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Jey Uso capturing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam shouldn't be counted out completely.
Jey Uso capturing the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam shouldn't be counted out completely.Credit: WWE.com

The 5 Results We Want to See at WWE SummerSlam 2023

Graham GSM MatthewsJul 23, 2023

Two weeks out from WWE's biggest party of the summer, the 2023 installment of SummerSlam is shaping up to be a stacked show with everything being built up on Raw and SmackDown at the moment.

Roman Reigns and Jey Uso will renew hostilities nearly three years removed from their last one-on-one encounter, this time with higher stakes than ever before. In addition to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Jey has stated that Reigns' "tribal chiefdom" will be up for grabs as well.

The night may mark the end of another historic title reign when Gunther (presumably) defends the Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre, who feels like more of a threat to the unbeaten Gunther than anyone else who has challenged him thus far.

Four women's matches are expected to take place between two title matches and scores being settled. As one of WWE's premier premium live events of the year, anything is bound to happen.

From shocking match outcomes to significant storyline developments, these are the five results we want to see at SummerSlam.

Gunther Retains the Intercontinental Championship

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Gunther has come this far as Intercontinental champion that it would be booking malpractice for him to lose the title before he can break The Honky Tonk Man's all-time reign in early September.

That makes his match with McIntyre at SummerSlam all the more suspenseful. McIntyre previously failed to take the title from Gunther at WrestleMania 39 and all signs seem to point to him handing Gunther his first singles loss on the main roster at the August extravaganza.

Gunther going over would not only be shocking but also fulfilling for fans.

That isn't to say McIntyre can't capture the title another time, however. In fact, Gunther retaining would actually allow the program to continue and keep The Scottish Warrior in chase mode for a little longer.

An argument can absolutely be made for The Ring General being the best Intercontinental champ ever and the only accolade left him to achieve is surpassing the 454-day record.

Beating McIntyre at SummerSlam would get him one step closer to cementing history.

Becky Lynch Settles Her Score with Trish Stratus

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Before Becky Lynch can set her sights on championship gold again, she must first conquer her demons in the form of Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark.

The duo have been a thorn in The Man's side for months, starting with Stratus betraying Lynch in April followed by Stark becoming Stratus' pupil in May and helping her defeat Lynch at Night of Champions.

They were also able to prevent Lynch from becoming Ms. Money in the Bank earlier this month, and now Lynch has a chance to put their rivalry to rest once and for all.

Assuming Lynch beats Stark in their rematch on Monday's Raw, she'll earn the opportunity to face Stratus one more time at SummerSlam. Lynch must come out on top, if only so everyone involved in the angle can move on.

It's commendable that WWE has stretched the storyline from April to August in an attempt to boost the women's division outside of the title pictures, but there's not much more ground they can cover, not to mention that a World Women's Championship with Rhea Ripley should be imminent.

Cody Rhodes Defeats Brock Lesnar Clean

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Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar is another non-title feud that has lasted longer than it should, but to their credit, they've done an effective job of generating interest and excitement in their upcoming rubber match at SummerSlam.

The American Nightmare reigned supreme in their initial encounter at Backlash, albeit barely. Lesnar evened the score with a win over Rhodes at Night of Champions by forcing him to pass out in a submission.

That loss has haunted Rhodes since then, but Lesnar has finally resurfaced and accepted his challenge for one more match on August 5.

Rhodes winning clean is only acceptable outcome, both from a booking standpoint and a fan-satisfaction standpoint.

The audience is ready to see him beat The Beast once and for all and do so decisively. Additionally, he must prove that he's superior to Lesnar in order to continue working his way toward world championship contention.

This is being advertised as a standard singles match as of now, but it would be logical to tack on a stipulation of some sort considering they've been at odds for many months.

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Iyo Sky Successfully Cashes in Money in the Bank

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It was made official on Friday that Asuka will defend the WWE Women's Championship against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a Triple Threat at SummerSlam.

The most exciting aspect of the match is that all three stars have a realistic chance of walking away with the title. Better yet, Iyo Sky will be waiting in the wings to potentially cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase–and she should.

In the three weeks she has been in possession of the opportunistic contract, she has already attempted to trade it in for a title shot twice. That would seem to suggest her actual cash-in is coming sooner rather than later.

While waiting until a little later in the year would be ideal, there's nothing wrong with her beating Asuka for the belt following a successful title defense at SummerSlam to kick off a feud between them for the fall.

That would simultaneously free up Flair and Belair to have a feud of their own outside of the championship scene for a change.

Sky has proven time and time again that she's ready for a run at the helm of the division and SummerSlam would be the perfect place for her to be crowned champ.

Jey Uso Unseats Roman Reigns as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion

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The Bloodline saga started with Jey Uso and could very well be ending with Jey Uso at SummerSlam.

As has been well documented, Roman Reigns defeated Jey in back-to-back title matches on pay-per-view in late 2020 and forced him to fall in line soon after. Tension was teased on and off for years until The Usos finally snapped on their cousin heading into Money in the Bank.

Jey has come into his own as a top talent on SmackDown and is certainly a viable challenger for Reigns at SummerSlam. The ultimate ending to the event would be Jey being the one to end the three-year reign of The Tribal Chief and take his place at the head of the family table.

While far from likely, it would be a fitting conclusion to their sensational saga. Cody Rhodes remains the top favorite to dethrone Reigns at WrestleMania 40 with Jey merely serving as a placeholder opponent, but Jey can be so much more than that by beating Reigns (again) before then.

If the company truly wants to reward fans for investing so much into this angle over the years, this would be a beautiful payoff.


Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.

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