WWE SummerSlam 2016 Match Card, Previews and Predictions

[Face McShooty]

 

MATCHES

American Alpha, The Hype Bros & The Usos vs Breezango, The Ascension & The Vaudevillains

In a return match from Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, The Usos, American Alpha & The Hype Bros will meet Breezango, The Ascension & The Vaudevillains in a gigantic 12-Man Tag Team Match on Sunday’s Kickoff.

The six duos lit up the blue brand earlier this week with a jaw-dropping bout that ended in victory for The Usos, American Alpha & The Hype Bros after Jason Jordan & Chad Gable connected with Grand Amplitude against The Vaudevillains’ Aiden English. Now, the 12 Superstars gear up for round two at The Biggest Event of the Summer.

SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan previously indicated that the vacuum left by championships lost to Raw during the Brand Extension Draft — presumably, WWE Tag Team Titles included — will be filled in the not-too-distant future. Could a strong performance on the Kickoff put one or more teams in the catbird seat as Team Blue’s upper management contemplates plans for the Tag Team division?

 

Sami Zayn & Neville vs The Dudley Boyz

Former NXT Champions Sami Zayn & Neville will battle the most decorated team in sports-entertainment history, The Dudley Boyz, on this Sunday’s SummerSlam Kickoff.

Associates dating back to their days on the independent circuit, The Underdog from the Underground and The Man That Gravity Forgot have forged a thrilling alliance from time to time, both in WWE and NXT, despite proving themselves primarily in singles competition. With kindred daredevil styles inside the ring, Zayn & Neville not only pose a dangerous threat to the best of teams, they also embody the energizing spirit of WWE’s New Era.

Yet, can their makeshift alliance, exciting though it is, make a dent against the unparalleled experience of 10-time Tag Team Champions Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley? The legendary brawlers form Dudleyville boast a distinct size and strength advantage over their opponents, and are likely eager to reassert themselves as a dominant force in the Tag Team division at the expense of Zayn & Neville.

Will the speed, agility and desire of Zayn  & Neville win out, or will The Dudleys’ bruising power pave the way to victory in Brooklyn, N.Y.?

 

Cesaro vs Sheamus in the First of a Best of Seven Series

A Best of Seven Series between Cesaro and Sheamus to determine which Superstar is physically dominant — and, perhaps, worthy of championship consideration — gets underway this Sunday on the SummerSlam Kickoff.

If the series’ opener is anything like The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior’s last two outings on Raw, the WWE Universe is in for a gloriously unpretentious knock-down, drag-out fight in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Cesaro holds the edge over Sheamus heading into the series, having defeated the former WWE World Champion in close-fought matches on Aug. 1 and 8. The Celtic Warrior contends the losses, the second of which ended via a quick roll-up by Cesaro, were flukes. Bitter over the outcome, Sheamus cost Cesaro dearly later that night, interfering in the Swiss Superstar’s U.S. Championship Match against Rusev.

The hostility continued the following week, with the two Superstars brawling again at the conclusion of Sheamus’ match against Sami Zayn. Seeking to control the chaos, as well as reach a definitive answer as to which athlete deserves to move up the ranks, Raw General Manager Mick Foley then set in motion the Best of Seven Series.

Sheamus will not only be packing a bad attitude this Sunday, but also his typically barbaric sense of competition. With an unrelenting attack and a Brogue Kick powerful enough to detach heads from shoulders, the 6-foot-4, 267-pound Irishman is intent on setting a vicious tone for the Best of Seven Series.

His cool-under-pressure opponent is equally capable of jacking jaws, using a breathtaking variety of European uppercuts to his advantage. And though The Swiss Superman sacrifices some size to Sheamus, he seems to possess the raw strength to toss around anyone smaller than a Volkswagen.

Who will be victorious in the crucially important first match of the Best of Seven Series?

 

Carmella, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs Natalya & Alexa Bliss

Team Blue may have to wait a little bit longer to see its Red Queen in the ring.

Eva Marie was prepared to make her long-awaited debut as a member of the SmackDown Live roster this Sunday at SummerSlam, teaming with Alexa Bliss & Natalya to take on Becky Lynch, Naomi & Carmella in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match.

Following the breaking news that Eva Marie will be out of action for 30 days, this bout is left in a state of uncertainty.

All the female Superstars of SmackDown Live — from the neon-lit Naomi and arm-wrenching Becky , to the veteran "Queen of Harts" Natalya and WWE newcomers Carmella and Alexa — are looking to make an impression on General Manager Daniel Bryan and Commissioner Shane McMahon as they contemplate the future of their brand’s Women’s division.

Will Alexa & Natalya power through without the “eternally beguiling” redhead and battle Becky, Carmella & Naomi in a 2-on-3 Handicap Match? Or will the fierce Bliss and the tactical Natalya recruit a partner in time for The Biggest Event of the Summer?

 

The Miz © vs Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship

Apollo Crews has quickly emerged as one of The New Era’s most dynamic Superstars, but at SummerSlam he will have his chance to garner more than just bragging rights when he challenges Intercontinental Champion The Miz for the title.

Crews moved into the position of No. 1 contender after prevailing in a New Era Triple Threat Match against fellow young lions Baron Corbin and Kalisto on the Aug. 2 episode of SmackDown Live. The A-Lister then wasted no time setting a personal tone to the SummerSlam showdown, attacking Crews after his big triumph.

While The Miz is intent on preserving his Intercontinental Title reign (the fifth of his storied career), Crews is focused on gaining his first championship. With jump-out-of-the-building leaping ability, scary strength and plenty of fighting spirit, it’s little wonder the boulder-shouldered Superstar from Stone Mountain, Ga., finds himself in the title hunt this early in his WWE career.

Yet, can Crews’ raw, physical gifts match up to whatever game-plan the veteran Miz devises for Aug. 21? With the rule-bending Maryse by his side, The A-Lister is almost as resourceful as he is cocky, and he has managed to keep hold of the Intercontinental Championship since April, surviving run-ins with the likes of Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.

Will Hollywood’s favorite couple stay golden following The Biggest Event of the Summer? Or will Crews capture the prestigious Intercontinental Title — an achievement that would signal a breakthrough for the rising star of WWE’s New Era?

 

Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens

Enzo Amore & Big Cass may have won the hearts of the WWE Universe, but at SummerSlam, the smooth-talking, hard-hitting duo must face a couple of unabashed haters: Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens.

Newly aligned, the outspoken Canadian contingent known as “Jeri-KO” has not taken warmly to The New Era’s fastest-rising tandem. The bad feelings began on the Aug. 1 edition of Raw, as Jericho found himself engaged in a battle of wits – and later fisticuffs – with Enzo when both Superstars took part in a Mixed Tag Team Match that also involved WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and Charlotte. Once the contest was over, The Greatest in the World at What He Does sought to give Amore a post-match drubbing, only for Big Cass to run interference.  

The prospect of facing Enzo & Cass 2-on-1 left Jericho in need of backup. Though Jimmin Marvinlunder, purportedly the toughest guy west of Winnipeg, was the first name to spring to Jericho’s mind, Owens was the first Superstar to come to his side, drawing the battle lines for SummerSlam’s tag team match.

Will the experience edge of Owens & Jericho be too much for young lions Enzo & Cass to handle? Or can The Realest Guys in the Room — whose stomping grounds are not far away from SummerSlam’s host venue, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center — make their homecoming a triumphant one?

 

The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) © vs Gallows & Anderson (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) for the WWE Tag Team Championships

Intent on avenging their injured partner Big E, The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have agreed to defend the WWE Tag Team Championship against Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson at SummerSlam.

Gallows & Anderson, whose ambush of The New Day on the Aug. 1 edition of Raw left Big E out of action and suffering from a contusion, said they would face Kingston & Woods on one condition: that the champions put their titles on the line. With no other means of getting their hands on Big E’s assailants, Kingston & Woods have conceded to the challengers’ terms.

It was evident even before medical personnel assisted Big E out of Atlanta’s Philips Arena on Aug. 1 that Gallows & Anderson had the WWE Tag Team Champions in their crosshairs. One week prior to the attack, the black-clad brawlers blindsided The New Day during a celebration to commemorate the champions’ record-breaking title reign.

Gallows & Anderson have yet to win the WWE Tag Team Championship since arriving in WWE, but to say they are a decorated alliance would be an understatement. While competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling, the battle-hardened pair held the IWGP Tag Team Titles three times, and in 2013 they won the organization’s annual tag team tournament, the G1 Tag League.

Yet, it’s quite possible The New Day that show up at SummerSlam will not be the skipping, cheerful pillars of positivity that Kingston & Woods are typically thought to be. Big E’s injury has the remaining New Day members seeing red; will Kofi & Xavier make Gallows & Anderson pay dearly?

 

Sasha Banks © vs Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship [Dana Brooke is banned from ringside]

After a remarkable back-and-forth duel on Raw that left the WWE Universe breathless and resulted in a new torchbearer for the Women’s division, WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and Charlotte are set to do it all over again when they face off in a title rematch at SummerSlam.

This time, however, Dana Brooke will not be at ringside at all to lend moral (or physical) support to Charlotte. Thanks to Sasha’s win over Dana on the Aug. 8 Raw, Charlotte’s powerhouse pal will be barred from ringside during SummerSlam’s WWE Women’s Title Match.

The Boss was forced to use a more creative strategy for getting Dana ejected from ringside mid-match on July 25, the night she captured the WWE Women’s Title from Charlotte.

That astounding bout saw both women pull out all the stops, from Charlotte executing a moonsault to the floor, to Sasha stealing a page from her idol, Eddie Guerrero, to remove Dana from the proceedings. In an emotional post-match interview, Sasha fought back tears as she proudly claimed to be the one and only Boss in WWE.

Adversaries since their days in NXT, Sasha and Charlotte have steadily pushed each other’s boundaries with pioneering matches that have redefined the Women’s division. At SummerSlam, however, Charlotte will find herself in the unfamiliar position of challenger. Will the self-proclaimed “Genetically Superior Athlete” — the daughter of “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” Ric Flair — resort to extremes to regain her title, especially now that she knows Dana will not be by her side? What would it take for Charlotte to separate Sasha from the treasured prize she’s fought her entire life to achieve?

 

Rusev © vs Roman Reigns for the United States Championship

The battle lines have been drawn, and Roman Reigns will be the latest Superstar to step to U.S. Champion Rusev in a fight for the star-spangled championship at SummerSlam, live Sunday, Aug. 21, only on the award-winning WWE Network.

Since regaining the United States Championship, Rusev has resumed his one-man reign of terror as though it never stopped. The Super Athlete has demolished all comers in both championship matches and otherwise, and left a trail of destruction in his wake that has claimed Superstars both big (Mark Henry) and small (Kalisto). Such a run has left the WWE Universe questioning whether anyone can thwart The Bulgarian Brute’s dominance and bring the U.S. Championship back to its homeland.

Reigns, on the other hand, is in win-now mode after a series of unfortunate twists knocked him off his post-WrestleMania perch and landed the WWE World Championship on Dean Ambrose’s SmackDown Live and not Reigns’ own Raw roster. Targeting the self-dubbed “unbeatable” Super Athlete isn’t just a way to get the ex-champion back to his winning ways; it’s a chance to once again establish himself among the Team Red elite. Winning one for America probably doesn’t hurt, either, and Reigns already obtained a mental edge over the champion by humiliating Rusev and his new bride, Lana, during their wedding toast on Raw.

Will Rusev’s U.S. Title honeymoon continue on to the fall? Or will the Samoan Superman play the role of Captain America and strip The Super Athlete of his championship gold?

 

John Cena vs AJ Styles

At SummerSlam, the WWE Universe will find out if John Cena is still the “Face that Runs the Place” or if AJ Styles is the new franchise of SmackDown Live.

In a rematch from their instant classic at WWE Money in the Bank, the Cenation leader will battle The Phenomenal One on Sunday, Aug. 21, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Styles won that first encounter, a dream match some 15 years in the making, but only after Club allies Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson interfered.

Despite the underhanded way in which he attained victory, Styles has not let Cena forget the loss since. The Phenomenal One even insists that Cena’s time atop the WWE mountain is fading. The 15-time World Champion, on the other hand, is not eager to relinquish his hard-earned status, especially to Styles, whose pivotal win is clouded by Gallows & Anderson’s involvement.

Cena and Styles’ first showdown exceeded the considerable hype surrounding it, and there’s little reason to believe the SummerSlam rematch will be any different. What has changed since WWE Money in the Bank, however, is that The Club is no longer a unified force, divided by the Brand Extension Draft. Now that he’s going it alone on SmackDown Live, it remains to be seen what Styles will have in store when he faces the most dependable big-fight Superstar in modern history.

Will The Biggest Event of the Summer yield the new face of SmackDown Live? Or will Styles’ objective of becoming the blue brand’s franchise player be given an Attitude Adjustment?

 

Dean Ambrose © vs Dolph Ziggler for the WWE World Championship

With the dawn of SmackDown Live’s New Era comes fresh beginnings and big opportunities, and nowhere is that truer than in the case of Dolph Ziggler, who is set to challenge WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam.

The Showoff qualified for the title match by winning a loaded No. 1 Contender’s Six-Pack Challenge on SmackDown Live July 26, overcoming an all-star field of John Cena, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews. Before notching the massive win, Ziggler said he had "lost his way," but vowed to not let opportunity slip through his hands again. On Sunday, Aug. 21, he will have his chance to back up his words.

A two-time World Champion in WWE — not to mention, the record-holder for most wins in the history of Kent State’s acclaimed wrestling program — Ziggler has emerged as one of the most resilient athletes in recent history. 

Against WWE World Champion Ambrose, however, The Showoff faces a distinctly unorthodox brawler. Perpetual motion personified, Ambrose never backs down from a good fight, and the SummerSlam title bout against Ziggler is no different.

Will The Lunatic Fringe continue to reign supreme on SmackDown Live? Or will Ziggler’s revitalized outlook on life in WWE’s New Era prove to be unbeatable?

 

Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins to crown the first WWE Universal Champion

 

The new face of Raw will be decided Sunday, Aug. 21, at SummerSlam, when Finn Bálor and Seth Rollins compete to become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion.

The historic matchup — Bálor’s debut on WWE pay-per-view — was made official on July 25, the same night that Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon revealed plans to introduce the Universal Title. According to Raw management, the newly sanctioned championship will eventually outstrip SmackDown Live’s WWE Championship in importance.

Rollins, who was selected No. 1 overall in the WWE Brand Extension Draft, was entered into contention by Stephanie. The announcement came less than 24 hours after The Architect failed to win the WWE Championship from Dean Ambrose at WWE Battleground, though it was Roman Reigns — the other participant in the championship Triple Threat Match — that lost the deciding fall, not Rollins.

Former NXT Champion Bálor, meanwhile, fought his way into contention by beating four of Raw’s best in one evening. Making his debut on WWE’s flagship show, the enigmatic Irishman triumphed in a Fatal 4-Way against Kevin Owens, Cesaro and U.S. Champion Rusev, then defeated Roman Reigns hours later to officially secure a position in the WWE Universal Title Match.

Will Rollins — the first NXT Champion in history, not to mention the Superstar whose first WWE World Heavyweight Title reign was ended by an injury, not a defeat — reassert himself as the backbone of Raw? Or will it be The Demon King — the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history, whose arrival in WWE was long-awaited and, some argue, long overdue — who makes history in Brooklyn?

 

Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton

The summer of dream matches continues Sunday, Aug. 21, when Randy Orton returns to the ring to lock horns with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. 

Despite being two perennial main eventers who trained side-by-side during their formative years at onetime WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, The Apex Predator and The Beast Incarnate have only competed against each other once before in a WWE ring.  It happened in September 2002, when both were still WWE rookies. Lesnar, already a month into his reign as WWE Champion, took the victory that night.

Much has changed since that lone, fateful bout, of course. Lesnar has since emerged as a true world-beater and the conqueror of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak, a fearless, 286-pound juggernaut who packs dynamite, and bad intentions, in his fists. One of the most dangerous men in combat-sports history, Lesnar remains the only individual to have ever captured the WWE Championship, UFC Championship and NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship.

The Viper, meanwhile, bears little resemblance to the gifted, if inexperienced, shaggy-haired Superstar who stood across the ring from Lesnar 14 years ago. Since his one and only match against The Beast, Orton has gone on to win an incredible 12 World Titles, establishing himself as one of the most decorated Superstars of his generation. Orton has also exhibited on more than one occasion a disconcerting ability to turn sinister at a moment’s notice. Such a dark, remorseless attitude may prove invaluable against a monster like Lesnar.

Adding further intrigue to the clash is that it is Orton’s first match since injuring his shoulder late last year. Having been out of action since November, Orton is assuredly interested in reasserting himself as WWE’s Apex Predator. There may be no better way to accomplish that goal than by taking down The Beast Incarnate. Yet, the question remains: Will Orton’s shoulder end up being a weakness against Lesnar?

 

My Predictions

Breezango, The Ascension, & The Vaudevillains win to make the series 1 a piece, thus leading to the creation of another tag team championship

Sami Zayn & Neville beat The Dudleys and the Dudleys spilt, D-Von turning face

Cesaro gets the first win of the best of seven series

Natalya & Alexa Bliss find another partner, either Nia Jax, Nikki Bella or Emma, and the trio wins

Apollo Crews finds a way to overcome Maryse being ringside to win his first title in WWE

JeriKO beat Enzo & Cass by cheating somehow

Gallows & Anderson become Tag Team Champs, The New Day splits up within the next few weeks

Sasha retains, after interference from Dana Brooke, who is fought off by Bayley

Rusev wins

Styles wins

Ambrose retains

Bálor becomes WWE Universal Champion

Orton beats Lesnar

[Face McShooty]

I went 6-7, decent I guess