WWE SummerSlam 2019
August 11, 2019
Scotiabank Arena
Toronto, Ontario

Watch: WWE Network

Meet our previewers

Steve Case: Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Let’s hope this show has even half as much energy as the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer song. If it does, we are in for a treat. As a lifelong WWE fan, it is disappointing just how little excitement I have for the big shows anymore. No matter how much the TV sucked, I could always look forward to the big shows. The PPVs have been solid lately, but even with the second biggest show on the horizon, it’s getting harder and harder. There is some intrigue here, and I remain hopeful that we can finally get the blow-away show we haven’t gotten in seemingly forever. Follow me @Coachcase44. 

Lee & Conor Malone: I think this might be the first father and son preview in VOW history (Editor’s Note: It is!). Conor is 6 years old and is the perfect age to make sense of WWE booking and I have no doubt he will get more predictions correct than I will. 

Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair

Steve: The match that VOW’s own Garrett Kidney points out was just done in Impact with Gail Kim and Tessa Blanchard, but with a much better build and much more importance. There’s something to be said for being able to put two greats together with little build and have a big match. The Undertaker and Triple H did just that without uttering a word in the build to Mania XXVII. But unlike that match, this just doesn’t feel special to me at all. It was thrown together last minute with zero build just because they looked around and realized Charlotte doesn’t have a program and they can’t pigeonhole her into a title match. The match itself should be good to very good. Trish has looked solid in her limited in ring performances over the years, with her performance with Lita at Evolution last year (a show EVERYONE here LOVED) being fantastic. Charlotte will be in top form on a big show against a legend and we will get our hug it out passing of the torch moment. I just wish they’d put in more time and care more. So we all can care more.  Prediction: Charlotte Flair

Lee & Conor: “Trish will win because she is a legend and she is better” WWE’s problem with star creation summed up by a 6-year-old. It’s not like Charlotte isn’t a super pushed act but already Conor has been programmed to believe that the rarely seen stars are better than the SUPERSTARS™ we see on a weekly basis. Somehow despite rushing this feud WWE managed to lessen the special feeling of Trish wrestling by having her in a meaningless tag team match on Raw. Charlotte will get the win here, in what could be a great match and it’s another accolade to add to Charlotte’s already lengthy resume Predictions Conor Trish Stratus  Lee: Charlotte Flair

Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Steve: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! This has to be because everyone has been jonesing to see Ziggler sell a Goldberg spear for 5 years right? This is still better than another lifeless Dolph/Miz match. They had a great one a couple of years ago, but they’ve been snoozefests since. I don’t expect this to last 3 minutes. That might be high. Prediction: Goldberg

Lee & Conor: We both agree on this one, Goldberg in under 2 minutes. Spear, Jackhammer, pinfall. Watching Conor react to Goldberg return on Raw brought a huge smile to my face because it’s easy to forget how fun wrestling can be and nothing beats a surprise return. Yes it’s totally short-sighted to have Goldberg squash Ziggler but in 2019 nobody cares about Dolph Ziggler, not even 6-year-olds. Predictions Conor: Goldberg  Lee: Goldberg 

WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles © vs. Ricochet

Steve: I was one of the few who thought these two had a very good match at Extreme Rules. It didn’t hit my expectations, but I still found it to be very good. Here’s hoping this one does reach those expectations. I want a no BS, back and forth match similar to AJ/Seth from a few months ago. Only playing the role of Seth is Ricochet, making it exponentially better. Let these two go out there and steal the show and have WWE’s MOTY. That’s the ceiling. Give Ricochet the belt and let him have amazing TV and PPV matches. Let AJ be the solid vet who helps put these kinds of guys over in great matches. AJ isn’t 2016/17 AJ anymore, but he’s still damn good. He’s much better for that role than say, an Orton. Give me what I want. It’s good s**t! Prediction: Ricochet

Lee & Conor: Is AJ Styles capable of having a match of the year contender? That question should be answered on Sunday because even with interference from Gallows & Anderson IF and I concede it’s a major if, these two are allowed go out and do what we know they are/were capable of well then could be something special. I have enjoyed The OC thus far and it’s good to see Styles, Gallows and Anderson all with a purpose for the first time in a while. With Brock as Universal Champion (spoiler for my prediction for the main event) it makes sense to have a strong US Champion to build Raw around so I see no reason for AJ to lose here. Ricochet isn’t quite bulletproof but losing to Styles here won’t dent his momentum at all. Conor quite simply predicts that Ricochet will win because he is better. He put less thought into this and really he’s the smarter of the two of us for that Predictions Conor: Ricochet  Lee: AJ Styles 

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Steve: I’m digging Bray’s “Fiend” character. The Jeckyl/Hyde aspect of it is already so ridiculous that WWE creative really can’t mess it up. It’s going to succeed because of the weird and uneasiness. But here is you, “…and then Bray started to wrestle,” argument. I’m going to give him a bit before we jump to conclusions. One, he’s in the best shape of his life and I’m sure he’s been working on improvements in his time away. Two, Finn is on his way to some much needed time off/reflexion time and will no doubt bump like crazy for Bray. This should be a 6-8 minute squash with Finn getting a hope spot or two, but getting destroyed by Bray. No 50/50 nonsense here. Do what works. Prediction: Bray Wyatt

Lee & Conor: I hate to do the “I agree with guy above” but I very much agree with what Steve said. The build to The Fiend debuting with the weekly Firefly Fun House episodes was the right kind of wacky for my taste. The addition of the Mandible Claw to Bray’s arsenal fits perfectly with this new even more dangerous and deranged persona. 

Conor, however, is not a fan of The Fiend. He is terrified of him and has quickly exited the room every time he has come on TV since the attack on Balor. Conor is hoping The Demon will show up at SummerSlam and eliminate Wyatt from WWE. Predictions Conor: Finn Balor  Lee: Bray Wyatt

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

Steve: I must succumb to the fact that in the wacky world of WWE, Shane McMahon is a top tier performer. Thus, making Kevin Owens the underdog in this feud. What should happen is a good ‘ol fashioned “bossman getting the beatdown of his life by his oppressed employee” match that would be wildly entertaining and satisfying. What we will get is another 50/50 match, or even Shane controlling much of the match. Drew will get involved, but hopefully not too much to be made a fool because I think a feud between him and Owens has legs. How we get there might be a headache, but as long as Owens wins and Shane goes away, I think we can all be happy.  Prediction: Kevin Owens

Lee & Conor: After their feud last year were we all pining for another Shane McMahon Kevin Owens story? No, no we were not. But here we are in 2019 with the dominant Shane McMahon taking on the underdog Kevin Owens who is one heel turn away from becoming the Big Show. I feel it’s safe to assume that a No DQ or similar stip will be added so this should at least be a fun plunder match. Having just returned from injury in February I wouldn’t expect Owens to lose here but it is “The Best in the World” he is facing. Conor’s thoughts on this match are quite simple, Owens does the Stunner and nobody kicks out of the Stunner. Predictions Conor: Kevin Owens  Lee: Kevin Owens 

WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley © vs. Ember Moon

Steve: What are they doing to Ember Moon? She has an abundance of talent, has a tremendous look, and is capable of having a banger match with Bayley. You’d think with three of the four WWE ‘Horsewomen” having separate single matches on the big show, they’d play up that fact and make each challenger a legit threat. So why make Ember look like such a non threat? Hopefully, she will have the chance to correct that in the ring Sunday, but how could anyone think she has a chance going in? Of course, WWE logic says that this means Ember wins. I’m tempted to go that route, but I just can’t buy it. Will this be the time Sasha returns? Who knows. Prediction: Bayley

Lee & Conor: I forgot to ask Conor his thoughts on this match. That probably says all you need to know about my anticipation for this match. I don’t get Ember Moon. I have never really got Ember Moon. I will probably never get Ember Moon and the build to this match sure as hell hasn’t enamored Ember to me any further. If this is just a placeholder defense until we get to Bayley vs Sasha well I can live with it. Prediction: Bayley 

WWE Raw Women’s Championship – Submission Match
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Natalya

Steve: I would normally like the idea of Becky being more of a heel in this feud because her opponent is Canadian and the show is in Canada. That said, it’s Nattie. Is Nattie going to get more cheers, even in Canada, than Becky? Do you really want one of your more prominently pushed stars to be  put in a position to get booed? If this were Brett Hart, or Daniel Bryan in Seattle, or the like, this would work. I just don’t see it working here. No matter how the crowd reacts, Becky should retain after a solid match. I am not the biggest Nattie fan (clearly), but she is a pro and these two should have a perfectly fine match that will hopefully get the crowd into it one way or another down the stretch. 

I’m not sure if this or the Flair/Trish match will be the women’s main event, but this is a huge night for the women. Three singles matches on a PPV hasn’t happened in how long (not counting the lauded Evolution PPV), if ever? This will be a great opportunity for the women to make a huge impact and give the division some momentum moving into the Fall. I hope they knock it out of the park.  Prediction: Becky Lynch

Lee & Conor: This is the match that Conor is most looking forward to on the show “I love submission matches”. As far as I am aware the only Submission match he has seen is Bret Hart vs Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13 and while I don’t expect this match to reach the levels of Hart vs Austin it should be a good match. Whatever the reason for his excitement Conor is looking forward to seeing Becky retain and I won’t rule out that the fact she is Irish is one of the largest factors in his support of The Man. 

For me, this is the yearly Nattie push to a PPV title match and shockingly I have really enjoyed the build to it. Becky being even more heelish and aggressive really seems to have lit a fire under Nattie and the Submission rules should really suit Nattie. This is actually my outsider bet for Match of the Night, the hopefully raucous Canadian crowd will make this one feel special and inspire both women to put on a memorable performance  Predictions Conor: Becky Lynch  Lee: Becky Lynch 

WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton

Steve: The feel-good story of Kofi Kingston’s title reign that never ends. He’s still very popular and over with most crowds (moreso as part of the New Day), but outside of the victory at Wrestlemania, none of this has felt special. There hasn’t been one signature match that you can look back on as memorable. That said, believe it or not, Randy Orton is the perfect opponent to change that. The history is there. It was used in Kofi’s build towards the title and it’s smart to bring it back here. Randy is the perfect foil for Kofi. He was given everything. It was his birthright. He was groomed to be a main event, top guy. Kofi had to fight, scratch, claw, and get a little lucky to capitalize on another’s misfortune to get where he is. I’m glad they’ve brought that up in the build. Orton brings out a seriousness in Kofi that has been severely lacking during his run (say it with me, ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN PANCAKES). I mentioned earlier how AJ is better for the role of solid veteran who puts guys over. I don’t mean that as a knock on Orton. I think he’s been perfectly solid for a few years now and still has a main event presence few have. It’s his job to make Kofi look and feel like a champion going into the FOX move. I don’t expect this to be a mat classic, but I do think we may look back on his match and say it’s the best of Kofi’s run to this point. Prediction: Kofi Kingston

Lee & Conor: Conor loves The New Day. The Booty O’s, the pancakes, the colorful attire he loves it all. However, he also loves an RKO. He’s torn on this one and when asked who will win he doesn’t seem certain on his prediction “eh Kofi, I think cos he’s eh a little bit better” 

Steve made a hell of a case for Kofi as champion above so allow me to make a case for why Randy could be the perfect guy to defeat Kofi. We all know Smackdown is moving to Fox in October and WWE are going to stack the opening couple of weeks. What better way to close the first show than Kofi finally overcoming Randy Orton to regain the WWE Title. They have already laid the foundation with the history dating back to 2009 and Kofi being unable to defeat Orton then. Orton beating Kofi again and forcing Kofi to get serious and build to a big-time title match on the Fox debut makes a tonne of sense to me Predictions Conor: Kofi Kingston  Lee: Randy Orton

WWE Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar © vs. Seth Rollins

Steve: I’ve been a Brock guy from the start. He’s their biggest draw, he creates buzz, and when put in a big spot, he largely delivers good to great matches. At the very least they are different from anything else on a particular card. All that said, they can’t keep going back to this well. They need to start taking some chances. But Seth isn’t the guy. I didn’t think he was at Mania and I definitely don’t think he is now. He’s done twice as much to damage his credibility with fans in the last few months as he has to win them over, and he hasn’t even been that great in the ring. Yes, that’s partly because of the booking and who he has been in the ring with, but outside of the match with Styles, he has done nothing to excite me. At this point, Brock might as well carry the belt on to FOX and be the final boss. Who topples him? I don’t know. They may go back to Roman. I would love to see them get fully behind Drew. Owens still has some steam. Rocket ship Ricochet or Aleister. But none of them get really “made” unless Brock is that final boss. I say he retains here. Prediction: Brock Lesnar

Lee & Conor: Me ; “Conor who is going to win between Brock and Seth?” 

Conor ; *huge sigh* “Brock……he’ll use a chair to hurt Seth” 

It would seem that Conor is starting to tire of Brock as champion but I can’t agree with him. Brock is still the only star they have and if anyone is to break through they are going to have to definitively defeat The Beast. The Rollins experiment hasn’t worked so the best thing WWE can do is reset and build to a new babyface taking down Lesnar. If it was my choice I push Ricochet to the top. Rollins could probably do with going away for a little bit and coming back with a fresh look and a heel turn would probably be best for him now Predictions  Conor: Brock Lesnar  Lee: Brock Lesnar