It’s the biggest wrestling event of the Summer (if we ignore the G1 Climax, of course) but seriously, SummerSlam is a big deal on the WWE calendar and this year is no exception, in a lot of ways, it’s one of the most important main events in WWE history. That seems awful presumptuous but unlike most WWE PPV main events, this one has a profound effect on their business model going forward. Both Chris Harrington of Bleacher Report and David Shoemaker of Grantland wrote about the stakes this Sunday and what this main event could mean for the WWE Network going forward. With initial subscriptions due for renewal, making a big splash at SummerSlam could go a long way in saving the WWE Network which, to this point, has been a financial failure. Will Brock Lesnar, a part-timer win the WWE Championship or will WWE stick with the status-quo and continue John Cena’s historical run? What about the auxiliary matches — Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins has the potential to be a star-making feud but has fallen ultimately short and can Chris Jericho make a star out of Bray Wyatt? We haven’t even mentioned the possible corrination of Roman Reigns as he continues his meteoric (some way mediocre) rise. Forget the main event, SummerSlam 2014 could be one of the most important events in WWE history — a chance to make new stars and change the course of WWE history… or stick with what’s familiar and comfortable.
Voices of Wrestling SummerSlam Previews:
- Voices of Wrestling Flagship Podcast
- Shake Them Ropes VOW SummerSlam Roundtable
- Who is Mr. SummerSlam?
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
Rich Kraetsch (@richkraetsch): There was a time not long ago where this was my most anticipated match of the summer (including Brock vs. Cena). It was such a natural, old school feud — former stablemates do battle — but it has since turned into a total shitshow. Worse yet, this is a Lumberjack match which makes it probably my least anticipated match on SummerSlam. Lumberjack matches suck, we asked people on Twitter to give us their favorites and we got at most two answers, both in Japan and roughly 15 years ago. They suck, nobody is better for them. Rollins wins by nefarious means and we get a rematch next month.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Warren Taylor (@TeddyNoir): What has WWE creative done to this feud? It went from Ambrose stalking Rollins like a crazed vigilante to him hiding in a birthday present. To quote Charlie Brown “Arrrrggghhhhhhh”. As far as the match goes I think it will fine if they give both men time to work. I don’t hate the stipulation because I know at some point there will be a huge brawl to that results in a no contest. This match is the first of a series that hopefully will end at Hell in Cell.
Prediction: No Contest
Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC): I might be in the minority in having dug this build start-to-finish. Ambrose’s character development has pushed him from “one of my favorites to watch” to a guy whose segments I’ll now go out of my way to catch if I miss a show. Sure, the lumberjack stipulation is awful (though I can accept his explanation to the lumberjacks that “you hate us both, let us tear each other apart”). I think the feud is still hot enough to head to Night of Champions if this match is done right, and I could see Ambrose’s desire to just beat on Rollins costing him the actual match (because who cares about wins and losses in a blood feud?). I have high hopes despite the stipulation.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Taylor Mitchell (@LuchaNerd): I am actually pretty excited about this match. I think it is going to be way better than anyone is expecting given the contrived stipulation. These are two very talented wrestlers and when you have talent they can work around anyone stupid stipulation (except maybe a blindfold match. No one can work around a blindfold match). I am expecting a wild brawl with numerous high spots to the outside onto cages of flesh (or whatever Ambrose called them). And let’s be real, if this was a cage match it would be terrible. WWE can’t do cage matches. Anyhow, I am thinking Rollins wins in a convoluted mess brought on by the Authority.
Prediction: Seth Rollins
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
Rich Kraetsch: I may take heat for this but I love The Miz’s new character. It fits him perfectly and he seems re-energized and re-motivated. Don’t forget, for all the crap this guy gets, he can definitely cut it on the mic when he wants to. This feud has been built up reasonably well and I think this will be a solid match. The Miz is keeping the title.
Prediction: The Miz
Warren Taylor: I have not paid a bit of attention to this feud but have heard some positive things about The Miz’s new heel gimmick. The match should be a fun and easy watch especially if Ziggler bumps like only he can. I see The Miz running away or getting disqualified to retain the belt.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler by DQ or countout
Blake Murphy: So here’s an interesting wrinkle for this match – while neither is in the top tier of face or heel, they’re both in the upper echelon of current crowd reactions. A late-match punch-for-punch could be a cool moment if the crowd’s hot, and they have enough chemistry to make for a good match. I don’t think they’d pull the plug on Miz’ title reign so quickly after re-introducing the character, but I doubt it comes clean. I’ve thought for a while Miz could use a bodyguard, The Brian Kendrick style, and this could be a good spot for it. Of course, there’s always the chance WWE goes for an early-card shocker to get the crowd hyped up and has Ziggler go over.
Prediction: The Miz
Taylor Mitchell: This is another match I am predicted to exceed all expectations. I am on the Miz’s bandwagon for sure. This new gimmick is breathing life into his wrestling career and Ziggler has been playing off it very well. These two had a good match on Raw a couple months back and this match is also going to deliver.. The Miz is at his best when he has a feud/storyline to sink his teeth into and he has finally been given one. Miz is going to win with a schoolboy and handful of tights.
Prediction: The Miz
Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton
Rich Kraetsch: Oof. I’m not sure a match against Orton is going to be the right showcase for Reigns or a good way to get him over in front of the typically more hardcore PPV live audience. If this is a total beatdown by Reigns and they keep the speed up, this could be good. If they work rest holds and Randy is methodically (VINTAGE ORTON!) breaking down Reigns, the crowd could turn on this one pretty quick. Reigns wins regardless but it’s imperative they keep this short and divisive.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Warren Taylor: I am really interested to see how the crowd reacts to Reigns in this match. The reason why I say that is I don’t think this will be very good. Both men’s styles are too different to mesh and Orton has a track record of bad matches with guys that utilize a power based offense. If the crowd takes a big dump on this match will it stall the momentum of Reigns? Will the WWE panic and begin to short term book his character? Will creative be bullheaded and continue to ignore the fans? Stay tuned wrestling fans for the conclusion of what can be a potential car wreck!
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Blake Murphy: Reigns has been pushed like crazy and has done a good job developing when it comes to non-mic, non-match components, and this will be a really interesting showcase, if the match times that were leaked are true. Can he go 15 with a top star on a big card? I’d suspect almost everyone will give Reigns the nod and I would have thought the same had Triple H remained a tangential part of the feud, but if it’s not going to be H next, Reigns would have nowhere to go after a victory. I wrestled with the idea of giving Orton the nod for that reason, and because WWE may want to see how Reigns (and his character) responds to a loss, but let’s be serious – this is someone they see as having it, and he’s not dropping his first high-profile singles PPV match.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Taylor Mitchell: The WWE’s most protected superstar, Roman Reigns, is given another chance to either shine or hide his flaws. This match is high profile enough to keep the Reigns jetpack fueled, but also if this match is a disaster no one will remember it. Everytime Reigns is in a big time singles match I am hoping for that gem of a performance out of him. He has a long way to go in becoming a WWE main eventer who is responsible for those 20-30 minute main event matches, but WWE is certainly given him opportunities. If he makes Create-a-Wrestler Orton look good, he will win over the hardcore fans. To line up my predictions, I have a heel closing the show in victory so I am going to go with the big clean victory for the babyface here.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee vs. Paige
Rich Kraetsch: I hated the build to Battleground because despite them having an idea who was the face and who was the heel, they did a miserable job conveying that to the audience. I still don’t like AJ in a face role but whatever, this has to be better than their Battleground match because well, it just has to. It can’t get much worse. I’m looking forward to this and think it will surprise. I think Paige wins and AJ goes loco.
Prediction: Paige
Warren Taylor: This is another feud that has not really engaged me. I think the match will be decent. As far as to who wins I think Paige will win by DQ after she provokes AJ and makes Mrs. Punk go insane.
Prediction: Paige by DQ
Blake Murphy: Good match, pretty decent build, but I really don’t know who gets the win. I guess I’ll go with Paige, since her character is newer, fresher, and could use the legitimacy of a victory, but it would also be odd to see Lee drop back out of the title picture so soon after returning. Maybe it could continue, though, with a focus on how close the rivalry is in-ring. Is it clear I don’t know for this one?
Prediction: Paige
Taylor Mitchell: I predict this match to be 10x better than their last match at Battleground. The build up alone as been 10x better. Last month we got a confusing mess of do these girls hate each other or are they friends? Who is the face and the heel? This month Paige has clearly been the heel. And she has been damn good at it. Don’t believe me? Watch the full clip of Smackdown when she shoves AJ off the stage. The little nuances of her yelling to the EMT’s and the fans the whole time is what sets apart a wrestler who is not in tune with their character and a wrestler who is fully immersed in their character. I am predict this title to be hot potato-ed back to Paige, because we all know AJ Lee as a psycho babyface on the chase is better.
Prediction: Paige
Flag Match
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger
Rich Kraetsch: I’m not sure how to feel about this match. I personally think this feud has lost some steam but I’m still into it regardless. Easy answer here is Rusev going over, there’s just no point in Swagger winning at this point. You can have Swagger win which allows Rusev (or more likely Lana) to claim he didn’t get pinned or submit but I’m not sure what that does for you. Make the simple choice here, Rusev wins, Mother Russia 4 life.
Prediction: Rusev
Warren Taylor: I did not like their last match as much as many people did. The feud is good for what it is, a campy throwback to the 1980’s. Swagger will look competitive but the Bulgarian strongman will get the win with The Accolade.
Prediction: Rusev
Blake Murphy: Was this feud dragged out too long, or did it just kind of run into unfortunate timing with Lana being somewhat restricted in how anti-American and pro-Russia she could go? It’s cooled for me, and maybe some of that is just eye-rolling at Jack Swagger beating Cesaro, or me being unable to buy into Zeb Colter as a face, but what I was once excited for is now just kind of…eh. I can’t imagine Rusev loses here, because what the hell would be the point of that? Rusev crush.
Prediction: Rusev
Taylor Mitchell: I really like the variety this card has. And this obviously spices it up. Let’s be real. This isn’t NJPW. WWE isn’t going to give us 10 potentially four star singles matches on one card a la the G1 Climax. WWE is going to give us a variety of stories, gimmicks, and match stipulations. This match will be a nice knock down drag out fight for about 5 minutes until both wrestlers begin to try to capture their flag as the fans boo and cheer. I don’t think Swagger should win, but I think he is going to. Why? Because, like I said I have a heel going over in the main event and I can’t see the WWE going for a hot heel segment in Rusev waving the Russian flag while their anthem plays and also closing the show in showers of boo’s.
Prediction: Jack Swagger
Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon
Rich Kraetsch: Look, as a spectacle, this will be a lot of fun. In classic JR speak: “I don’t expect this to be a catch-as-catch-can classic” It may even be bowling shoe ugly, but it will be a fun little segment. Where I will punch a TV is the inclusion of Daniel Bryan in this story. Let this be a self contained Stephanie vs. Brie deal but please, please, PLEASE don’t let Daniel Bryan be apart of Claire Lynch 2k14. Oh wait, prediction? Um, let’s go with Stephanie after Nikki turns on Brie because that would just add another level of ridiculousness.
Prediction: Stephanie McMahon
Warren Taylor: I am not looking forward to this at all because we all know this will be an overbooked mess. Hopefully Brie gets her revenge and the feud ends.
Prediction: Brie Bella
Blake Murphy: I’m no longer looking forward to this at all. Look, Brie and Steph have reportedly been training hard, and Brie had improved a fair amount in the ring before her storyline firing, so maybe it won’t be that bad in-ring. The feud was great, too, but the booking killed me on Raw this week. “Hey, we have two great female feuds right now, they’re both on fire, completely different and, you know, related to wrestling. We better pull out the Jerry Springer stuff, just to make sure.” Gah. Honestly, I was interested, and now I’m not, all because they had to go to the well with “women can’t have disagreement like men have them” garbage. Somehow, Brie wins, I guess? I don’t know.
Prediction: Brie Bella
Taylor Mitchell: This match is one of those WWE “spectacle” matches. This will not be a good “wrestling” match. And no one expects it to be. I do expect it, however, to have the crowd into it. It’ll get a lot of heat. I was hoping this was both the first matchup and the blow off, but there are rumors Nikki Bella is turning heel and while I hope that doesn’t happen, it’s really the only way the WWE can keep this feud going. P.S. Anyone else notice that WWE punked Daniel Bryan out on Raw again without him being able to defend himself? Anyone else notice how Brie Bella wanted to beat up the woman who was told by the woman who cheated with her husband more than she wanted to beat up her husband or mistress? This feud went from being surprisingly good to expectedly terrible.
Prediction: Stephanie McMahon wins with Nikki Bella’s help
Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
Rich Kraetsch: I honestly keep forgetting this match is on SummerSlam, that’s how disconnected I’ve been with the build. It’s also evidence of how disconnected I’ve been with the Bray Wyatt character and to a lesser extent the half-assed Chris Jericho. It was fun to see Jericho back but like RVD each time he “returns” it’s diminishing returns. He gets the initial pop, everyone is excited to see him back and then it’s just business as usual. He’s done nothing for me in this latest run and Wyatt continues to spin his wheels. I’m not even sure what they are feuding for or what the point of this match is. Wyatt probably wins here to bring it to 1-1 so we get the third and final match at Night of Champions. You can cut the excitement with a knife.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Warren Taylor: I enjoy both guys and am looking forward to the match. I am not sure why they are feuding and could care less. Jericho will carry Wyatt to a good match and hopefully get the Wyatt family patriarch back on track.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Blake Murphy: The promos have been good. The match will be good. The story as a whole? I think everyone agrees it’s been lacking. But it’s picked back up of late, at least. Jericho has hit his stride the past two weeks and Wyatt has been at his best focusing in on Jericho-specific things instead of speaking in vague generalities, enough that I’m excited to see what kind of story they’ll tell in the ring. There’s no way in hell Wyatt’s dropping a second straight decision to Jericho, though, so it’s pretty transparent here.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Taylor Mitchell: This feud has been treading the pools of being horrendous and Jericho is the only thing keeping their heads above water. Its just nice to see Jericho’s passion and dedication in this feud. I haven’t seen him get this into a feud since his classic feud with Shawn Michaels in ‘09. This match will be one of Bray’s better matches and no thanks to him. Jericho carries Bray, but Bray wins with the interference of a new Wyatt family member. Say what? It’s my bold prediction. Harper and Rowan are banned from ringside, Bray couldn’t beat Jericho last month, it makes sense to add some flavor to the Wyatt family gimmick.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
Rich Kraetsch: Now we’re talking! I’m physically giddy about this match, I honestly cannot wait to see it and it’s hurting my excitement for every other match on the card. It’s all filler until we get to the main dish — this match. I can’t wait, the two had an absolutely brutal, different than anything else WWE does match at Extreme Rules 2012 and while I don’t think this will be the same, it will stand out. This is the closest thing WWE has to a “dream match” with their regular/semi-regular competitors. The WWE Network (24/7-esque) special is incredible and made me that much more pumped to see this. Now the real question is how the hell this match is going to be structured, who’s going to win, how is he going to win, etc. I have no idea. I have about 15 different scenarios for how this could go down but none really stick out. I want to say Lesnar wins the title but does that make sense as a part-timer? Does he hold it until WrestleMania or does he drop it at Night of Champions to Cena? That doesn’t make sense, or does it? Aaaah… I have no idea. Let’s go with Lesnar but I don’t feel very confident in it (another reason why I’m super excited — I have no fucking clue what’s going to happen!)
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Warren Taylor: Two years ago these guys had a fantastic match with one of the most puzzling finishes I’ve ever seen. Just like the first match the build to this match has been very good thanks to solid promo work from Paul Heyman and John Cena. For this to match the Extreme Rules match from 2012 Cena needs to bump like crazy for Lesnar and needs to sell, sell, sell. No superman comeback. No Five Moves of Doom. Take your ass beating, make Brock look like a monster and the WWE has something it has not had in over ten years, a monster as its world champion.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Blake Murphy: That special, though! That’s how you build a match, and that not airing as a segment on Raw was a colossal mistake in driving buys for Summerslam (which would, in turn, probably help the Network more than making the special Network-only). In any case, this match should be awesome. Give me their Extreme Rules match with a slightly different finish, and I’ll be pleased. Lesnar doesn’t have to go over, and there’s always the LOLCENAWINS thing, but looking ahead at the next few months for WWE, Lesnar/Heyman winning is definitely the right call. The match has the potential to be really, really strong, but it’s Heyman’s promo on Monday night I’m most looking forward to.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar/Paul Heyman
Taylor Mitchell: I haven’t been this hyped for a WWE match since last year’s Summerslam with the Punk/Lesnar and Bryan/Cena matches. I think this is going to be awesome and one of the best WWE matches of the year. Lesnar has to win. If you’ve read my weekly column for VoW “My WWE Soapbox” (comes out every Monday! cheap plug) then you know I’ve been wanting Lesnar to win the title and headline every PPV until WrestleMania. Get those Network subs up! Or don’t. Is Lesnar a draw? We will find out here! It might be his last ditch effort to make his case for the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame if he can put together a series of 8 excellent PPV matches (From Summerslam to WrestleMania) and boost WWE Network’s Subscriptions up then it may seal the deal for him.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
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