World Wrestling Entertainment will stage its marquee mid-year event this Saturday as SummerSlam takes place at Ford Field, home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Here we predict the outcomes of all eight matches on the card.
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
It’s time to stop doubting Logan Paul’s ability in the ring. Sure, he is a part-timer and only has six matches under his belt, but he has managed to legitimately create a viral moment in nearly every one. On a stacked SummerSlam card, Paul and Ricochet have the opportunity to set Ford Field on fire with a high-intensity match — which should kick off the night as Paul plans to fly to his brother Jake’s boxing match vs. Nate Diaz in Dallas. You could make an argument that either wrestler winning here would propel them into the mid-card title conversation, and with Paul likely not wrestling again until at least Survivor Series, a win makes him a more believable challenger or addition to a Survivor Series team. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
Unless Paul is going to be more of a fixture in WWE rather than an attraction – and his bookings are becoming more frequent – full-time wrestler Ricochet needs to win here or his credibility takes a hit. This is going to be a series of big, fun spots to open the show and Paul working as the heel should have the upper hand for a good deal of the match only for Ricochet to power up and hit the 630 Senton for the pin. – John Parker
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
Popular opinion says that Ronda Rousey — a fan of the industry — goes out looking at the lights in possibly the final match of her career. Hell, even if you read the tea leaves and see that Shayna Baszler has won their previous two matches via disqualification at house shows, a Rousey victory doesn’t make sense. But this match is being contested under “MMA rules.” You’ll hear it time and again, professional wrestling works best when there’s a level of reality in the feuds and characters. Rousey is arguably the most important figure in women’s MMA history and reached a level Baszler never did. Rousey wins here, leaves WWE to perhaps return to UFC and Baszler can continue her promising wrestling career. Side note: The video package/montage for this match is a must-watch and a callback to the Attitude Era pre-match segments. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
Baszler is doing some of the best work of her career in this feud with a real-life best friend – and maybe that’s why. There’s more than a tinge of truth coming through in her promo work. Thanks to her incredible name recognition and equity, Rousey did come in and cut the line and was the face of the women’s division for a time despite not being a polished professional wrestler. Baszler, as the storyline has driven home, is the polar opposite: A quiet, unassuming solid worker who can make anyone look good. This feud has been rushed presumably because of Rousey’s reported “hard out” date and she should do the right thing here and put Baszler over on her way back to Browsey Acres. – John Parker
Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes
Despite losing at WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes remains one of the biggest draws in WWE and will finally settle his monthslong feud with Brock Lesnar on Saturday. Now is the time to start building up to Rhodes’ inevitable WrestleMania 40 main event moment, and a win over Lesnar would do just that. Would a loss hurt Rhodes’ popularity? Probably not, but a win sets him up for a program with any champion he wants while Lesnar can step away for the time being. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
Cody isn’t losing, so this is more of an exercise in “How Brock could win.” The Rhodes family story – especially in the context of WWE – mirrors Sisyphus: pushing the boulder up the mountain only to slip just before reaching the summit and starting the trek anew. I fear this is what they’re going to keep doing with Cody. He may “finish the story” eventually, but is probably going to get a few more gut kicks along the way, and that continues with a competitive but ultimately losing effort here, possibly even a “Dusty finish.” – John Parker
SummerSlam Battle Royal
It has to be LA Knight, right? “YEAH!” Look, this one is too easy. Knight is the most popular WWE talent not named Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes. Knight is a fan’s dream as a mashup of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin and the crowd is very much behind him. A win here sets him up for a shot at the United States Championship post-SummerSlam. Don’t overthink it. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
Do I expect that WWE will go with the hot hand and put LA Knight over here? “NAH NAH!” With little-to-no push (he’s been bullying Hit Row lately) Knight has been generating some of the biggest crowd pops and is currently the company’s top merchandise mover. But WWE almost always sticks to previously laid plans, so they’re probably going to leverage Knight’s popularity to put over another star they already had a program for, perhaps Knight’s old NXT nemesis Tommaso Ciampa. – John Parker
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
Regardless of outcome, we’re going to see these two go at it at least once more. After putting on an absolute show at WrestleMania with Sheamus, McIntyre and Gunther should be able to wow the Detroit crowd with a brutal match. Gunther has had an all-time reign with the “worker’s” title, and it’s time for him to fully jump to the main event stage and compete for the World Heavyweight Championship. Can he do it off a loss? Sure, he’s still a believable threat and with McIntyre winning Saturday, an inevitable rematch shouldn’t affect his standing. A McIntyre babyface title run would be a nice full circle moment since he last held the title in 2009-2010. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
He’s due for a promotion to the top of the card, but taking the belt off of Gunther at this point would be like walking out of “Guardians of the Galaxy” with 25 minutes left. On Saturday “The Ring General” will be 35 days shy of eclipsing The Honky Tonk Man’s all-time record Intercontinental Championship reign of 454 days and that’s the kind of thing WWE cares a lot about. Five weeks more takes us into Labor Day weekend, and that Monday’s Raw will be in Charlotte, a traditional hotbed where he could drop it in front of a smaller, hotter crowd, hopefully without having to eat the pin. – John Parker
Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
The great thing about a triple-threat match is you can essentially protect the wrestlers from a direct loss. The story WWE is telling between these three women essentially amounts to Belair being the odd woman out despite having one of the most dominant championship reigns ever. If we’re inching toward a full heel turn for “The EST of WWE,” Flair pinning Asuka would certainly further the story along while keeping all three stars in the conversation. As much as I love Asuka and Belair as champions, Flair is much better with the WWE Women’s Championship than she is without it. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
Asuka isn’t walking out of Detroit with the WWE Women’s Championship, but neither is Belair or Flair. That’s because when either Belair or Flair appear poised to pin the champion, Iyo Sky’s music will hit, she will sprint out, clear the ring, cash in her Money in the Bank contract and pin fellow Japanese countrywoman for the title. – John Parker
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Bálor
This match is a throwback to 2016, when Finn Bálor won the inaugural Universal Championship but had to relinquish the very next night due to injury. Seth Rollins is at the top of his game and Bálor is in the middle of a captivating story with his Judgment Day faction — particularly Money in the Bank winner Damian Priest. This match will almost certainly end with Priest cashing in his championship opportunity and walking out with the belt. The only question is, will it be on Rollins or Bálor, with the latter being exiled from the Judgment Day for good? – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
I’m banking on the swerve here. The Damian Priest Money in the Bank cash-in on Finn Bálor has been teased so heavily to the point of it being telegraphed. Instead, toward the end of the match, Priest will indicate a cash-in attempt on a prone Rollins, only for Bálor to foil it and allow Rollins to win. That sets things up for a fun program involving Bálor, Priest and Rollins since any combination of the three is a main event anywhere, anytime. – John Parker
Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
Assuming this is the culmination of the Bloodline story, which is on the short list of greatest wrestling sagas ever, Jey Uso needs to dethrone Reigns as Tribal Chief. During his 1,000-plus day run as champion, Reigns has beaten seemingly every challenger, including Jey, so in that sense it might be a now-or-never situation. WWE has generally done a great job of paying off storylines like this in the past and a win by Uso instantly creates an unforgettable SummerSlam moment. There will be interference, there will be many false finishes, but at the end of night, the best outcome — for this story and the fans — is “Main Event Jey” holding the Undisputed Universal Championship up over Reigns. – Anthony Sulla Heffinger
The Bloodline story is one of the best professional wrestling angles of all time and there’s still plenty of juice to squeeze. In that vein, Reigns retains the championship and, more important to the storyline, the title of “Tribal Chief.” The suspense here is going to come from which member of the Anoa’i family could interfere and cost Jey the match – assuming The Rock can’t due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike. Jey’s twin Jimmy? Unlikely. Their younger brother Solo Sikoa? Too predictable. Their uncle Umaga? Interesting! Their father Rikishi? Now we’re cooking… – John Parker
