Kruger so that they can continue their war of attrition with the Shield. (And honestly, if Wyatt and Harper are the Wyatt Family even without Harper, why can’t the two guys who still like each other from the Shield just be called the Shield?) At any rate, all four guys in this match are talented enough at dishing out and receiving punishment that this match could possibly steal the show. I think the bayou cultists win this one, though I think it is due to a returning Rowan and not a heel turn from Ambrose/Reigns.

Winners: The Wyatt Family (Sister Abigail)

Sean Garmer: I really hope this is one of those all-out brawls where they just beat the snot of each other and the match takes a long while to officially start. Just having a regular old tag match doesn’t make any sense to me after what Ambrose said on commentary. I don’t buy the hype around Ambrose turning on Reigns here, especially because I’m sure WWE has read those rumors too and will purposely not do it on this show to swerve everyone. I also prefer my turns, especially ones between two old pals to have some build and some hints and winks. The best way to do that, it is to create a situation, whether it is Erick Rowan making a surprise return or a new Wyatt Family member appearing to turn the tide of the match. This causes Reigns and Ambrose to lose and Ambrose to eat the pin, which may cause issues as we head to Night of Champions.

Winners: Wyatt Family (Via Sister Abigail on Ambrose)

(Champion) Ryback vs. The Miz vs. Big Show
Intercontinental Championship Match

Gary Vaughan: Hit the can or the kitchen, cause if you stick around for this match, you maybe hitting the pillow with your head. This match will be too average in my opinion. Ryback should win; cause if either Big Show or Miz do we all know the IC title will be downgraded even more.'”,,

Winner: Ryback

Mike Chin: Does Ryback get to resume a run that has been diminished by injury? From where I sit, Miz is the pivot point of this match. Either he’s there to eat the fall and build to a one-on-one showdown between the big guys, or WWE is following the all-too-conventional logic of the guy who got crushed in the build up getting the big win. For better or worse, I’m going with the latter.

Winner: The Miz

Michael Weyer: Ryback’s run has been marred by injury and so it’s likely he’ll lose it out here. Miz is the obvious pick but with rumors of Show wanting to call it quite soon, it’s possible he may get this as a “farewell gift.” Yeah, it sounds bad but it’s how the business can be sometimes so I’ll give it to Show here, a shame Ryback’s push got wrecked like this but here’s hoping Show drops it to someone better down the line.

Winner and NEW IC Champion: Big Show

Paul Leazar: I’m all aboard the Ryback train. I think the guy has something to him that could make him a top flight superstar for the WWE. Lord knows The Big Show won’t don’t a lot of good for anybody as the IC Champ, and when The Miz tends to win the title, it fades away from view. Keep the spotlight on Ryback, keep trying to get him over, and let’s see what we get.

Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Ryback

Kevin Pantoja: Man, this match just seems like it will suck. The fact that it couldn’t happen at Battleground should have been a sign that it shouldn’t happen period. But the WWE is sticking to their guns and giving it to us here. Miz is an extremely good heel, but he’s had multiple runs with the belt within the past year or so. Big Show is always a possibility, but I have no desire to see that. I get the feeling that Ryback retains since he hasn’t been able to have a good reign. Hopefully it turns around after this feud.

Winner: Ryback

Wyatt Beougher: Hey, remember when Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania and a lot of us convinced ourselves that WWE was finally going to start taking the title seriously again? Now here we are, some four months removed, and Bryan is apparently cleared to wrestle by his own neurologist, but WWE won’t let him back into the ring, so instead we have Ryback, Miz, and BIG SHOW competing for the IC Title, while the secondary title with the WCW lineage is more highly regarded and also on the line in the main event. I think we may have reached critical mass for what has thus far been an extremely odd year in WWE. At any rate, this match was supposed to happen once already, but Ryback had a nasty staph infection, so it got postponed. And as much as I have been loving the Miz since the start of the dissension with Mizdow, even that is not enough to make me care about this match. Until the booking of the IC championship (and the guys ostensibly in that division) improves, no matter who wins this match, they aren’t going to have any momentum. That said, WWE seems pretty high on Ryback right now, so I think he will retain.

Winner and STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion: Ryback (Shellshock on Miz)

Sean Garmer: The story of this feud has been Miz continuing to be in the background while also trolling RyBack and Big Show. When RyBack has been around, the feud has been centered around the two behemoths, while Miz sits at commentary or does something else. This seems primed for Miz to keep doing his thing and let Big Show and RyBack tire each other out. Then Miz sneaks in and steals the belt. Then perhaps you remove Big Show from the situation and you have RyBack chase Miz for a few months. Miz keeps finding ways to escape defeat until we get to Night of Champions or even Hell in a Cell and RyBack whoops him in about 30 seconds to win back the belt. I don’t have a problem at all if RyBack retains here either, because I feel that the crowd is responding to him big time. Let’s just get some direction for this belt whether he loses it or retains it, PLEASE!!!

Winner AND NEW IC CHAMPION: The Miz (Skull Crushing Finale)

Rusev w/ Summer Rae vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Lana
Singles Match

Gary Vaughan: This feud has not helped anyone involved; especially Dolph and Lana. Rusev and Ziggler will have a hard fought battle, but Lana or Summer Rae will get in the way some way possible. Look for Ziggler to win by Lana distracting Rusev.’

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Mike Chin: While this one could go either way, and Rusev could really use the victory to keep him in the upper card (perhaps with Lana re-aligning herself and pairing with Summer Rae to back Rusev), I foresee Ziggler getting the comeback win as one of SummerSlam’s feel-good stories.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Michael Weyer: Really not a fan how it’s all going but the match should be okay. Ziggler is an easy pick but I think it’ll be Rusev to get him back on track and high time, let’s hope Lana is able to survive this terribly storyline better than it seems for some better stuff down the road.

Winner: Rusev

Paul Leazar: This should be another good match, and should have plenty of shenanigans with both Summer and Lana at ringside, but Dolphie Z really needs this victory in a bad way. The same could go for Rusev, but the best way to keep Lana in the limelight is to have Dolph get a string of victories to make it look like her presence around him is doing something for him. This should hopefully be a great way to get both people over, so everybody wins here. Except Rusev.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Kevin Pantoja: Obviously the John Cena program did much more harm than it did good for Rusev. However, he has been far more entertaining in his new role. Honestly, along with Sasha Banks, Stardust and New Day, I look forward to Rusev segments more than anything else on Raw each week. Dolph Ziggler returning makes me feel like it will be a feel good story, but I’ve picked a ton of faces so far. Not only that, but Rusev has still only been pinned by two guys and I don’t think that number grows here. Expect Ziggler and Lana to win the eventual mixed tag though.

Winner: Rusev

Wyatt Beougher: This is basically a lower card version of Sheamus vs Orton, though at least Dolph and Rusev will be giving it their all in the ring. At some point, this is going to feature a Lana vs Summer catfight, but beyond that, I have no idea who wins. If there was any justice, Rusev would pick up the win since he and Summer have been more or less minding their own business, while Lana has continued to be an awful, awful person (aka a WWE face). Realistically, though, Dolph just got back onto TV and Lana was allegedly in line for a huge push, so their completely loveless romance will continue.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler (ZigZag)

Sean Garmer: This is just a stopgap in the story, which will ultimately culminate with a mixed tag team match at Night of Champions. I think the best way to get there is have Summer Rae distract, which causes Lana to get involved. This distraction causes Ziggler to become distracted and he eats a Super Kick from Rusev and then taps to the Accolade. I expect some good interactions here between everyone, but this will be even more about what’s going on with the two ladies on the outside, more so than what is happening in the ring with the two men.

Winner: Rusev

Steven Amell & Neville vs. Stardust & King Barrett
Tag Team Match

Gary Vaughan: The world is buzzing to see Green Arrow in a WWE ring. Look for Neville take most of the damage dealt out by Stardust and Barrett. I think this match will be mostly gimmick with Green Arrow getting the pin on Stardust.

Winner: Neville & Stephen Amell

Mike Chin: Steven Arnell is a fit celebrity who seems to care, so this has potential to be fun enough outing as long it remains basic and short. I peg Arnell to get the traditional celeb treatment, picking up the pin, probably over Stardust

Winner: Steven Amell and Neville

Michael Weyer: Unless Amell comes out with Emily Bett Rickards in Felicity Smoak mode, I’m not interested.

Winners: Amell and Neville

Paul Leazar: This match should be all kinds of awesome. I have all the faith in the world that Steven Amell is invested into this 10,000% and I am fully expecting to see The Arrow do some bad ass stuff in the ring. Neville and Stardust can do the lion’s share of the work, and honestly, I don’t think anybody (including myself) cares what Barrett does in this match. So long as Amell and Neville come out of this the victor, I’ll be happy, and hopefully Neville get back to moving in that upward direction towards some midcard gold.

Winner: Steven Amell and Neville

Kevin Pantoja: This is the right kind of celebrity involvement. You have someone who is a legit fan and is in phenomenal shape. I’m sure he can do whatever bumps are required of him and he should put his all into this considering how much he loves wrestling. Pairing the Green Arrow with the guy who does the Red Arrow makes sense, but King Barrett felt so out of place. Then, they did the Cosmic King thing and I was sold. This is the type of feud that you just enjoy and don’t take too seriously. The celebrity wins here.

Winner: Stephen Amell and Neville

Wyatt Beougher: Is it bad that this is maybe the match I’m most excited about, save for perhaps Owens/Cesaro? The three professional wrestlers involved in this match are all capable of being extremely entertaining, and Amell is clearly someone who loves wrestling and is physically fit and athletic enough to have a believable presence in the ring (that’s basically all Naomi has going for her in spite of being in the WWE system for multiple years, and she has her diehard fans), so this match should be a fun way to start the show off. Plus, Barrett is nowhere near R-Truth and that’s always a good thing. I look for the celebrity guest to pick up the win here, probably after a Neville Red Arrow incapacitates Stardust.

Winners: Stephen Amell and Neville (Amell pins Stardust after a Red Arrow)

Sean Garmer: I’m excited to see this match because I want to see what Amell would be allowed to do here. We saw on RAW and if you watch the show, you know Amell is athletic and could take some bumps if needed. This probably comes down to Neville taking out Stardust and Amell getting the pin for the feel good moment.

Winner: Stephen Amell and Neville

Team PCB vs. Team Bella vs. Team B.A.D.
Divas Three Team Elimination Match

Gary Vaughan: :This match should be a blast to watch. We have at least 5 out of 9 divas in this match will put on a great performance; in which none of those being a Bella I’m sure. Saying that, Team B.A.D will cancel out Team PCB and Team Bella will get a win pinning Tamina.

Winner: Team Bella

Mike Chin: While I’m still expecting Cesaro-Owens to end up being stronger and Lesnar-‘Taker to get a spotlight and way more time, I love the fact that this Divas match *could* *conceivably* be great. Hell, give them thirty minutes-plus, and there are women involved in this bout with the talent to make this a legit MOTYC. That’s probably too optimistic, but this could still be quite good. Team PCB has the most sensible title contenders–faces, and talents who have proven themselves as one-on-one performers. I’m pegging Charlotte or Paige for sole survivor-ship this go-round to set up one of them to chase Nikki Bella moving forward, with Sasha Banks waiting in the wings after that.

Winner: Team PCB

Michael Weyer: Well, this “Divas Revolution” didn’t last long, did it? However, Charlotte, Paige and Lynch are all more than capable of pulling the rest to a big encounter and if given enough time, this can be a real spotlight for their talents. The tricky thing is time as if WWE only gives them seven minutes, it’ll be a true waste and not helping things out. That’s a sad possibility but here’s hoping it’s better than that to show how the NXT gals can elevate the ladies quite nicely.

Winners: Team PCB

Paul Leazar: Here’s another match that could be something that people will remember. This match NEEDS time, it NEEDS to be good, and somebody other than Team Bella needs to win. I think the momentum and the way things have been going points to either Charlotte or Sasha Banks pinning Nikki in this one, and I think PCB ultimately needs to be the team to come away with the victory simply because this is a great situation to make Charlotte, who I think will ultimately become the next Diva’s Champion, to look like a million bucks.

Winners: Team PCB

Kevin Pantoja:: I’m a massive Sasha Banks fan and I love Becky Lynch as well. I’m glad to see them getting a chance to shine but I’m still unsold on this whole thing. Giving them more time and saying “#DivasRevolution” 15 times per match doesn’t actually make it a Divas Revolution. There needs to be more defined roles, better character development and for fucks sake, can someone tell the Bella Twins that they are heels? Don’t do Daniel Bryan style kicks and try to rally the crowd. Anyway, this could either be fun or a clusterfuck. Either way, I get the feeling that Team PCB wins here. They are the clear faces and, with a heel Divas Champion, someone from that team needs to be next in line. I suspect it’s Charlotte.

Winner: Team PCB

Wyatt Beougher: Can they just say Nikki broke AJ’s record already so that we can move past the holding pattern the Divas division is in until that point? They bring up three incredibly talented women from NXT, one of them the current NXT Women’s Champion, and just stick them in random teams and have them wrestle each other in random singles and tag team matches. Yes, the wrestling is getting better (though it still suffers from time to time), but if the storylines don’t improve, the fans are quickly going to lose interest and Divas matches will again be bathroom break matches, albeit significantly better wrestled. With the nine women the division has been focused on all involved in this match, hopefully something of note will happen storyline-wise. Ideally, Team BAD and PCB would be the final two factions standing, but ultimately, if Sasha Banks again ends up getting a clean submission win over Divas Champion Nikki Bella to give her a legitimate reason to demand a title shot, then I would be okay with PCB being the first team eliminated. Hopefully the six women who are actually good wrestlers in the match (Paige, Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Nikki, and Alicia) can cover up the awfulness (Tamina, Brie) or inexperience (Naomi) of the other three, and we get a showcase match like the Fatal 4Way at NXT Takeover: Rival.

Winners: Team B.A.D.

Sean Garmer: This has the potential to be fun and have lots of pretty cool spots if given the time to flesh out everything. If they grant the ladies 10 minutes and tell them to rush in all the spots, this will wind up in another trainwreck like what happened on Monday night. I’d expect Tamina to do something dumb and get her team eliminated first. Team Bella and Team PCB are left standing and Charlotte finds a way to make Nikki TAP OUT to the Figure Eight in order for her to stake a claim to that Divas Title come Night of Champions. Sasha also has a TAP OUT victory over the champion and I wouldn’t mind a Triple Threat match to perhaps cut short Nikki’s title reign right before she makes the 300 days.

Winners: Team PCB

(WWE Champion) Seth Rollins vs. (US Champion) John Cena
”Winner Take All” Singles Match

Gary Vaughan: I have a hard time wrapping my mind around either champion walking away as a dual champion. We should get a good match, but I think the ending maybe less than stellar. Look for Sheamus to try a cash in and get Rollins disqualified.,

Winner: Cena by DQ

Mike Chin: The “Winner Take All” stip has added a good bit of intrigue to this match. Cena’s doing great things with the US title–would WWE end that run? Will WWE have Rollins carry both belts? Will Sheamus cash in on the winner to split up the championships before the end of the night? The outcome is unpredictable; while I’d like to see Rollins’s reign continue I see Cena picking up the win here, and the feud carrying on for at least the short term.

Winner: John Cena

Michael Weyer: So the big question of whether or not WWE will really end Rollins’ great championship reign for Cena or not. It’s obviously tempting to go with “Cena wins” and such but I really think WWE has to recognize that Rollins is hot as hell and obvious to continue. Having him holding both titles is very interesting, whether he merges them or defends both is something to run with and just makes him a hotter heel for the fans to react to. It should be a great match either way and while tempting to think some cop-out finish, I can totally see Rollins winning to hold both belts and elevate him more for hopefully a great main event battle.

Winner, Still WWE World Champion and NEW US Champion: Seth Rollins

Paul Leazar: While the idea of a champion vs. champion with both belts on the line might be a questionable decision, I’ve found the build for the feud to be fairly entertaining, especially the contract signing where Cena cut a promo that was almost a throwback to his days as the Doctor of Thuganomics. The decision is further complicated by the double edge sword Cena has presented to booking this year. Yes, he’s been having these fantastic matches with younger talents all year long so far, but when you see how he leaves them afterward, it’s not a pretty picture (which has been a running theme for more then this year), and lord knows the WWE can’t afford to have that happen to Seth Rollins, somebody who has a decent title run going for him, and has become their best heel on the roster. I think the smart money is on Cena to win, and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the WWE pulling out a No Contest finish here too, but Rollins could really use this win to help solidify himself in his spot, so I’m going to go with Rollins with the full expectation of being wrong.

Winner and STILL WWE World Heavyweight Champion and NEW United States Champion: Seth Rollins

Kevin Pantoja: The booking of this SummerSlam is all wrong to me. I really wish that John Cena was having a big United States Title match away from the WWE Title picture. It’s been refreshing to have him out of the title picture. What’s going to happen at the end of this? Will the US Title go away or will they have the winner defend both? Part of me thinks that Seth Rollins will win to even the score after tapping out a few weeks ago but the other part of me is sticking to my guns and sticking to what I said earlier this year. I’m not picking against Cena until he loses one of these big feuds. It’s why I picked him all three times in the feud with Owens, the last three times he faced Rusev and why I’m going with him here.

Winner: John Cena

Wyatt Beougher: If Cena wins, we complain on the internet. (Spoiler: Cena wins.) In all seriousness, we can come out of Summerslam in a variety of directions: Cena wins clean (extremely likely), Cena wins clean and Sheamus cashes in (likely), Cena wins via disqualification and he and Rollins retain their titles (possible), Rollins wins via disqualification and he and Cena retain their titles (unlikely), Rollins wins cleanly and Sheamus cashes in (highly unlikely), or Rollins wins clean (extremely unlikely). And then if you factor in that each Sheamus cash-in scenario has two possible outcomes, and you’re looking at a match that could realistically go in any of eight possible directions, and that should make for a truly exciting Summerslam championship match, especially when you consider that Cena has been doing some of the best in-ring work of his career since winning the United States championship in May, right? Unfortunately, this is WWE, and unpredictability is not exactly their strong suit. With that said, I am interested in this match from the perspective of seeing which Cena we get: will it be the guy who has actually been putting together mostly good matches that actually put his opponents over for the past four-odd months, or will it he just straight-up Super Cena Rollins for the entire match, making his offense look terrible and further devaluing his time as champion? I’m hoping for the former, and I’m also hoping for a relatively clean win from Rollins to finally give him that huge one-on-one win that will define his legacy as champion, but I think it is a lot more likely that we get either a Cena win, a disqualification snafu that keeps the belts where they currently reside, or Sheamus walking out of the event as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Since the disqualification stuff is probably the least offensive of those outcomes (and this will not actually be the main event), that is what I’m going to go with here.

Winner and STILL WWE United States Champion: John Cena, Disqualification (Seth Rollins retains his WWE World Heavyweight Championship thanks to a returning J&K(ane))

Sean Garmer: People can make the comparisons to ROH all they want to, and though they are quite valid, I’m not going to hate on it because the “winner take all” stipulation has added a bit of intrigue and unpredictability to this match, which would not have been the case previously. This could go several ways and I don’t know that I would hate either Rollins or Cena walking out with both belts. I see Cena being the one to actual play the Jay Lethal role though, as Rollins wouldn’t find the need to defend the US Belt and probably vacate it, or it would lead Cena to cash-in his rematch and win it back. I have a feeling that Sheamus is going to get involved here, but he won’t actually get to make the cash-in because Cena will thwart him. This will lead to Sheamus becoming frustrated and just hitting Cena with the briefcase for the disqualification. Wouldn’t be surprised at all if Monday on RAW it is revealed that Sheamus has been added to the Authority as Rollins new muscle in place of Kane.

Winner via DQ: John Cena (and both titles stay where they are)

Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
Singles Match

Gary Vaughan: This is a real coin toss for me. Besides this being a brutal battle, the finish could go either way. Though, a clean winner hurts the loser; which is not good business for two of WWE’s top fan favorites. That being said, a No Finish is what has to happen if you ask me.

Winner: No Finish

Mike Chin: This showdown is long on star power, short on potential for an in-ring encounter that lives up to the hype. Lesnar is on fire as a performer at this point. ‘Taker is running precipitously close to becoming truly damaged goods if he drops another fall to The Beast. WWE seems to have painted itself into a corner, not entirely unlike the Rollins-Lesnar matchup from last month. The answer? I’m going out on a limb and predicting an electric schmozz. Call me nuts, call me an idiot, I’m predicting that none other than Steve Austin sticks his nose in Brock Lesnar’s business to give The Undertaker his win back and set up a Texas Death Match for himself next spring.

Winner: The Undertaker

Michael Weyer: So we finally get the big battle and they’re going all out to push it as an epic encounter. The question is whether they can live up to the hype and it seems unlikely. Taker is clearly past his prime but can still surprise you while Brock is still Brock and eager to continue his dominance. Expect some stiff stuff but I think better than most suspect as both will want to take it to the level to impress fans properly. For the ending, pretty obvious it’s Taker going over to avenge the Mania loss which hopefully silences some critics of that move and still a reminder of how much an icon he is for the business.

Winner: Undertaker

Paul Leazar: As fun as the build-up has been for the match, this match has to be happening because both guys want to try to put on a better performance then what we got at Wrestlemania 30, because the booking for whoever comes out of this doesn’t look bright. If The Undertaker goes over, and disappears again, who does this help and it certainly devalues Brock’s win over him at Mania IMO, and then your almost forced into doing the rubber match. If Brock goes over, how much shine is left on The Undertaker for his possible last match at this coming Wrestlemania, or for whatever else he does next? I think you bite the bullet, and put Brock over here, but the WWE will put The Undertaker over here because this whole build has been tailor made towards his winning, but putting Brock makes the most sense because you know he’ll still be around. You can’t say the same for The Undertaker.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Kevin Pantoja: I think this is a terrible booking decision. Yes, you have the star power that you want on a big show like this, but everything about this feud, outside of the big brawl, has sucked. Brock Lesnar owns the Undertaker so now Undertaker has come back and is pretty much grumpy that he can’t beat Brock. So what does he do? He costs him the WWE Title and kicks him in the dick. That sounds really in character for the Deadman. Also, regardless of the outcome, it’s bad. If Undertaker loses, what was the point of him coming back here? If Brock loses, what was the point of him ending the streak and killing everything in his path over the last year? He can murder John Cena, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, but when he faces a 50 year old dick kicker, he just loses? Bad decision all around. I say Undertaker wins since Brock has mentioned that he wanted to repay guys like him and Rock for putting him over.

Winner: The Undertaker

Wyatt Beougher: I have seen a lot of fans trying to justify this match as having a “big fight feel”. I don’t disagree with that, necessarily; however, I would counter that every match Lesnar has had since his return (especially since breaking the Undertaker’s Streak) felt like a big fight. That’s just the nature of the Beast (Incarnate) – perhaps more than any other part-timer currently enjoying WWE paydays, Lesnar feels like a man outside WWE’s system, one with arguably more say over his destiny than anyone on the roster not named John Cena or Triple H. Lesnar also has a unique ability to draw in both casual and hardcore fans, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Lesnar is the biggest draw on the roster right now, as he’s really the only performer who can bring in (and draw interest from) ESPN. That’s why he’s main eventing this show over Cena challenging for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, on the other side of the ring is a guy who hasn’t really had a good match in at least two-and-a-half years, who looks mostly broken down even when he’s in good shape. I have been a huge fan of the Undertaker since childhood, but it really is time for fans to realize that he has lost his mystique, and Undertaker winning this match in any way, shape, or form, is the absolute worst booking decision WWE could go with. They could trot out the surviving members of the Corporate Ministry and bring back the demon Kane to fill the spots left by the handful of wrestlers who have passed away, work a multi-man beatdown on Brock, have the Undertaker Tombstone him a half-dozen times, and it STILL wouldn’t make sense for Brock to lose this match. (Plus, it would play out like a Planet Jarrett era TNA title match.) With that said, there was absolutely no reason for Undertaker to beat Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 31 either, yet he did, so there is some intrigue as to the outcome of this match. In the end, I’m just hopeful that Undertaker doesn’t suffer another concussion or other injury, the match is relatively well-worked, and that the right man goes over.

Winner: Brock Lesnar (F5)

Sean Garmer: I still don’t understand why this match is happening, but as the feud has progressed I’ve become increasingly more intrigued. Undertaker has never defeated Brock Lesnar and though the reason for this match to be happening is a bit weak, I am convinced that WWE plans on doing a third match between these two for Wrestlemania 32. The ship seems to have sailed on Sting vs. Undertaker ever happening and The Rock will be facing Triple H. So, there really isn’t this money making match out there for Brock to have, unless Stone Cold Steve Austin decides to dawn those black trunks again, which I just don’t think is happening. I think if Undertaker stays concussion free and they try to have a brawl and not a wrestling match this could be pretty good. I think many people are forgetting that Undertaker has a certain demonic brother that had his ankle broken at the hands of Brock Lesnar. Kane would have a reason to get involved in this match and it would go along with the heel Undertaker we’ve been seeing lately. Undertaker winning due to some help doesn’t diminish Brock at all and allows Brock to have a match made with Kane down the line that will setup an eventual Undertaker return as well. I know this is probably not something many want to see, but I feel like this is what we are going to get.

Winner: Undertaker

Overall Thoughts & PPV Interest Level (from 1 being the worst to 5 being the best)

Gary Vaughan: My interest in this PPV is a 4: SummerSlam has been built on matches that intrigue the fans. Personally, I have multiple matches on this card that grab my attention. I think SummerSlam will be full of energy, but for some reason I think it will fall a little short of my expectations.

Mike Chin: My interest level for this PPV is a 5: SummerSlam boasts a world title match with two capable performers and an unpredictable outcome, a major superstar showdown with a questionable outcome as well, and multiple undercard bouts with match ups that threaten to be legitimately great. To be honest, Orton-Sheamus is the only match on the card I have no real interest in. I can’t remember the last time I said that about a whole PPV card, much less one with ten bouts, slated to go four hours long? Will the show live up to its potential? We’ll see on Sunday. I, for one, am going in as an optimist.

Michael Weyer: My Interest Level for this PPV is a 4: Some rough stuff but between the Diva battle, Brock/Undertaker and the main event, this is shaping up to be one of the better SummerSlam shows in a while. The tag and IC matches may be forgettable but plenty on the undercard and having Jon Stewart around can be fun. So check it out as SummerSlam is still one of the bigger shows of the year and this may be a memorable one.

Paul Leazar: My interest level for this PPV is a 4: The wrestling on this show should prove to be amazing, their should be some moments on this show that will grab everybody’s attention whether they are a wrestling fan or not. But their are some things on this card I’m just not that invested in that warrants a 5. I’ll be watching with baited breath for a good portion of this show, but their are certainly aspects of this show that could have been handled so much better.

Kevin Pantoja: My interest level for this PPV is a 3: I feel like on a weekend full of wrestling, this is the weakest card of the bunch. That being said, SummerSlam usually manages to deliver. It could turn out to be like WrestleMania, which I thought had a weak card and awful build, but turned out to be pretty good. That’s what I hope for anyway. Anyway, I’ll have friends over and it should be a good time even if I disagree with the booking of the show.

Wyatt Beougher: My interest level for this PPV is a 3: WWE’s second biggest show of the year and my interest level is only in the middle? *Looks back at Wrestlemania 31 interest level* Yeah, that seems about right for this year. From top to bottom, with the possible exceptions of the auto-pilot match between Orton and Sheamus and the Intercontinental match, this show *should* be outstanding on paper, as all of the matchups feature wonderfully talented performers. Unfortunately, as has often been the case over the past several months, matches either seem like foregone conclusions or have no real stakes attached to them. Hopefully this show proves me wrong, but right now, it looks like it’s going to be a Perfectly Acceptable Live Special, and we should really expect more from Summerslam.

Sean Garmer: My interest level for this PPV is a 4: WWE has made this PPV seem like a huge deal and though I think we will get some underwhelming match-ups here and there, overall I think we will be talking about a few things coming out of this PPV. The two main events are intriguing and there’s plenty on the undercard to be excited about too. I think this will be a big win for WWE.

Well, that is all for this month everyone. Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts and predictions below in the comments and we will see you again in a month for WWE Summerslam.

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