WWE SummerSlam 2016: B/R Expert Match Predictions and Analysis

WWE SummerSlam 2016 is on Sunday night, and the company is just about ready to put on The Biggest Party of the Summer. 

But it's not all smiles for WWE in the days leading up to the company's second-biggest event of the calendar year. On Thursday, WWE announced a trio of suspensions, all for wellness policy violations. Paige, Alberto Del Rio and Eva Marie have all been shelved for 30 days, the company said in separate announcements. 

Of the three, only Eva Marie had been slated to compete at SummerSlam. The news is not what WWE officials had in mind to kick off one of its premier events, which is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Nevertheless, the show must go on. As of Thursday night, this is the updated match card for WWE SummerSlam 2016:

• Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
• Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship
• Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE World Championship
• John Cena vs. AJ Styles 
• Rusev vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE United States Championship
• Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship
• The New Day vs. The Club for the WWE Tag Team Championship
• Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens
• The Miz vs. Apollo Crews for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
• Cesaro vs. Sheamus; first match in Best of Seven Series
• Carmella, Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Natalya and Alexa Bliss (tentative)

With 11 matches and a start time one hour earlier than typical pay-per-view events (7 p.m. ET), WWE SummerSlam 2016 has a full card that requires the utmost attention and analysis. 

It's a good thing Bleacher Report is once again putting its crack team of expert columnists together to answer the hard questions, as well as some lighthearted ones, to get you prepared for The Biggest Party of the Summer.

Let's meet the team.

B/R Expert Panel Lineup

Credit: WWE.com

The B/R WWE writer's room deciding who gets prime seats in front of the TV during SummerSlam.

Bleacher Report's lineup answers the tough questions about the WWE landscape and provides predictions for each match on the WWE SummerSlam 2016 card.

This lineup features the following:

• Anthony Mango (@ToeKneeManGo), founder of SmarkOutMoment.com and host of the podcast Smack Talk
• Erik Beaston (@ErikBeaston)
• Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews (@WrestleRant), founder of Next Era Wrestling and WrestleRant Radio
• Ryan Dilbert (@ryandilbert), lead writer for @BR_WWE
• "The Doctor" Chris Mueller (@BR_Doctor)
• Yours truly, James Moffat (@jamesmoffat)

It's time to tie up those laces and get ready to rumble. The predictions start now.

Bonus Question No. 1

Credit: WWE.com

Q: It’s been a month since the WWE draft divided the roster. What’s been the biggest hit and miss since the brand split?

James Moffat: The miss is easy: SmackDown’s treatment of its women’s division has been borderline abusive. There’s no real story besides Eva Marie’s continued stalling tactics, but that should be a sidebar to the resurgence of women’s wrestling. As for the biggest hits: Raw’s first night was huge and introduced fans to its newest members in a textbook way. Also, the play between Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar has been very well-executed.

Ryan Dilbert: Dolph Ziggler has been a revelation in the SmackDown world title scene. He has thrived with this new opportunity and focus. This is why fans have been calling for The Showoff to get more spotlight all this time. The heel side of the SmackDown tag team scene has been a bust. WWE has done nothing to revitalize The Ascension, The Vaudevillains or Breezango. American Alpha is going to rise to the top, only to find there's no one worthy to face there.

Chris Mueller: The biggest hit has been bringing Finn Balor up to feud with Seth Rollins over the Universal Championship. He has only had a couple of appearances, but he always leaves an impression. The biggest miss has been waiting to give SmackDown tag and women’s titles of its own. WWE is working toward it, but there needs to be a more defined timeline for when they will be introduced.

Graham Mirmina: Both brands haven't exactly been red hot since that first week after SummerSlam, but on the whole, SmackDown has been more consistently entertaining  from week to week, in my opinion. Perhaps it's the lack of a third roster, but despite a limited roster and lack of depth, SmackDown has more than made the most of who it has. I might be biased as a longtime SmackDown fan, but Raw hasn't been hitting home runs the same way SmackDown has of late.

Erik Beaston: The biggest hit from the brand split has to be the re-emergence of Dolph Ziggler as a world title contender. Every time The Showoff gets an opportunity like this, he makes the most of it and delivers some of his most inspired performances. Watching him on SmackDown, with renewed energy and purpose, has been a bright spot. The biggest miss? Raw, as a whole. It has this wealth of talent at its disposal, yet it feels very much like the same show it always has been. It’s overly long, has yet to deliver one story that is truly engaging and has wasted a Finn Balor-Seth Rollins feud that should be infinitely hotter than it actually is.

Anthony Mango: The best thing so far has been the renewed vigor that sometimes permeates either of the shows with the influx of NXT talent and trying to one-up each other. When that doesn't happen, though, things can drag considerably. Nothing is worse than seeing the same structure of Raw as before, but with less talent to pick from, or when SmackDown is shown to still be the B-show the company doesn't care as much about. It shouldn't be this hard for both shows to be good on the same week this soon after the draft, but that's yet to happen, despite the great potential available.

Cesaro vs. Sheamus (Match 1, Best of Seven Series)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Give us the best way WWE can sustain excitement for Cesaro and Sheamus throughout their Best of Seven Series.

RD: A clear prize at the end of the series. These bouts will feel more like playoffs if the victor is assured a crack at the WWE Universal Championship.

Match Prediction: Sheamus wins the first bout. Cesaro just defeated The Celtic Warrior twice in a row. WWE would do this rivalry a disservice by repeating that result.

CM: The only way anyone is going to care is if the winner actually gets something out of winning. A title shot, even against a midcard champion, would be fine, but this has to be about more than pride when you have two guys like Sheamus and Cesaro in the mix.

Match Prediction: Cesaro

GM: First off, I absolutely love the idea of a Best of Seven Series between these two, because not only have we not seen one in WWE in over a decade, but Cesaro and Sheamus are more than capable of contesting seven stellar matches together. Granted, we've already seen them face off twice in the past month, so the best way to sustain excitement is to ensure they aren't having the same matches each week. Throwing in an extra stipulation here or there wouldn't hurt, either.

Match Prediction: Sheamus wins to start the series.

EB: Given the stagnant nature of the two characters involved, I am not sure WWE can reasonably sustain excitement. Longtime fans can use historical perspective to look back on the Booker T-Chris Benoit series of 1998 and 2005 and accept them as cheap attempts by management to manufacture a meaningful storyline for two talented wrestlers. Disqualifications, count-outs, cheap finishes, gimmick matches and strong victories do not make up for creative laziness.

Match Prediction: Sheamus

AM: The easy answer is to introduce stipulations to future matches. It's standard booking for them to trade wins to drag it out to the full seven matches, but by the third normal singles bout, who cares? Why not spice things up by making one of them a Falls Count Anywhere match or put them inside a cage?

Match Prediction: Sheamus wins this to put the babyface on the ropes and make up for how Cesaro has gotten the upper hand (along with some uppercuts) most of the time.

JM: The best way would be to have the loser’s WWE Raw contract revoked, but that’s an angle that should have been communicated at the start of this series. Then fans would be interested from the get-go. If Raw GM Mick Foley only announces such a stipulation before (what’s likely to be) a seventh and final match, then what was the point of the other six matches?

Match Prediction: Sheamus wins

Rusev vs. Roman Reigns (WWE United States Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: True or False: A loss to Rusev is the best way for Roman Reigns to gain acceptance among WWE fans.

CM: False. Fans won’t like him just because he starts losing more often. He needs to be booked properly, which is hard since WWE already established him as a top guy before he got in trouble. What he needs is to put on a series of great matches against someone who can push him to his limit.

Match Prediction: Reigns wins U.S. title.

GM: I can't say it's a full-fledged “false,” because Reigns' losing to Rusev clean at SummerSlam would help his cause with WWE fans, but it wouldn't change that much. He has already done the honors for Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Finn Balor, and fans are still rejecting him! Thus, that won't change until he turns heel, but after beating Rusev cleanly on Raw, Rusev almost has to retain his title at SummerSlam.

Match Prediction: Rusev retains.

EB: False. The best way for Reigns to gain acceptance with fans is for WWE Creative to stop overexposing him and forcing him on the audience. Even with his recent demotion, Reigns was still pushed as the centerpiece of Raw for two weeks, his presence at or near the show-closing segment shoving the Universal Championship feud between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins into the background. Until WWE realizes that Reigns must embark on a major “mea culpa” tour, he will continue to be greeted with jeers in arenas across the country.

Match Prediction: Rusev

AM: False. Losing to Rusev isn't going to make too much of a budge on the meter to turn things around for Roman Reigns in comparison to something more drastic like a heel turn. Fans didn't turn on him overnight, and when something has been built up for this long to reach the pitch it has, something little like this doesn't matter. If that were the case, John Cena would be cheered again for having lost a handful of times over the past few years. Something more drastic needs to be done.

Match Prediction: Rusev will retain, but may do so by losing the match via disqualification or count-out so Reigns still looks strong in the process, accomplishing virtually nothing in the long run.

JM: Definitely true. WWE has done a wonderful job rebuilding Rusev since his League of Nations days. Reigns is still working his way back up, and having him take a loss at SummerSlam would earn him more sympathy from fans. It would also quiet critics who believe Reigns is continually being pushed, even though he’s taken three high-profile losses recently.

Match Prediction: Rusev retains

RD: True. Moving him down the midcard was a smart move. Letting him win the title already puts him in a spot too similar to when he was getting booed as the supposed top babyface.

Match Prediction: Rusev wins with some help from Lana. This should really be a slobberknocker that showcases both men's physicality, but WWE loves turning Rusev's feuds into soap opera. Some ridiculous twist is on the way.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

Q: This feud has been entertaining for its mic work. In honor of this, name your top three Smack-Talker Skywalkers.

GM: There's a bunch of amazing mic workers you could name, and you wouldn't be wrong, but for me, I'd have to include Roddy Piper, The Rock and Dusty Rhodes in the conversation. But these four are incredibly entertaining on the stick in their own right, and I surely hope this is the first of many matches between the two tandems.

Match Prediction: Enzo Amore and Big Cass

EB: Good one! I’d have to go with The Rock, whose catchphrases may have grown tired and overused since his heyday but were a huge part of what made him the biggest pop cultural phenomenon the industry had seen since Hulk Hogan. Jericho is another. As we see even today, he has shown a knack for taking the most ridiculous thing imaginable and getting it over with crowds. Whether it be “armbar,” “Raw is Jericho” or even “stupid idiot,” his ability to spin a catchphrase is uncanny. Third? I’ll go with Jerry Lawler. Whether he was a heel or a babyface, he could incite a reaction like few others. He knew exactly which buttons to press, even if they were controversial. Lawler was a fearless talker and one of the best the industry has ever seen.

Match Prediction: Enzo Amore and Big Cass

AM: Han Solo counts as a brother-in-law, right? As far as professional wrestling is concerned, this is tough, as there have been so many great ones. The first three that come to my mind are Roddy Piper, The Rock and Steve Austin, but special shoutouts have to go to Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and others who could hang just as well. These four guys are awesome in the same regard.

Match Prediction: Enzo and Cass have the momentum on their side and the ability to work together better than Jericho and Owens, so they should pick up the win, unless Jimmin Marvinluder is the special guest referee.

JM: My top three, in no particular order: The Rock, Paul Heyman and Dusty Rhodes. Ric Flair and Roddy Piper are up there, too. As entertaining as Enzo, Jericho and KO have been, they still have a way to go to crack any top five.

Match Prediction: Enzo Amore & Big Cass

RD: Current: Enzo Amore, Samoa Joe, Paul Heyman. All-time: Roddy Piper, Jake Roberts, Curtis Iaukea.

Match Prediction: Amore and Big Cass get the win and continue their momentum. WWE has been high on them from the moment they arrived, giving them a number of high-profile opportunities. This will be another step toward tag team title contention. Jericho and Owens, meanwhile, may not even be a long-term team.

CM: If we are talking all-time best trash-talkers, you have to go with Ric Flair, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Paul Heyman. Heyman may not be a wrestler, but he talks trash better than anyone else in the business, past or present.

Match Prediction: Enzo and Cass

The Miz vs. Apollo Crews (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

Q: True or False: The WWE Intercontinental Championship matchup is the most disappointing on the card in terms of its build and excitement.

EB: False. Has the build been disappointing? Absolutely. Miz is the best pure heel in WWE, and to have his talents wasted on such a meaningless feud in which Crews was not adequately built up in any measurable way is disheartening. Still, the biggest disappointment in terms of build and excitement is Cesaro vs. Sheamus, as fans have no reason to care about either guy beyond the old “they sure rassle good” mentality. Miz can at least garner a reaction based on his heel antics alone.

Match Prediction: The Miz

AM: Very, very true. What build has this even had? It's so underwhelming that I can't even remember anything about it other than The Miz calling him Apollo Creed, but Daniel Bryan's flub that inspired that gag was far more memorable than anything that happened to set this match up this week. My guess is it's so far down on the radar that it's being pushed aside and will receive much more focus during a rematch for Backlash.

Match Prediction: Apollo Crews winning the championship would not surprise me in the slightest bit, but I'm leaning more toward The Miz retaining here, so he can lose it at Backlash when it matters more on a smaller venue.

JM: Absolutely true. I wish WWE knew what it had in both of these Superstars. The Miz is one of the best heels in the company, and he’s been used for little more than filler. Apollo Crews can be so much more, but without defining who he is and what he’s motivated to do, he’ll be stuck in neutral for a long while.

Match Prediction: Apollo Crews wins via DQ. The Miz retains.

RD: True. The SmackDown six-woman tag team bout at least has some burgeoning rivalries to play with. WWE has yet to tell give this story more than a skeleton.

Match Prediction: Crews gets the win. This will be WWE's attempt to heat up Crews. The moment will ring hollow, though.

CM: True. There is absolutely no reason to care about this storyline right now, but that’s not because of the talents. The creative team has done very little to hype this match, and it feels like it was thrown together just so every title could be defended on the card.

Match Prediction: The Miz retains

GM: I hate to say it, but it definitely has been the most disappointing match on the card in terms of its build. I'm still looking forward to Miz vs. Crews, but when they furthered their feud in a non-televised segment on SmackDown this past week, that to me was the biggest indicator that officials don't consider the Intercontinental Championship a top priority whatsoever. I initially had my money on Crews winning his premier singles title in the same building he debuted in last year, but for some reason, my gut feeling is that Miz will find a way to retain his title yet again to keep the feud alive. 

Match Prediction: The Miz retains.

The New Day vs. The Club (WWE Tag Team Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: With Big E on the sidelines indefinitely, is now the best time to take the belts off The New Day?

AM: As much as I love The New Day and find Anderson and Gallows to be somewhat bland lately, this is as good a time as any for new champions to be crowned. Eventually, The New Day is going to have to give those belts up, and no heels are better suited than The Club, so with Big E out of the picture, there's no time like the present.

Match Prediction: The Club dethrones The New Day and starts its inevitable road toward dropping the titles to Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

JM: Absolutely. It would be good to see The Club win and go on a mini-tear through the division, feeding on lesser teams and/or jobbers. Waiting until Big E is back at full strength would boost this rivalry, as long as WWE keeps the teams apart during that time.

Match Prediction: The Club wins, becomes WWE tag team champions.

RD: The New Day could use a shift in position. Becoming the frustrated, title-less squad looking to reclaim its gold would give it something fresh to play with.

Match Prediction: The Club will dethrone the champs. The New Day's time is up. Hopefully, there isn't too much focus on the silly “ringpostitis” angle.

CM: Frankly, The New Day has been ready to lose the titles for a long time. It's a great team who should continue chasing the titles after it loses, but it’s time for a change. Anderson and Gallows are exactly what the tag team division needs right now because they are the exact opposite of The New Day.

Match Prediction: Anderson and Gallows win the titles.

GM: The New Day definitely has an out for losing with Big E out of the equation for the moment, and even if he wasn't, I would still say SummerSlam is the best time to take the titles away. Sunday marks one year since it captured the championships, which is an awesome accomplishment, but there are fresh feuds to be had with The Club being in possession of the penny-looking straps.

Match Prediction: The Club wins the WWE Tag Team Championship.

EB: As a huge fan of New Day and everything it has accomplished over the last year, it is tough to admit, but yes, now is the time to freshen the division up via a new set of champions.

Match Prediction: Anderson and Gallows

Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi vs. Eva Marie, Alexa Bliss and Natalya

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Would a separate title on SmackDown help what’s plaguing the blue brand’s women’s division?

Moderator note: WWE announced on Thursday afternoon that Eva Marie has been suspended for 30 days for violating the company's wellness policy. The match is still listed on WWE.com; however, it has been updated to reflect Eva Marie's suspension. 

JM: It’s not the main problem, but it would certainly help if there was something to shoot for. The biggest problem has been the presentation of its talent. The SmackDown creative team is booking its women’s division similarly to how WWE booked the beginning of the Divas Revolution. And we know what a mess that turned out to be.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi

RD: That's only part of the issue. WWE will still have to pull off the juggling act that is telling multiple women's stories at one time. It hasn't shown it can do that for any sustained amount of time.

Match Prediction: Lynch's trio will end up on top. Eva Marie's suspension will lead to SmackDown borrowing Summer Rae from Raw. Alexa Bliss and Natalya need another heel to go to battle with. It won't matter; this is likely to be a showcase for the emerging Carmella and the recently returned Naomi.

CM: Yes. Without a title to fight for, why have the women on SmackDown at all? Before WWE had the Divas title, we saw how bad a women’s division was when only one show had the women’s title and the other had nothing. As long as they plan to add more talent to the roster, two titles can easily be sustainable.

Match Prediction: Becky, Carmella and Naomi

GM: Personally, I have definitely been digging the women's division on SmackDown since the start of the brand extension. Lynch and Eva Marie have some semblance of a feud going, as do Natalya and Carmella, and Naomi and Bliss have stood out as well. But I don't think there is any denying that a new women's title for the ladies of SmackDown will make their matches and storylines significantly more interesting.

Match Prediction: Eva Marie's replacement, Alexa Bliss and Natalya

EB: It would, but only marginally. Eva Marie and Becky Lynch are established stars and already have an engaging story the likes of which Sasha Banks and Charlotte wish they could over on Raw. Strengthening the characters and proving an ability to create interesting stories will help SmackDown more than any other title could.

Match Prediction: Bliss, Natalya and whoever they select to replace Eva Marie

AM: It certainly wouldn't hurt it, but the bigger issue is that there isn't enough talent in WWE's entire women's division to be split up between three rosters. There was barely enough for the main roster and NXT to share without it feeling too sparse, and with the draft separating things, who wants to see these same six women fight just each other for a year? There are only so many combinations, and repetition is far more boring and hurtful to the show than the lack of a championship.

Match Prediction: Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi will be victorious unless Eva Marie's spot is filled in with Nikki Bella or Nia Jax, just to throw the audience a swerve.

Bonus Question No. 2

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Heath Slater’s free agency has been one of the most unique storylines in WWE since the brand split. Are you a fan, and where should this angle go from here?

RD: Slater's desperate attempts to join either Raw or SmackDown have made for one of the best under-the-radar angles this year. He's a likable loser with clear motivation and massive obstacles in the way. It's been fresh and fun. The best route would be to have him score an upset on the level of 1-2-3 Kid beating Razor Ramon to earn a contract and then go on an unlikely run to the Intercontinental Championship. There's a powerful Cinderella story waiting to be told here.

CM: I am a huge fan of Heath Slater right now. This guy’s work ethic is amazing. I have no idea where the storyline should go or how it should end, but I hope he gets a nice push with a midcard title out of the deal.

GM: I am without question a fan of the angle involving Slater at the moment, as he continues to find ways to make it worth watching every week. I truly can't tell you what direction it should take next, but I couldn't have predicted what WWE did with Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton this past week, so I have faith it will keep the momentum rolling with him.

EB: Heath Slater is one of my favorite guys on the entire roster, so my answer is going to be a bit partial. I love the story and the fact that WWE Creative, on both sides, has put effort into presenting Slater as a big deal. He has been a company guy for years now, putting over everyone and looking somewhat foolish in doing it. Yet he has always been this lovable loser whom fans appreciated for his entertainment value. Will it be a tough sale to get those same fans to buy into him as a credible star on either Raw or SmackDown? Of course, but it will present him with the opportunity to show what he is capable of beyond bumping around for babyfaces.

AM: Oddly enough, Slater has proved that you don't need to be at the top of the card—or even on the roster—to steal the show. It's ridiculous but entertaining, and a nice change of pace from the more serious aspects of Raw and SmackDown. I'd love to see him make some appearances on NXT and eventually find a home on SmackDown, as that roster could use more names.

JM: Health Slater is my new spirit animal. I hope WWE continues this storyline for a while, such as offering contract opportunities when new NXT members are getting called up to the roster, only to lose. It should pay off for Slater big-time, though. WWE should have him win the Intercontinental Championship or United States title and let him run with it for a short time. Fans would get behind him and pop for the victory.

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (WWE Women’s Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: With Sasha and Charlotte headlining the women’s division, what must WWE Raw do to build its remaining female Superstars into credible threats?

Moderator note: WWE announced on Thursday afternoon that Paige, who is one of seven women's division Superstars on the Raw roster, has been suspended for 30 days for violating the company's wellness policy. 

CM: The only thing that can be done is to have a good cycle of competition for the title. It can’t be the same two women fighting over and over. Even if the rest of the roster isn’t on their level, Sasha and Charlotte need to be able to unload some of the pressure on a few other women so they don’t get burned out.

Match Prediction: Sasha retains

GM: SmackDown has a limited women's roster, yet there are at least two or three engaging storylines there at the moment. Raw has Banks vs. Charlotte, which is great, but it's not enough. Paige being out hurt is a big blow to the division, but to round out the rest of the division, WWE must make Alicia Fox and Summer Rae meaningful again through development of their nonexistent characters.

Match Prediction: Sasha Banks retains.

EB: The biggest issue with Raw’s women’s division is the lack of engaging characters and the writing staff’s reliance on the title to fuel its stories. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Sasha Banks and how much of her Boss character was lost upon her call-up to Raw. Everything is sacrificed for the sake of building around the title rather than creating unique characters striving to win that ultimate prize. It’s almost as if that is the only story the company knows how to tell. Build Nia Jax, Alicia Fox, Paige, Summer Rae and others into compelling personalities, let fans care about them, and building them into credible threats will be that much easier.

Match Prediction: Sasha Banks

AM: More women need to be added to the roster so there are options other than those two and Nia Jax to be taken seriously. Alicia Fox is a prime example of someone who seems to be worth nothing in the eyes of the fans but is talented enough to be built back up if she's doing more than jobbing once every few months. The more talent is brought in and the better WWE manages the wins and losses, the better the division will look.

Match Prediction: Sasha Banks definitely retains the title to avoid reverting back to the same thing everyone has seen for months.

JM: First, Raw has to start featuring them on the show. Having Alicia Fox on TV this past week was a good start, but aside from the opening night of Raw following the brand split, the creative team has barely featured the women's division. Second, WWE needs to take a break from the Sasha-Charlotte feud and allow the other women to prove themselves against the division's top stars. 

Match Prediction: Sasha Banks wins and retains the title.

RD: They have to earn a spot alongside Charlotte and Banks by winning hard-fought rivalries. We need to see contenders emerge naturally. That's going to be tougher with Paige suspended for the next month, though.

Match Prediction: Banks retains. The Boss is too hot to take the belt from her already. Her reign should last until WrestleMania to set up another Charlotte showdown or a clash with Bayley.

John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Q: True or False: The winner of this feud (whenever it ends) will immediately win the WWE World Championship.

GM: False. I don't think it will be immediately, but I do think they will enter the world title picture as soon as this feud is over. Cena or Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (or potentially Dolph Ziggler) is extremely intriguing, to say the least. But I hope WWE milks this feud for all its worth, because it has been the best rivalry all year on WWE TV.

Match Prediction: John Cena

EB: False. All signs point to that being the case, but Cena is a part-time star at the moment, and Styles is a lead heel. With the possibility that Seth Rollins wins Raw's WWE Universal Championship, the last thing SmackDown needs to differentiate itself from Raw is another heel champion. Expect either Dean Ambrose or Dolph Ziggler to run with the gold for the time being.

Match Prediction: AJ Styles

AM: False, and not because it's impossible that the next champion will be one of these two, but because the phrasing says "immediately." Dean Ambrose is still too fresh as a champion to drop the belt even at Backlash, which is where I think this feud will end if it doesn't finish up even earlier at SummerSlam. AJ Styles is my pick for the one to take the belt away from Ambrose, but I don't think that will happen until Survivor Series.

Match Prediction: AJ Styles wins and moves on to a feud with Dolph Ziggler.

JM: True, but it won’t happen until Survivor Series. I see Cena winning on Sunday, followed by a rubber match at Backlash. At that point, the winner of the feud will get Dean Ambrose in a title match. I’m guessing AJ wins the feud.

Match Prediction: Cena wins LOL

RD: False. It looks as if WWE is positioning Bray Wyatt to get the next shot. I expect him to hang around the Dolph Ziggler-Dean Ambrose rivalry until it's his turn to battle for the gold.

Match Prediction: Styles wins. The Club and Styles losing to Team Cena at Battleground is likely a precursor to The Phenomenal One prevailing here. The New Era needs fresh faces to move to the top. Having Styles beat Cena again is a smart way to do just that.

CM: False. I think Cena will end up taking some time off to film American Grit Season 2, and Styles will move on to another feud to continue building himself up before finally being given a shot at the title. Of course, this all depends on who walks out of SummerSlam with the belt.

Match Prediction: AJ Styles

Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor (WWE Universal Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Is WWE doing Finn Balor a disservice by pushing him to the top of the ranks so quickly in his WWE main-roster career?

EB: The only disservice WWE Creative is doing Balor is not giving audiences enough to care about beyond some face paint and a breathtaking entrance that only comes around every four weeks. He’s ready from an in-ring perspective and is incredibly marketable. He will carry things on his end, but the writing staff must do its part to get fans invested in him emotionally.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor

AM: As long as the writers can keep him relevant and not fall victim to the curse of pushing him up one side of a mountain just to watch him fall down the other side when he isn't their flavor of the month, positioning Finn Balor in his current role isn't a bad thing at all. If he's given too much too fast, it may be more than what the audience wants to digest, but putting him in the main event might also have just skipped months of unnecessary build to get us straight to the payoff. Sometimes, it's better to hit the ground running.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor is crowned the inaugural universal champion.

JM: Yes. Balor is in a no-win situation right now. He’s shot up the ranks so quickly that anything less than a long run as the new WWE universal champion will be a disappointment. If WWE’s plan all along had been to make Rollins, Raw’s top draft pick, its champ, Balor could have lost to Cesaro or Sami Zayn in the No. 1 Contender’s match the night following Battleground. Now, it’s all-or-nothing for The Demon King.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor wins WWE Universal Championship

RD: Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio's history says yes. It's been a bold move to back Balor this much, this early, but it makes keeping folks interested once he's had major success far more challenging.

Match Prediction: To make an emphatic statement about the arrival of the New Era, Balor scores the upset. SummerSlam needs a major moment, and The Demon becoming champ so quickly certainly fits the bill.

CM: I don’t think it’s a disservice necessarily, but WWE is certainly putting a lot of pressure on him. The thing with Balor is he’s already 35 years old, and while that’s not old by any means, his high-risk style puts an earlier expiration date on his career than someone like John Cena, who wrestles a safer style. Balor deserves anything he gets after many years of hard work, but it all depends on how WWE uses him after SummerSlam.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor wins

GM: Balor has “star” written all over him, so I think it wouldn't have made sense to have him work his way up the ladder on Raw because he would have already been a bigger star than everyone else in the midcard. As long as WWE doesn't let him fizzle out anytime soon, Balor can be the top guy in no time, assuming he isn't already, given how he's been positioned since debuting on the main roster.

Match Prediction: Finn Balor becomes the first WWE universal champion

Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE World Championship)

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Is Dolph Ziggler a credible challenger to Dean Ambrose? If not, who should have been The Lunatic Fringe’s opponent at SummerSlam?

AM: Dolph Ziggler is nowhere near as credible of a challenger now as he would have been had WWE not stopped pushing him time and time again. Some attempts have been made to rectify that, which is good, but it will take more than that for him to appear to be a bigger threat in the eyes of the WWE Universe. Only a steady showcase of main event matches and some decent wins along the way will give off that perception, but this is a good start.

Match Prediction: Sadly, Ziggler has no chance for this to be one of those wins he needs. He will lose here to Dean Ambrose and follow it up either by starting all over again, losing a feud with AJ Styles, or, if he's lucky enough, making a heel turn to rejuvenate.

JM: The SmackDown creative team has done a masterful job making him into a credible threat. Ever since his Six-Pack Challenge win to become the top contender, Ziggler has been a revelation. His promos are crisp, his desire to represent the blue brand has come through and he’s gotten the better of the champ twice. None of this is to say that The Showoff will win at SummerSlam, but his stock sure has risen since the brand split.

Match Prediction: Dean Ambrose retains 

RD: He's an intriguing opponent, but not credible. There hasn't been enough time to repair Ziggler's image after so many years of making him an also-ran. Still, Ziggler was the right choice. These two will deliver something memorable.

Match Prediction: Ambrose wins and holds on to the world title. WWE isn't going to let Ziggler's redemption story climax with a happy ending. This feels like a brief stint as a contender before things return to normal.

CM: Absolutely. Dolph Ziggler is a premier athlete who has recently shown he has the ability to deliver great promos when the pressure is on. Quite frankly, he should have been a multi-time WWE champion by now.

Match Prediction: Ambrose retains

GM: I was slightly skeptical when Ziggler became the No. 1 Contender to the WWE World Championship, but he has done a terrific job of emerging as a legitimate threat to the title in the last month. He has cut some of the best promos of his career during this program, and I honestly think he might have a chance of taking the title. Had it not been Ziggler, I would have settled for Bray Wyatt going for the gold, although we have seen him against Ambrose before.

Match Prediction: Dean Ambrose retains the WWE World Championship

EB: Dolph Ziggler may not have been a credible opponent prior to SummerSlam, but his performance Sunday night will erase any doubt that he deserves to be in that position. Ziggler should be the top contender because he has earned it through hard work and steady consistency the likes of which few other Superstars can tout.

Match Prediction: Dolph Ziggler

Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar

Q: Fill in the Blank: Randy Orton has a ___% chance of defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.

JM: 45 percent. The more I think about this match, the more I think WWE sees the value of making Orton and the SmackDown brand strong. Lesnar will always be a draw, win or lose, and taking a loss to Orton wouldn’t be too devastating. As a part-time wrestler, Lesnar can just head off for a couple months, collect his huge checks and return when he’s needed. Orton, on the other hand, will be part of SmackDown programming week in and week out. A win versus Lesnar would set him up to challenge Ambrose.

Match Prediction: Lesnar wins in a too-close-to-call bout. 

RD: 20 percent. Lesnar is poised for another dominant run, but WWE may wish to throw in another swerve just for swerve's sake.

Match Prediction: Brock Lesnar

CM: I would say it’s about 50/50 at this point. Lesnar has been booked as a monster for the entirety of his run, but Orton is being positioned as a wily veteran these days. It’s a tough call, so my prediction is based more on what I want to see happen than anything else.

Match Prediction: Randy Orton wins

GM: I'll be bold and say Orton has a 15 percent chance of beating The Beast at SummerSlam. They have really been playing up that Orton might be the one to beat the one who put the one in 23-1, and in addition to Lesnar's recent suspension from the UFC, could losing to Orton be his punishment? That said, it isn't the right time to hand Lesnar his first pinfall loss since WrestleMania 29, but there isn't anything wrong with making Orton look strong in defeat.

Match Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins 

EB: Zero.

Match Prediction: Brock Lesnar

AM: 75 percent. Lesnar's win over Mark Hunt was tainted with his drug test fiasco, so to have him defeat Randy Orton and then take the next few months off does nothing to benefit anybody but Brock Lesnar. On the flip side, if Orton were to beat Lesnar, he'd look stronger than he has in years and carry that momentum onto SmackDown, which could really use that boost.

Match Prediction: Call me a fool, but I'm buying my own hype as much as WWE's, and I think Randy Orton is going to win this match.

Bonus Question No. 3

Credit: WWE.com

Q: Who are you most disappointed is not on the card for WWE SummerSlam?

RD: Sami Zayn. After his star-making performance at Battleground, it's inexplicable that he's on the bench for the second-biggest show of the year. What a way to let that momentum dissipate.

CM: Sami Zayn. He stole the show with Owens at Battleground, and now he is without a storyline. WWE has done a poor job booking him at the level he deserves. He should be in the hunt for at least a midcard title instead of riding the pine for this PPV.

GM: This just blows my mind, but out of the 11 matches on tap for SummerSlam, how is Sami Zayn not involved in any of them? He is fresh off a Match of the Year candidate with Kevin Owens at Battleground (which he won) and has been doing nothing of note on Raw since. I'm sure he will find direction post-SummerSlam, but it really is a crime he won't seemingly be a part of The Biggest Party of the Summer as of now.

EB: Sami Zayn is the easy answer here. After defeating Kevin Owens in a Match of the Year contender at Battleground, he is left wallowing in the midcard abyss with no opponent or direction, despite the brand extension being designed to open up more opportunities for talented stars like him. Zayn should be competing in Brooklyn. That he isn’t is an indictment of WWE Creative.

AM: If he doesn't interfere in the main event, it would be weird for Bray Wyatt to sit this out entirely. Oddly enough, though, as much as I thought I'd never say this, I'm most disappointed that Titus O'Neil and Darren Young aren't continuing their feud on the pre-show. Shoutout to Baron Corbin for being underutilized, too.

JM: For the life of me, I can’t understand why Sami Zayn isn’t on the SummerSlam card. Not only that, but he doesn’t have any creative direction whatsoever. It wasn’t a month ago that Zayn and Kevin Owens put on a Match of the Year-caliber showing, and now one’s stuck in a meaningless tag team bout, and the other’s not even booked.