John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Predictions & Winner: Now this is the marquee match we’re really excited to see. Their initial meeting at MITB this year was great, but we know they can put on something even better. AJ as a heel who enjoys BEATING UP JOHN CENA has been so fun to watch unfold. Cena is as intense as ever and he’s ready to unleash his frustrations on his latest rival. This rematch is high on our prediction list as the one bout that will be MOTN. No question! AJ got one over on Cena when his boys helped him get the 1-2-3. But without his crew intact, we think Cena’s getting the fair victory here and tying their series at 1-1. Cena wins here, but they’ll lockup once again in a special stipulation bout at SmackDown’s exclusive special event Backlash.
The Miz (c) (with Maryse) vs. Apollo Crews (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
Predictions & Winner: Do we really need to delve into our projected winner for this title match? You guys all know who’s leaving the Barclays Center with the coveted Intercontinental Championship. The Miz’s run has been a decent one, but it’s about time that a fresh face gets a run with the title. And the fresh face happens to be Apollo Creed…excuse us, we mean Crews (HA! We had to do it to you, Daniel Bryan!).
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (WWE Women’s Championship; Dana Brooke is barred from ringside)
Predictions & Winner: When the big title switch for this feud went down on RAW, we were pretty shocked. We figured both of these wonderful women wrestlers were headed towards a monumental encounter at SummerSlam where Charlotte would still have the title. But to our surprise, Sasha Banks pulled away with the big win and title before this all took place. Now Charlotte is the one who’s walking into SummerSlam as the challenger. But without Dana Brooke and her Hall of Fame father by her side, Charlotte will fail once again, Banks will retain her newly won Women’s Championship and stay on top. So who’s gonna be her next challenger? The woman who’s not like most girls, Nia Jax.
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE World Championship)
Predictions & Winner: We’re still pretty shocked at the fact that Dolph Ziggler’s the one who managed to become the #1 contender to Ambrose’s WWE World Championship. Just a few months back, Ziggler was eating pins on the regular from guys who’re lower on the card than him (he even took a pinfall from Heath Slater!). Ambrose and him have traded some scathing promos against each other that have made this feud worth getting invested in. Ambrose’s run as the top champ on SmackDown still feels fresh and not exactly worn in quite yet. But we’re used to seeing shocking wins involving Ziggler. This could go either way, but we’re going with the safe pick here. Count on Ambrose retaining his championship after an excellent and grueling matchup.
Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)
Predictions & Winner: Since Reigns’ Wellness Violation took him to another part of the roster entirely, someone else has stepped in to take his top spot (for the time being). Finn Balor came fresh off his run in NXT straight to the main event slot on RAW. He’s going to have to silence his doubters as he takes on RAW’s Golden Child Seth Rollins. And for what, you ask? RAW’s brand new WWE Universal Championship. Rollins is back to full health and ready to put another title around his waist. But we think something insane is going to happen during this match that will end on a bad note for him. Expect a double turn! Balor’s NJPW running buddies The Club will come out and help screw Rollins, which will lead to a newly turned Balor winning the big one. “The Demon” will put his Balor Club in power and manage to turn Rollins into the face we’ve wanted to see during his main WWE run. This is a bold proclamation, but we think it will end up happening in the real.
Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. Randy Orton
Predictions & Winner: And now we have arrived at the big one. The main event that was once a pipe dream is finally becoming a reality. “The Mayor of Suplex City” vs. “The Viper.” Orton has returned after a long injury hiatus to contend with WWE’s resident beast. Orton has come a long way from getting treated like a scrub by Lesnar during their 2002 run on SmackDown. Both men have hit the main event level and are looking to prove who the better Superstar is. This dream match will be hotly contested and full of near falls that will elicit plenty of gasps from the crowd. We envision several RKO’s and F5’s being doled out. After all is said and done, we think the shocking win from Orton will be the last thing you see during this event. Lesnar may have not gotten punished offscreen for his MMA illegal substance bust by WWE. But you best believe he’ll get punished onscreen with a clean pinfall loss to Orton on PPV.