WWE SummerSlam 2012: Predictions for PPV's Mid-Card Title Matches

Even though the spotlight has been dominated by Triple H and Brock Lesnar as well as the WWE Championship match, there are several other important battles on the SummerSlam card that will play a prominent role in storylines moving forward.

As usual, most of them feature a championship on the line. Although the mid-card belts have taken on a lesser role in recent years, that should change in the coming months thanks to three-hour Raw shows. That would make it key to own one of them again.

Let's take a look at the three matches that fit the category set for Sunday night.

United States Championship

It's hard to believe Santino Marella has held the United States title for more than 160 days. He rarely defends it and it certainly hasn't made his role on the weekly shows any different. He's still used for comic relief more than anything else.

In other words, it's time for a change. Cesaro has been getting the better end of Santino in recent weeks and is a superstar who has actually shown potential to climb the ladder. Winning the U.S. title on the pre-show would be a nice start.

The purpose of mid-card championships is to help young stars get their first taste of the spotlight. That's why it makes more sense for Cesaro to get a crack at it rather than sticking with Santino.

Prediction: Antonio Cesaro

Intercontinental Championship

The match between The Miz and Rey Mysterio is a perfect example of random booking. It seems like the creative team is just trying to fill the card with big names even though there hasn't been any time for a true feud to develop between the two.

After coming back from showing a movie, The Miz has made his presence felt pretty quickly. He took the Intercontinental title away from Christian on the 1,000th episode of Raw and stuck his nose in the feud between Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho.

Mysterio hasn't been nearly as involved his he returned from injury, which means The Miz should retain the title, at least until a main-event spot becomes available down the road.

Prediction: The Miz

Tag Team Championship

Originally, I was thinking it was time for the Prime Time Players to get a run as the tag champs. Titus O'Neil and Darren Young have been getting a lot of air time lately and that usually leads to a push, but that might not be the case here.

The recent controversy surrounding the team's manager, AW, puts their rise on thin ice. Add in the fact that Kofi Kingston and R-Truth are established champions with plenty of fan support, and the WWE might not want to risk making a change.

This match has the potential to go either way based purely on the confidence level the company has in O'Neil and Young. All told, look for Kingston and R-Truth to retain the titles.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth