Biggest party of the summer

New York City has been a host to WWE SummerSlam for the past four years already. The Barclays Center in Brooklyn has been sold out all weekend in those four years.

After what is expected to be a high octane NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 the night prior, Sunday caps off the biggest party of the summer with a stacked card from pre-show to main event.

SummerSlam will stream live on the WWE Network on Sunday, August 19. Kickoff show for the event will at 6pm ET/3pm PT followed by the main card at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

The Kickoff show will feature three matches while the main card will feature 10.

The Kickoff

Raw Tag Team Champions B-Team (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) vs The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)

The Revival has made a mission since arriving on the main roster and that is to show the entire tag team division that they are the blueprint of how professional wrestling should be. After simultaneous setbacks, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder finally have the chance to hit that brass ring.

Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel have been on a roll however since The Miztourage has been rebranded to "The B-Team". Now shining on their own as the Raw Tag Team Champions, they are undefeated since their rechristening.

Whether by luck or by technique these two teams will surely find a way but only one team will be declared as champions at the start of the night.

Prediction: The B-Team retains but gets attacked due to the nature of their win.

Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega

The kickoff injects some international flavor into the undercard as Rusev and Lana take on Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega. Three countries will be represented as the show kicks off in Brookyln.

What was supposed to be a regular match turned into a heated rivalry when Aiden English, cost his friends Rusev and Lana each a match. English may have meant well but Almas and Vega capitalized on this and continued to taunt the European couple.

Will it be Rusev Day on Sunday or will it be a belated celebration of Cinco de Mayo?

Prediction: This is sadly the end of  the "Rusev Day" melody

WWE Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

Cedric Alexander has worked hard to repay the faith of the WWE Universe in him. The soul of 205 Live wants to be a fighting champion and is not one to duck to any challenge put in front of him.

Drew Gulak however is no different. After being sidetracked by the excess baggage of high flying, General Manager Drake Maverick's pep talk to Gulak ignited his fuel for technical brutality once again.

Gulak earned a title opportunity after winning a Fatal 4-Way match against Mustafa Ali, Hideo Itami, and TJP. The "Human Torture Device" is back and wants to keep the show on the ground.

Will the Cruiserweight Division fly high or be grounded at the end of the kickoff?

Prediction: Drew Gulak wins this one but not by submission but by his old antics.

The intermission

Elias to perform his greatest song at SummerSlam

After the success of his album "Walk with Elias", Elias will be on tour in New York as he follows up Saturday's concert at the Gramercy Theater with what he calls "the greatest song to date".

Elias has had problems with interferences in the past but he will not let the dominant Bobby Lashley get in the way of his performance at the biggest party of the summer.

Prediction: Not only is it SummerSlam but its TakeOver weekend as well. Maybe time for another call-up? Maybe something more freakish than Lashley's size?

 

The main card

SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day

The SmackDown tag team champions have been unstoppable since day one-ish. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have not been legitimately stopped since winning the title from the Usos.

The New Day on the other hand have found themselves close to another title picture after quite some time. Despite their antics, they managed to get past SAnitY and The Bar to earn an opportunity for the tag titles.

Will pancakes be flying all over or will it be swatted by the massive war hammers of Harper and Rowan?

Prediction: Chaos matches chaos which is why New Day may not stand a chance.

Finn Bálor vs. Constable Baron Corbin

The David vs Goliath cliche never ends especially when the Goliath has the same fight in him as a David. After weeks of trading jabs at each other on Raw, Finn Balor and Baron Corbin are set to face each other once again in the biggest party of the summer.

Corbin has been on a power trip since being appointed as constable by Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. He has made examples out of "little guys" in the past few weeks to taunt Balor.

Balor on the other hand has issues with adhering to Corbin's authority by mocking the constable. It will be exactly two years since he was named the inaugural Universal Champion.

Can Balor move on from Corbin for good or will the constable find another leverage to abuse his power?

Prediction: If the Demon King shows up, Balor wins but if not, this may be the start of bigger things for Corbin.

United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy

Shinsuke Nakamura may have found another avenue where his cheap shots would work. After failing in his bid to beat WWE Champion AJ Styles on multiple occasions, his dirty tricks finally worked when he used his now signature low blow at WWE Extreme Rules to win the United States title.

Jeff Hardy looks to vindicate himself from the humiliation he suffered not only from Nakamura, but also from another rival in Randy Orton. Nakamura has capitalized on opportunism but it is Orton who tore Hardy's identity apart.

With Orton surely looking to strike once again, will Hardy stand a chance to win back the United States title?

Prediction: Nakamura retains but Hardy gets help from an unexpected ally.

Daniel Bryan vs The Miz

The culmination of the "promo of the century" is finally going to happen. A lot of history and a lot of issues back up this heated rivalry.

Daniel Bryan started as The Miz's protege in the old format of NXT. Since then, Bryan has become a star of his own, duplicating the accomplishments of his former mentor.

The two also have a similar life outside wrestling as both are married to a WWE superstar, both have reality show deals, and both have lovely daughters who are also exposed to the spotlight.

In ring wise, Bryan is a technical risk taker while The Miz is a tactician who works smarter in the ring. Both also have irony in their character as Bryan has fans chanting his name despite his preference of isolation while The Miz, who is more exposed on the spotlight happens to be hated so much.

This rivalry is personal, this rivalry is heated, and this rivalry has the potential to be the match of the night.

Prediction: A toss up. The only sure thing here is that wives will be involved in this match.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch (Triple Threat Match)

Despite what the haters say, Carmella has carried herself like a top star of the division should be. But as far as being a champion is concerned, her accomplishments have been possible with the help of James Ellsworth.

Becky Lynch is on a roll as of late and is hungry for another title reign as she hasn't held gold for some time now. Her sights are set for the title, especially now that Ellsworth has been wished his future endeavors but, is there no one in the way indeed?

Charlotte Flair has been added to the match and as history tells, she knows how to keep relationships healthy even in the spirit of competition. The Queen is back and is now ready to add another title reign to an already decorated young career.

Prediction: Carmella retains and a friendship rescinds.

Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Dolph Ziggler has seen a career resurgence since aligning with Drew McIntyre. Not only did fans start to take him seriously, but he also won the Intercontinental Title in the process.

Seth Rollins, ever the fighter he is, wants to become a model champion to the WWE universe. It cost him his Intercontinental Title however when Ziggler answered one of his open challenges.

With McIntyre sure to be on Ziggler's corner, Rollins made sure his title match with Ziggler at SummerSlam will be kept at bay when he called on his SHIELD brother Dean Ambrose to be in his corner.

Will Ambrose be the difference in this match? Does Ziggler have another trick to pull come Sunday?

Prediction: Rollins wins, Ambrose turns

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens for the Money In The Bank contract

Mr. Monster In The Bank Braun Strowman has not allowed anybody to go over like how others allowed him to. Kevin Owens, despite the stool pigeon antics happens to have worked hard to get to where he is.

After Strowman buried NXT champion after NXT champion, he looks to add Owens to his cemetery. Owens on the other hand needs to survive and pull up a unique trick to beat the monster among men.

Strowman has flicked off anything given to him but will he accidentally flick his title opportunity into Owens' hands? or is KOmania going to "get these hands"?

Prediction: Kevin Owens must win and he should win

Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey was literally fingertips away from winning the Raw Women's title when Alexa Bliss decided to cash in on the same night she won Ms. Money In The Bank.

After weeks of verbal assault by the champion on Rousey, The former UFC champion could not wait to go physical and unleash on Bliss.

Alicia Fox is on Bliss' corner but with Rousey's friend Natalya still mourning the loss of her father, the late Jim "Anvil" Neidhart, who will be in Rousey's corner come Sunday?

Prediction: This isn't Rousey's time yet. But a major prediction would be that Nia Jax will be on her corner.

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Finally a match 16 years in the making is going to happen not only on a big stage such as the WWE but also at the biggest party of the summer at WWE SummerSlam.

The stakes can't be higher this time around as AJ Styles and Samoa Joe clash for the WWE Championship. All the years they spent on the indies travelling, eating, and sleeping on the same lodging has gone down the drain.

Styles is always ready for any challenger put in front of him but he wasn't ready for Joe's attack from behind during the contract signing. The champion's last two title defenses were a highly physical one with Rusev and a Last Man Standing match with Shinsuke Nakamura.

Joe on the other hand will be taking no prisoners as he tries to destroy the house that AJ Styles built. Will he finally achieve the success he is looking for?

Prediction: Styles gets this one but Joe gets the last laugh

Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reign

It is no secret that Brock Lesnar has an extreme sense of entitlement. The WWE Universal Champion likes to do the least work but likes to get paid the most.

Roman Reigns on the other hand is a fighter and will do anything for the WWE Universe, including slaying the beast incarnate. The big dog looks to vindicate himself of all the frustrations he has suffered at the hands of Lesnar.

With the champion bound to make his return to the UFC, Reigns wants to send Lesnar back there for good. After multiple failed attempts and a controversial decicion, will Reigns finally bring the Universal title back to its weekly home?

Prediction: Reigns wins after exhausting all his energy to bring down Lesnar only to be cashed in on by Kevin Owens.

 

Who are your picks to win at the biggest party of the summer?  What can you say about the predictions? Let us know in the comments section.

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About the author
Jaime Luis Aldecoa
Professional Wrestling Editor. Took up Bachelor of Arts Major in Communication at the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the Philippines.