WWE Summerslam 2012: Predicting the Entire Card for Wrestling's Next PPV

The WWE's biggest remaining pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam, is less than a month away, and rumors are already starting to swirl about what the show's card will look like.

According to F4WOnline.com (via SEScoops.com), these are slated to be the top four matches at SummerSlam.

But as we all know, those plans can and likely will change.

Although we've only gotten one episode of Monday Night Raw and Tuesday's SmackDown taping results to go from so far, I'm thinking the WWE could be headed in a different direction with some of its SummerSlam plans.

Of course, it's way too early to be predicting the PPV's card, but that's not going to prevent me from trying to do it anyway.

Here are my predictions on what the 2012 SummerSlam card will look like.

WARNING: The following slideshow contains several SPOILERS from this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown, so STOP reading if you like to be surprised. 

8. Ryback vs. Jobbers And/or Random Divas Match

All WWE pay-per-views, even the big ones, have filler, and that's not going to change at SummerSlam.

The only real debate here is exactly what that filler will be.

My guess—and yes, this is purely a guess—is that Ryback will continue his trend of defeating lower card performers by getting a short victory over one or two WWE stars at the PPV, with perhaps someone like Jack Swagger involved after what transpired on this week's Raw.

Depending on how much filler SummerSlam is going to have, some sort of Divas match is probably going to happen as well.

The only real Divas storyline that resembles any type of the feud at the moment involves the two most clearly defined female characters in the WWE, Eve Torres and AJ, so a match between those two would make sense.

However, a Divas singles match on PPV has a very slim chance of happening if it doesn't involve the Divas Championship.

That's why I think we'll either see a big Divas tag team match like we got at Money in the Bank or perhaps a Battle Royal (or something along those lines) for the Divas title, which would be a great way to put the belt on someone other than Layla without having to build up a singles feud for her.

7.WWE Tag Team Titles: Kingston/Truth (c) vs. Epico/Primo vs. Primetime Players

On Monday's Raw, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston successfully defended their WWE Tag Team Championship against the Prime Time Players.

But that match and feud almost seem secondary to what's been going on between the Prime Time Players and Epico and Primo, who've struggled to get over as baby faces in their rivalry with the team of Darren Young and Titus O'Neil.

Apparently, though, that feud will continue when O'Neil, Young, Hunico and Camacho team up to beat Kingston, Truth, Epico and Primo on tonight's SmackDown.

The fact that the Prime Time Players are slated to pick up a big victory over the tag team champs and the other big baby face tag team leads me to believe that, despite their loss on Raw, their pursuit of the tag team titles isn't over.

Of course, Epico and Primo are sure to want to get back into the tag team title picture as well, being that they were the last champions before Kingston and Truth.

When you combine all of these factors, you get three teams all entangled in a dispute, and at the center of that dispute is the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Thus, it wouldn't be shocking to see this three-way rivalry continue and result in a Triple Threat match for the tag team titles at SummerSlam.

6. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

Daniel Bryan seems to be done with CM Punk and the WWE Championship, and he already recently feuded with Sheamus over the World Heavyweight Championship.

That means he's probably out of the World title picture for SummerSlam, but he should and likely will be a big part of the pay-per-view, nonetheless.

Based on what happened at Tuesday's SmackDown tapings, it seems as if the WWE is picking back up on the rivalry between Bryan and Kane from earlier this summer.

With it appearing as if AJ is now firmly by Bryan's side, Kane is turning into the lovable yet heartbroken monster once again.

In all likelihood, being spurned by AJ isn't going to sit well with Kane, and being that AJ and Bryan are slated to get married on next week's 1,000th episode of Raw, the stage is set for an explosive situation between Kane and Bryan.

Kane, of course, has a thing for ruining weddings, so we could see history repeat itself on Monday with him doing that yet again.

I'm not sure exactly where that would take this feud or even if Kane or Bryan would be the baby face going forward, but with no clear-cut SummerSlam plans lined up for either guy, this is a way to put them in a major storyline and get them on the card.

I know some will complain about seeing a feud that we essentially just saw, but if booked right, it could actually be pretty entertaining. 

5. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio

One of the biggest shocks on this week's Raw came when Rey Mysterio returned from a nearly year-long absence and attacked the man who put him out of action, Alberto Del Rio.

I realize that many fans will complain about this and say things like: "Mysterio vs. Del Rio again? We've already seen this twice."

While that may be true, at least the WWE is giving us something that is often missing from its story lines: continuity.

Like it or not, it makes sense for Mysterio to target Del Rio upon his return because Del Rio is the one who caused him to miss almost a year of his career.

As a result, the beef between these two is going to continue, but I'm not certain the WWE will hold off on a match between the two until SummerSlam.

They could choose to have Mysterio vs. ADR on the 1,000th episode of Raw or on another Raw or SmackDown, which may change what happens between the two at SummerSlam.

But I'll stick with my guns and say that we won't see Mysterio and ADR in singles action until SummerSlam, though I wouldn't be shocked if they both made their way into a World Heavyweight Championship match against Sheamus instead.

Either way, Mysterio and Del Rio have some really good chemistry, so I'm looking forward to an almost guaranteed match between the two, even if it's a rehashed feud.

4. Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho

When Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho had a face-off on Monday's Raw, I think that Twitter, Facebook and every other social media site nearly imploded.

The thought of two of the WWE's most skilled in-ring competitors feuding when both are over like rover has fans drooling.

I'm one of those fans.

Jericho is such an established and respected veteran that anyone he works with can benefit from it, and though many think he's better as a heel (I do, too), turning him face works since he's ridiculously over because of how much the fans respect him.

Thus, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with Y2J becoming a good guy, working with Ziggler, putting on some incredible matches and helping Ziggler get over as a hated heel in the process.

I've seen some fans wonder if Ziggler's going to be the one who turns face here, but it seems pretty clear to me that the WWE is building toward a feud between the two with Jericho as the face and Ziggler as the heel.

That works for me.

Ziggler verbally attacked Jericho on Monday's Raw and ripped him for his lengthy pay-per-view losing streak (I was wondering when that would be brought up) as well as the fact that Jericho's never won a Money in the Bank match despite the fact that he invented it.

At least in my eyes, that leads me to believe that a Ziggler vs. Jericho match at SummerSlam is in the works, with Jericho possibly even challenging Ziggler to put his Money in the Bank briefcase on the line.

I love it, as long as Ziggler wins and keeps the briefcase, of course. 

3. World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Randy Orton

Randy Orton is still serving out his 60-day suspension for violating the Talent Wellness Program, but that suspension will be up by the end of the month, meaning that he could definitely work a SummerSlam program.

Although that's a huge question mark right now, advertisements indicate that Orton is going to be headed right back to the World Heavyweight Championship picture upon his return.

So, what does that mean? That he might very well challenge Sheamus for the World title at SummerSlam.

The WWE could obviously hold off on Orton's return until after SummerSlam (mainly to teach him a lesson), but Sheamus has no clear-cut feud lined up for him at the moment, and I'm not sure I believe those rumors that he will face Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat match at the pay-per-view.

We've already seen Sheamus vs. ADR recently, and ADR now seems destined for a feud with Rey Mysterio while Ziggler looks like he's in line for a rivalry with Chris Jericho.

That leaves Sheamus without an obvious No. 1 contender, which is exactly why I think that Orton is a very realistic possibility to fill that spot.

Orton's suspension will be up, he's teased a heel turn (although he doesn't have to turn heel to feud with Sheamus), and this would be a match between two of the WWE's top four stars.

I don't think Orton is going to be buried upon his return like some do, and should he come back before SummerSlam, I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he almost instantly got a world heavyweight title shot.

That being said, the WHC picture is getting a bit crowded at the moment, so a multi-man match with the likes of Mysterio, ADR, Sheamus, Ziggler and Orton competing for the title remains a strong possibility as well.

2. Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

The biggest lock on this list is Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar.

The WWE has been forced into a corner with the limited number of appearances on Lesnar's contract, and as a result, this feud has suffered with Lesnar off TV and a stupid lawsuit angle as its basis.

But there was never any doubt in anyone's mind that Lesnar vs. Triple H would be one of the SummerSlam main events.

Although I haven't been crazy about the build, that should change as we inch closer to the pay-per-view, and a match between two of the biggest names in the business is almost certain to draw, regardless of what's at the heart of the rivalry.

Lesnar's match with John Cena at Extreme Rules was very entertaining, and given that Triple H doesn't wrestle much these days, I have no doubt that, at SummerSlam, he will go balls to the wall just like Lesnar will.

While this potentially epic match hasn't been confirmed on WWE TV yet, Lesnar is slated to respond to Triple H's challenge on the 1,000th episode of Raw.

I think that Lesnar will say no at first (he's a heel), but Triple H will goad him into the bout and set up what everyone knows is coming anyway: Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar at the biggest PPV of the summer.

Given Lesnar's style in the ring and the animosity that will likely be built up between him and Triple H, expect this bout to have some sort of No DQ stipulation.

1. WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

Everyone saw John Cena vs. CM Punk coming, but how Cena's announcement of his cash-in played out on Monday's Raw is what was really interesting.

When Cena announced that he would give Punk fair warning, The Big Show blasted Cena for being an idiot and not taking advantage of a golden opportunity by cashing in on Punk right then and there.

Of course, that didn't happen, and Big Show looked baffled and almost angered that Cena didn't easily defeat a vulnerable Punk to win the WWE Championship.

I think I see where this is going.

With Punk and Cena set to meet one-on-one on the 1,000th episode of Raw (and the match announced beforehand), the possibility of a run-in and non-finish seems more likely than ever.

And who will cause Cena to be the first Money in the Bank winner to fail to win the title during his cash-in match? The Big Show.

The situation goes like this: Cena and Punk are 20 minutes into a great match, Big Show runs out, screws both Punk and Cena by causing a DQ finish, and then yells at Cena, saying "This is why you shouldn't have given fair warning before you cashed in!"

Just like that, Cena fails to win the title and we set up a three-way feud for the WWE Championship, with Punk doing the noble thing and giving Cena another match and Big Show working his way into the bout simply because he's feuding with both Punk and Cena.

Come on, you didn't really think Big Show was going to be left entirely off the SummerSlam card, did you?

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.