Weekly Wrestling Viewing Guide: Aug. 20 - 26, 2017

There’s a ton of wrestling content nowadays and unless you’re a hardcore pro-graps fan, you have to decide what to watch when and what to consider leaving out. That’s where we come in to help.

Every week, we are going to run down the big in-ring happenings for the easily accessible US wrestling. This won’t cover your indie needs, but ReverendKain always has you covered in his weekly Sermon on the Mat for that.

Bear in mind, matches could be added after this posts that would definitely change how worth a show is to watch.

Sunday

SummerSlam (WWE Network)

SummerSlam is upon us. WWE likes to bill it as their second biggest show but in my eyes, that belongs to the Royal Rumble. Nonetheless, it’s a big deal and it’s a large card. But for some reason, I’m just not that pumped for it.

You can see all the matches in one place here in our predictions post. And if there’s one take away it’s this: This show is frickin’ long.

It’s a 2 hour kickoff show and a 4 hour show. That means if you’re watching SummerSlam live on the east coast, you’re sitting down at 5 and getting up after 11pm. I can’t think of anything I enjoy watching for 6 hours. Hell, even if you skip the Kickoff, it’s a 4 hour show. And two of the Kickoff matches (the SmackDown tag team match and the Cruiserweight title match) could be two of the better matches.

There are some match ups that excite. The Universal Fatal 4-way is a hoss-tastic bout. Shinsuke Nakamura has the ability to win the WWE title. Shane McMahon will try to be the worst referee ever in the AJ Styles/Kevin Owens US title match.

But man, it’s tough getting past the length of the show.

Verdict: This is a big show and WWE will do all they can to make it feel like a big deal. But asking someone to watch 6 hours of wrestling is a lot. You know if that’s something you can deal with or not.

Monday

Monday Night Raw (USA Network)

This is your red branded SummerSlam fallout. We could be seeing maybe an NXT call up or two this week. (Maybe Bobby Roode?) And Brock is advertised so we’ll learn his future.

Verdict: They’ll be pivoting some stories so it is probably worth keeping an eye on if you’re not completely burned out for 6 hours of wrestling the night before.

ROH Wrestling ( FITE ) - any time on Demand at ROH Wrestling’s website.

As per usual, here’s its999maggle with this week’s recap:

"THE 6-MAN CHAMPIONS ARE ON TOP OF THEIR GAME… BUT COLT CABANA HAS SOME BOYS OF HIS OWN! THE SIX FACE OFF WITH THE TITLES ON THE LINE!

PLUS JAY BRISCOE COLLIDES WITH THE KINGDOM’S MATT TAVEN!

DON’T MISS THIS WEEK OF RING OF HONOR WRESTLING!"

Verdict: Actually do, maybe Jay will put on something good, Cabana and Tempura Boyz, not much advertised. Skippable.

Tuesday

SmackDown Live (USA Network)

What I said for Raw applies here too. However, unlike the Universal title match, there aren’t any matches as intriguing for the blue brand that guarantees some interesting fallout. We may see a Nakamura championship celebration though!

Verdict: Same for Raw - could be good. But you also may have watched 9 hours of wrestling in the last 2 days (11 in 3 if you watched TakeOver) so the burnout could be real.

205 Live (WWE Network)

The big stories in the division will be touched on during Raw, but to follow all of the happenings, 205 Live is the spot to look.

Verdict: If you like the cruisers, check it out.

Wednesday

NXT (WWE Network)

Here’s a show to skip to get a wrestling breather.

NXT post TakeOver shows are the matches that they filmed prior to TakeOver in Brooklyn with fallout YouTube videos peppered in.

Verdict: You can skip it.

Lucha Underground (El Rey Network)

Lucha Underground has a big show this week.

It’s the Cueto Cup finale between Prince Puma and Pentagon Dark. The winner gets to main event Ultima Lucha Tres. Expect these two to burn the damned house down.

Also, there’s a title match between Rey Mysterio and champion Johnny Mundo. Also a match that can tear it up.

Verdict: It’s a big episode this week and one worth checking out.

Thursday

GFW Impact Wrestling (Pop TV)

Last week, Jim Cornette, who is part of GFW now, announced a 20-man gauntlet match to crown a new GFW world champion. Right now, only Eli Drake, Chris Adonis, EC3, Moose, and Low-Ki are announced. That leaves 15 spots of possible surprises.

Also, if you want a John Morrison double header, he will be debuting here as Johnny Impact (seriously). We don’t know yet if he’s in the title match or not. But Mundo/Morrison/Henigan/Nitro/Impact is awesome.

Verdict: Spoilers for this title match are already out there for those who partake, but crowning a new champion is a big deal.

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If I could only watch one thing this week, it’d be:

Lucha Underground

This is tough. It’s really between what do I want to watch and what should I watch.

I’m a fan of the WWE and I should watch one of their biggest shows of the year. There’s plenty to watch for and it’s going to be eventful. In that sense, I really wouldn’t miss it.

But honestly, I can’t get over how long the damn show is. There’s no way I’m going to enjoy 6 straight hours of wrestling. It’s half my waking Sunday.

Lucha Underground has a packed show and they’ll fit it in an hour. Rey Mysterio and Johnny Mundo have really built their feud nicely the last couple weeks and the Cueto Cup has been a big deal. Plus, they’ve returned to form really delving into their mythology lately. And again, it’s only an hour long.

Let us know what you’d pick if you could only watch one thing in the comments.

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There’s a ton of other wrestling out there and we can’t cover it all on here. So if there’s something you’re particularly excited for this week, let your fellow wrestling fans know in the comments.

See ya next week!