SummerSlam Suggestions: WWE should pack the Biggest Party of the Summer

Believe it or not, but we are just a little over three weeks away from the biggest party of the summer!

As of this writing however, WWE has yet to officially book a single match for SummerSlam.

That could change as soon as tonight (July 14) on SmackDown as WWE is advising people not to miss the fallout from Jey Uso’s challenge to Roman Reigns for a shot at his WWE Universal Championship — the likely main event for this year’s show.

Keep an eye on the WWE Women’s Championship situation tonight as well. Asuka defends her gold against Bianca Belair, but after the E-S-T cost Charlotte her opportunity against the Empress, expect turn about to be fair play.

A major triple threat match for Asuka’s newly rebranded title is heavily rumored to be in the works for the show in Detroit on Sat., Aug. 5.

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III is also a guarantee to be going down at Ford Field after the American Nightmare laid down the challenge to The Beast on Raw this week. There are three of the nine matches that are reportedly set to take place.

Potential SummerSlam Card - According to various reports

• WWE Universal Championship - Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso
• World Heavyweight Championship - Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor
• WWE Women’s Championship - Asuka (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair
• Women’s World Championship - Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez
• Intercontinental Championship - GUNTHER (c) vs. Drew McIntyre
• Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
• Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus
• Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
• Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Honestly, that’s a spectacular card as it currently sits.

All four major Championships should be defended on, arguably, WWE’s second biggest show of the year. And you cannot be mad at any of these probable match-ups.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso are currently carrying the company’s best storyline since Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon. This match is going to be a rollercoaster of emotions and should have fans on the edge of their seats throughout.

Meanwhile, yes, we just saw Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor at Money in the Bank. But that match felt like an appetizer to the main course that’s going to get served up in Detroit. Also, there’s a legitimate chance Damian Priest cashes-in his MITB Briefcase and becomes the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Imagine if Priest gives Rollins a taste of his own medicine by making the match a triple threat and then pins Finn to steal the gold. Seth’s title run has gotten off to a great start, but not every Championship run needs to break some kind of endurance record.

Priest is more than ready for a shot at the big time. Besides, Rollins can always win it back at some point down the road.

If WWE chooses to wait on the cash-in, that’s more than fine too. Seth is great in his current role as World Champ and the talent well on Raw is far from dry when it comes to future opponents for The Visionary. Priest could always cash-in whenever Cody Rhodes finally gets his shot at the WHC.

Sorry Cody. Back down to the bottom of adversity mountain you go. Time to start climbing once again. We’ll see you at the top come WrestleMania 40. You should, however, be a lock to beat Brock next month.

By the way, did anyone else notice something unusual about this rumored SummerSlam card? There are four women’s matches. Potentially even four one-on-one, five total, women’s matches if IYO SKY cashes-in her MITB Briefcase.

That would have to be some kind of record. Not even the main card of Evolution, the all women’s PPV in 2018, had four singles matches on the card.

Heck, two of these matches don’t even involve Championships. That also has to be some kind of record if this card comes to fruition.

All it took was three of the biggest women’s stars of the past 20 years to get it done. And yes, I’m including Ronda Rousey. She was a huge star when she came to WWE and she still is today.

Her second run with the company has paled in comparison to what we saw in the months that led up to WrestleMania 35, but she still has major crossover appeal. And you have to give her credit. With the very limited amount of time left on her contract, Rousey has done her best to help build up the Women’s Tag Team Division and she’s going to put Shayna Baszler over on her way out.

Rounding out the night will be GUNTHER vs. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul vs. Ricochet. Both matches are potential show-stealers and should be an absolute gas to watch.

Nine matches total. Potentially eleven with Señor and Ms. Money in the Bank lurking around at all times. That’s a full card. Last year in Nashville, SummerSlam only had eight matches.

Neither Drew McIntyre or Sheamus were booked for the show in their own home city (although Drew did get to cut a promo) and don’t forget Triple H pulled Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle from the rundown. They both made an appearance, but it was quite the move for the Game to bench Mr. SummerSlam his first full weekend as the new Chief Content Officer.

It was a move that worked by the way. The Rollins/Riddle match had way more heat on it by the time Clash at the Castle rolled around.

Why bring this up? Just as a reminder. If those men can get left off that SummerSlam card, than nothing is a guarantee for this year’s show. Not even the nine matches listed above.

That said, there are some match-ups that Triple H and his creative team should consider adding to the line-up in Detroit in a few weeks. Even if it means putting on a longer show than WWE typically likes to run.

My advice, screw it. It’s the biggest party of the Summer. It’s on a Saturday night. Go nuts!

Austin Theory vs. L.A. Knight for the United States Championship

Much to the chagrin of the WWE Universe, L.A. Knight did not win the Money in the Bank briefcase. He was also then left off of television during last Friday’s SmackDown at Madison Square Garden.

Creative decided instead to use Knight to fire up the still arriving New York crowd by having him take out Hit Row prior to going live on FOX. The footage was then uploaded to social media for the rest of us to see.

The upload was a smart decision on WWE’s part.

Knight’s assault on Hit Row has over 1.3 million views on YouTube alone. Days later news would break that the Megastar is now one of the top merchandise sellers in the company. Third among active performers behind only Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes.

It’s time, guys. WWE needs to capitalize on his momentum right now. And I’m talking about more than just a good month of t-shirt sales.

The man continues to get massive babyface reactions despite him keeping up with his heelish tactics during tapings. Maybe the attack on Hit Row Friday is the start of his official babyface turn, and if it is, Austin Theory is ready and waiting.

Theory has not been as heavily pushed as he was prior to the WWE Draft. The United States Champion was selected 2nd overall by SmackDown on night two of the draft, ahead of Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Judgement Day (sans Rhea Ripley).

Given his talent, where he was drafted, and his recent win over John Cena at WrestleMania 39, Theory seemed primed for a top position on the Blue Brand. But he lost his first match on the show after the new rosters were set and has yet to appear on a PLE.

Theory has primarily been used to lend some credibility to Pretty Deadly in an on-going feud with the Brawling Brutes. Not a bad practice in the slightest, but sharing the spotlight has had a bit of drawback for Theory as his priorities have moved — maybe not to the backburner — but definitely a different burner.

All of his U.S. Title defenses in the past two months have been on SmackDown and while the matches have been top quality, his run feels stuck in neutral at the moment.

Theory’s ability to get heat, coupled with the electric crowd reactions of L.A. Knight could create some explosive atmospheres. Put these two in a ring together with a couple of mics and step back.

This is the feud that both men need right now. One that will simultaneously re-elevate Theory and his United States Championship and kick start Knight’s long awaited (and heavily) rumored push.

For L.A. specifically, WWE already left him off the WrestleMania card. They cannot afford to do it again at SummerSlam. Having plans to do something is great, but this can has been kicked down the road long enough. It’s time for the Megastar to start making moves.

All of Detroit deserves to go nuts for L-A-Knight, as he becomes the next U-S-Champ! YEAH!

Other matches to consider for SummerSlam

• The Miz and Bronson Reed vs. DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano)

The curious case of Johnny Gargano continues. Since reuniting with the rest of The Way following the WWE Draft, the popular NXT faction has rarely been on television.

Gargano has wrestled one match on Raw since his victory over Grayson Waller at NXT: Stand and Deliver. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell were the first team bounced in a Tag Title No. 1 Contender’s gauntlet on July 4th, and in pretty short order. And Dexter Lumis has been a Main Event mainstay since mid-March.

Injuries to both Hartwell and Gargano no doubt have played a factor in the group’s booking, or lack there of, but both stars are healthy now. Johnny Wrestling has reportedly been ready to go for weeks and was even backstage at Raw in his hometown of Cleveland - although he was not used on the show.

Tommaso Ciampa has returned from injury with his old psycho killer mentality that NXT fans know and love. He looks to be on track for a significant push under Triple H, a mentor of his during his Black and Gold days, and Ciampa could use some help in his rivalry with the Miz now that he’s hired Bronson Reed to do his dirty work once again.

A DIY union would pay off on the early teases Johnny dropped about Ciampa’s imminent return back in May and help The Way, find their way back to regular television appearances.

A tag team match at SummerSlam is exactly the showcase that Ciampa, Gargano, and Reed all need and deserve. And the Miz is the perfect person to help get all three men over by the end of the night. It could also be the first step in establishing DIY as Tag Team Title contenders. Speaking of which.

• Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defending the Tag Team Titles against the Judgement Day

Is WWE really about to go two consecutive PLE’s without booking the men who won the night one main event of WrestleMania 39? Just going by the numbers, the answer appears to be yes.

It’s incredibly unlikely that Triple H decides to book an 11 or 12 match card in Detroit and we are approaching that range very quickly.

Zayn and Owens are still two of the top stars in the company and two of the biggest babyfaces on Raw, but their separation from the Bloodline storyline has dropped them down the WWE pecking order — pretty much by default.

The Judgement Day is starting to get Bloodline level time on Monday nights as the company clearly likes what they bring to the table. After Zayn was pinned this week, the argument could be made that Judgement Day has earned a shot at the Undisputed Tag Titles.

With Finn already linked to Rollins, the duty would fall on Damian Priest and “Dirty” Dom to battle Zayn and Owens in Detroit. It’s more than likely though, that a go-home show title defense is in the cards for Sami and KO, again, this time around.

A SummerSlam spot, however, should be given strong consideration.

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