WWE SummerSlam 2012 Predictions: Title Match Will Mark End of Big Show's Push

Big Show received one of the most prominent pushes of his career after teaming up with John Laurinaitis to defeat John Cena at Over the Limit. After nearly three months in the main-event scene, his stay will come to an end at SummerSlam.

Even though Big Show never won the WWE Championship during his impressive streak, he was built into a dominant monster, a role he's always played well. The veteran has never been viewed as a top superstar, but it was nice to see him get another meaningful run.

That said, he's been losing a lot of momentum as of late with CM Punk and Cena stealing the spotlight as the two top contenders for the top title. It will be one of them—very likely Punk—who walks out of Los Angeles with the belt around their waist.

Big Show has been pretty much an afterthought throughout the process until last week's Raw when he stood tall at the end. It was a typical ending to try to create some doubt about an outcome, but it's hard to imagine him posing any real threat at SummerSlam.

In reality, the title picture is getting more crowded by the week with Cena making a renewed charge at it after several months without holding a belt and The Rock declaring he'll be taking on the champion at next year's Royal Rumble.

Then there's still superstars like Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio, who are main-event talents with no general direction right now. Even a returning star like Wade Barrett could make his way into the conversation sooner rather than later.

It all adds up to a lack of space for Big Show. He's done a nice job of filling a void while other storylines played out, but it's time for him to take a step back following one of the year's biggest events.

Big Show's run at the top was far more successful than that of former tag team partner Kane. There were high hopes for the Big Red Monster after his return with the mask, but nothing meaningful ever materialized.

At least Big Show was given a direction and embraced it. When paired with his WrestleMania victory back in April, it's turned in to quite a successful year for the longtime superstar.

It will be interesting to see where he goes after SummerSlam, but it should mark the end of his run as a WWE title challenger.