Summerslam has always been my favorite WWE Pay-Per-View of the year. However, the past few Summerslam events have left a sour taste in my mouth due to screwy finishes. There is a big chance that this year’s show ends with an undesired finish. If WWE can put aside their conquest for #HEAT, then this year’s event could end up being great. Here are my predictions for Summerslam 2017.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Akira Tozawa vs. Neville
Winner: Akira Tozawa
Why: I was shocked and disappointed to see Neville’s Cruiserweight championship reign end on Monday. I like Tozawa, but I don’t think he should have been the guy to dethrone Neville. Now that Neville is no longer the champion he should be moved out of the Cruiserweight division. He’s beaten pretty much everybody in the division. Perhaps he can be moved to SmackDown so being in the Cruiserweight Divison is not an option. He would be a way better WWE champion than Jinder.
Finn Bálor vs. Bray Wyatt
Winner: Finn Bálor
Why: WWE has done a horrible job using Finn Balor. They need to stop treating the Demon as a second persona. The Demon should just be war paint Finn applies when he’s going into big matches. It should be done exactly the same way it was done in NXT. Since Finn will be in Demon mode, it’s a no-brainer he’ll defeat Wyatt.
Big Show vs. Big Cass (with Enzo Amore suspended above the ring in a Shark Cage)
Randy Orton vs. Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. The Usos
Winners: The Usos
Why: It’s a damn shame that this match has been moved to the kickoff show. This will probably be one of the best-wrestled matches of the night. This rivalry has shot life into the SmackDown tag division. I believe there is still some more juice in this rivalry and they could get one or two more matches out of it. That’s why I think the Usos will regain the championships. Also, a title change on the pre-show could be a tactic WWE uses to try and convince us the pre-show matters.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi vs. Natalya
Why: There has been nothing special about the build of this SmackDown Women’s Championship match. I see Naomi retaining followed up with Carmella successfully cashing in on her.
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks
Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins
United States Champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (Shane McMahon as special guest referee)
Winner: AJ Styles
Why: I love both Styles and Owens. However, their matches have not lived up to my expectations. I saw them wrestle last weekend at a house show in Tampa and it was the best match they’ve had. Adding Shane to this match does add a new element. I’m sure there will be some shenanigans involving Shane. At the end of the day, I think everything will work out in the favor of the Phenomenal One.
John Cena vs. Baron Corbin
Winner: John Cena
Why: Rumor has it that Baron Corbin has a ton of #HEAT backstage for comments he made on Twitter and that’s why he lost his Money in the Bank briefcase. With or without #HEAT, I have a hard time visualizing Corbin beating Cena.
WWE Champion Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Why: The Jinder experiment has been a nightmare. I’m ready to wake up from this nightmare and have a credible WWE Champion. WWE can still push Jinder without the championship. Nakamura is one of the most over guys on the SmackDown roster. WWE needs to strike while the iron is hot. Plus it’s about time we have a babyface world champion.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman (Fatal 4-Way Match)
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Why: Like most fans, I’m tired of Brock Lesnar as the Universal Champion. I’m really hoping my prediction is wrong. But there are several reasons why I think Lesnar will retain. First of all, they’ve added the stipulation if Lesnar loses he and Heyman are leaving WWE. Lesnar is scheduled to appear at the Raw September Pay-Per-View and his contract is not up until after Wrestlemania 34. It is possible for him to lose and then be brought back with some crazy loop hole. It wouldn’t be the first time that somebody quit/got fired and returned immediately after.
Secondly, this past Raw’s brawl ended with Strowman and Lesnar being pulled apart. To me, they’re setting up Strowman versus Brock Lesnar next month for the championship. Strowman could walk into the match as champion and Lesnar could use his rematch clause to come back and challenge. However, I think it’s more likely for Strowman to go in as the challenger.
