Updated WWE SummerSlam 2023 Match Card Predictions Before Go-Home Raw
WWE rolls into Detroit's Ford Field Saturday night for SummerSlam 2023, one of the company's premier premium live events and the culmination of some of its most heated rivalries.
Jey Uso challenges Roman Reigns for both the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and status as The Tribal Chief in one main event while Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar settle their months-long rivalry in the third match of a blockbuster trilogy.
Who will emerge from those two marquee bouts and which Superstars will join them with their arms raised in victory?
Find out with these previews and predictions for each of the August 5 broadcast's eight advertised matches ahead of Monday's go-home episode of WWE Raw.
SummerSlam Battle Royal
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Prediction: LA Knight
With no other Superstars officially announced for this late addition to the card, it would appear as though this is a star vehicle for Knight. He has been denied a major push to this point, despite incredible popularity but after being the first competitor to throw his name in the field, fans have reason to believe Saturday may be the next step in his move up the card.
Of course, the match is likely to include other competitors not already announced for the show, such as AJ Styles, Karrion Kross, Sheamus, Dominik Mysterio and others. Most of whom have had stronger, more consistent pushes or presences on television.
Still, despite the presence of bigger stars and former world champions, this feels like Knight's to win and if he does not, fans will be justified in their belief that he may never get the opportunity his undeniable popularity suggests he would.
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
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Prediction: Paul
This is a make-good for Paul, who has lost his last four matches.
The Social Media Megastar has wowed fans to this point, a better wrestler than anyone could have imagined for someone with less than 10 matches to his name. He has tallied two Match of the Year candidates against two top stars in Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and ignited social media with some of his higher-risk spots.
Two of which came against Ricochet.
The two stole the show in the 2023 Royal Rumble with a double springboard crossbody and, again, at Money in the Bank, with a Spanish Fly from the middle rope and through a table at ringside that did not go according to plan.
At SummerSlam, they will showcase their raw athleticism and probably create a buzzworthy social media moment or two, but it will be the self-proclaimed "Maverick" that picks up his first win since defeating The Miz at last year's summertime spectacular.
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
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Prediction: Baszler
Rousey is reportedly on her way out of WWE and putting over Shayna Baszler feels like the perfect way to depart.
The feud between the well-established best friends has been rushed, with the random turn of Baszler at Money in the Bank and the subsequent interactions since, leaving fans to question what might have been had things had time to develop and be properly executed.
While it is not the high-profile feud or the dream match it should have been, the bout gives WWE an opportunity to heat The Queen of Spades back up after years of questionable booking.
A decisive victory over Rousey, who does not lose often and still carries a certain legitimacy, would be a step in the right direction for someone who was once the most unstoppable force in women's wrestling.
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
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Prediction: Rhodes
Rhodes and Lesnar wrap up their blockbuster trilogy with a rubber match that should be the most physical and dramatic of the bunch, with The American Nightmare fending off The Beast Incarnate to win the series 2-1.
Lesnar represented the first hurdle for Rhodes to clear following his WrestleMania 39 loss to Roman Reigns.
Rhodes did just that, countering The Beast's fury with his wrestling acumen, rolling him up while trapped in the kimura to score the win in the first encounter at Backlash. Lesnar exploited an arm injury he caused days earlier to win via referee stoppage at Night of Champions.
This, the third encounter, really should carry some sort of stipulation or gimmick but to this point, nothing has been announced. Regardless, Rhodes will win and do one of two things: return his focus to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship or face another obstacle en route to a second, consecutive WrestleMania main event appearance.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre
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Prediction: Gunther retains
This may be the most difficult match to predict on the entire SummerSlam card, thanks to the position both men currently find themselves in.
Gunther is nearing history as the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion in WWE history. For 35 years, Honky Tonk Man has held that distinction but The Ring General will be just over a month away from eclipsing the classic villain's record. To do that, he has to get past McIntyre.
Except, The Scottish Warrior is fresh off a momentous return at Money in the Bank and losing this quickly would halt some of the momentum he has enjoyed since then.
WWE is currently on a kick of rewriting the history books, pushing its modern stars to replace the competitors of a bygone era in an attempt to shine a more favorable light on this era of Superstars, as we have seen with Roman Reigns, The Usos and Bianca Belair all eclipsing previous milestones over the last year.
That alone enhances the likelihood that Gunther retains, presumably with some assistance from Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser.
WWE Women's Championship Match: Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
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Prediction: Asuka retains
History would suggest Charlotte Flair would win here because, well, it's what she does. She has made a career of winning championships on big stages, even when it might not appear as though creative needs would dictate the title change.
That did not appear to change earlier this year under Triple H, though the argument can be made that The Queen won only to set up her WrestleMania 39 loss to Rhea Ripley.
There is reason to think that would continue, especially with the continued teases of a one-on-one showdown between Flair and Belair. Assuming that match is the plan for WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, there is still plenty of time to get there.
Asuka retaining the title in a good, competitive match that is influenced by Damage CTRL's Bayley and the reigning Ms. Money in the Bank, Iyo Sky, feels like the right choice.
If, for no other reason that it keeps alive the opportunity for a few Asuka-Sky matches, which are dream matches for those who have paid even a modicum of attention to the in-ring exploits of both women.
Beyond that, it throws a curveball into things and allows tension to build between Flair and Belair before they finally clash.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
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Prediction: Rollins retains
The potential for Damian Priest to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase is very real here, especially given the teases of dissension between him and Finn Balor.
Despite what has to be a creative temptation, this feels like Rollins' match to win.
It was at this event in 2016 that Rollins saw his opportunity to make history go up in flames as Balor defeated him to become the first Universal champion. Not only is retribution at stake, but so is The Visionary's legacy as champion.
Rollins' most impressive title run, just under a decade ago, ended with a devastating knee injury that sidelined him for months. Since then, he has won the WWE and Universal Championship but has not had that definitive reign that is reflective of his popularity or the quality of his ring work.
Losing here would be an abrupt end to a run that was well-earned through hard work, persistence and his ability to get any number of personas over with fans.
He deserves better than that, even if Judgment Day is a red-hot act at this point in time.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns
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Prediction: Reigns retains
In a perfect world, Uso would defeat Reigns and pay off a story that began three years ago, when he stood up to The Tribal Chief in defiance of his new attitude. After years of being manipulated and gaslit by his cousin, Uso would pin him and take his title before a grand celebration that ushered in a new era in WWE.
This is not a perfect world.
Reigns is going to win at SummerSlam because this is his story and it's not over yet.
The Tribal Chief has alienated his family and currently finds himself without The Usos by his side. While it is unlikely to blow up completely Saturday night in Detroit, Solo Sikoa is next. The Enforcer will inevitably split from Reigns, leaving The Tribal Chief to go it alone in time for WrestleMania 40 and the rematch with Rhodes.
The Head of the Table remains just that by way of a narrow win over his cousin and top contender, but the pressure to succeed without his entire supporting cast will continue to mount.
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