WWE SummerSlam 2013: Match Predictions from 4 Different Perspectives

WWE SummerSlam 2013 is less than a day away, which means it's time for everybody to reveal their predictions on how each and every match is going to go down. SummerSlam is packed with a number of stellar matches and is highlighted with CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar and the main event WWE title bout between John Cena and Daniel Bryan.

Instead of writing four separate prediction articles, Bleacher Report Featured Columnists Graham Mirima, The Doctor Chris Mueller, Ryan Dilbert and Adrian Fylonenko have decided to share their SummerSlam thoughts and predictions with the loyal Bleacher Report readers in one simple slideshow.

SummerSlam is the biggest party of the summer and the event is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Without a doubt, this upcoming Sunday is going to be a night WWE fans will never forget.

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Rob Van Dam: United States Championship

Graham Mirmina: Some people are against the idea of this being placed on the pre-show, but I’m all for it. I think it’s in the perfect spot, as it gives people incentive to tune into the kickoff and it promises to be a great match. RVD hasn’t had much meaning since he returned to WWE last month, but his primary focus should be to put over younger talent. RVD doesn’t need the U.S. title, so Ambrose retaining here would make the most sense.

Chris Mueller: I see Ambrose losing the US title soon, but not to RVD. RVD is too big for the U.S. title at this point in his career. The Shield might not leave SummerSlam with all its titles, but Ambrose will leave with his.

Ryan Dilbert: Rob Van Dam is likely to be the star of this match up until the closing moments. Dean Ambrose needs a big notch on his belt—something to make his U.S. title run memorable—and a win over Van Dam would be just that. WWE is more apt to make a bigger deal out of Ambrose eventually losing the title than to have it happen on the pre-show.

Adrian Fylonenko: So let me get this straight, Dean Ambrose vs. RVD for the U.S. title is on the pre-show while Brie Bella vs. Natalya is on the main card? I don’t really agree with that. There have been rumors that we will see a six-man tag involving these two on the actual card, but we won’t know until the PPV. I see Ambrose retaining the title but RVD picking up the victory via disqualification. If given 10-15 minutes, these two can do something special.

Dean Ambrose [4] RVD [0]

Natalya vs. Brie Bella

Graham Mirmina: I couldn’t care less about this match. It’s nice to see Natalya on pay-per-view for the first time in ages, but I can’t help but think this is nothing more than a shameless plug for Total Divas. The show is actually enjoyable, but the storyline surrounding it on Raw between Natalya and the Bella Twins has been atrocious. WWE is obviously high on the Bellas, so Brie going over here wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Chris Mueller: This feud is meant to push the Total Divas reality show, and with The Bellas being the queen bees of the show, it makes sense that Brie would walk away with the win. Nattie is a very underutilized talent who might get a better opportunity in the future due to the reality show, but for now she just needs to make sure she has the best match possible.

Ryan Dilbert: With as many Divas who are going to be involved here, cheating should win out. Natalya’s crew is there for support. Brie Bella’s is there to use twin magic or whatever it takes to get a dishonest victory. The Bellas’ position as the biggest stars of Total Divas gives Brie an edge here as well.

Adrian Fylonenko: As everybody knows, Natalya is the best pure female wrestler the WWE has on its roster. It’s a shame that she is treated like garbage, but that’s what the writers and Vince McMahon think is best, I guess. Natalya should win the match, but Brie will pick up the victory since she is a bigger star on Total Divas.

Natalya [0] Brie Bella [4]

Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E. Langston & AJ Lee

Graham Mirmina: It’s a shame that this match has lost a ton of momentum in recent weeks. Ziggler is getting good reactions, but he is still struggling as a babyface. Kaitlyn’s character has somehow gotten even more intolerable, and the duo of Langston and AJ has little to no heat. According to what will be revealed on this week’s SmackDown, AJ will lose the Divas title to Kaitlyn if her team loses at SummerSlam. With that in mind, the heel team must emerge victorious here. AJ is only getting started as champion, and Ziggler desperately needs to move on to something new.

Chris Mueller: Hopefully this match ends the painfully long program between Kaitlyn and AJ, but as for who wins the match, that is hard to say. Ziggler and Kaitlyn could both use the wins more at this point, but I see AJ and Langston getting the win in a less-than-fair manner.

Ryan Dilbert: The feel-good nature of SummerSlam will help Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn. Seeing AJ Lee pound the mat in frustration after losing will be fun and opens the door for WWE to go in various directions with the feuds involving these four Superstars. This feels like it’ll be a moment where Ziggler shines, initiating a small push going forward.

Adrian Fylonenko: This is a tough match to predict. It seems like AJ Lee and Kaitlyn are the only two Divas in the entire division and it's been that way for a long time. I find the Ziggler vs. Langston matchup very intriguing. It’s a shame WWE wasted Ziggler vs. Langston twice already, and it would have been somewhat meaningful to see these two square off for the first time at SummerSlam. Anyways, I expect the face team to prevail and at the end of the match, look for Ziggler and Kaitlyn to kiss. Ziggler and Kaitlyn are not going to be a couple, but I can see them being intimate just to upset AJ more.

Dolph Ziggler/Kaitlyn [2] Big E. Langston/AJ Lee [2]

Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow

Graham Mirmina: I’ve loved how much attention this feud has gotten over the last month, especially on SmackDown. Both competitors have bright singles careers ahead of him, so it’s disappointing that only one of them can score the win here. I hope to see this feud continue past this point, so Rhodes winning would allow him to earn a shot at the briefcase, preferably at Night of Champions. Any chance Rhodes can put his godforsaken mustache on the line in that match as well?

Chris Mueller: Sandow got the big win at MITB, but Rhodes is the one who will take home the win on Sunday. Sandow will no doubt cash in his case successfully, so giving him an arbitrary win over Rhodes would mean nothing, whereas it will help Rhodes keep his babyface push going.

Ryan Dilbert: WWE has plenty of time to build Damien Sandow up as a credible champion. SummerSlam will be Cody Rhodes’ moment. Good triumphs over evil as Rhodes gets revenge for his friend screwing him over. Rhodes can catapult himself into the world title picture, perhaps setting himself up as Sandow’s eventual cash-in victim.

Adrian Fylonenko: I think this has been a very well-constructed feud that had a lot of funny moments, but now, things are getting serious. Although my heart is telling me Rhodes, I can’t help but pick Sandow due to his recent, impressive performances against Randy Orton. Despite losing, Sandow looked phenomenal and Rhodes has screwed over his ex-best friend multiple times. Since Cody’s had the upper hand in recent weeks, I feel that Sandow will get the victory.

Cody Rhodes [3] Damien Sandow [1]

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt: Ring of Fire Match

Graham Mirmina: I’m sure this will be more of a spectacle than an actual match, but it’ll be cool to see fire surrounding the ring for the first time since late 2006. It’s been reported that Kane will be taking time off following SummerSlam to film See No Evil 2, so having him win here would be pointless. The Wyatt Family is a hot (no pun intended) act right now, so Bray Wyatt must be on the winning end of this encounter.

Chris Mueller: This one is simple. Bray Wyatt will win the Ring of Fire match. It’s his first real program in WWE and nobody loses their debut PPV match. Kane will do a great job putting Wyatt over, but it is Wyatt who needs to perform at a high level to get over with the fans.

Ryan Dilbert: Defeating Kane in a fire-centric match will be huge for Bray going forward. This recent NXT prospect will use The Big Red Machine the way Fandango did with Chris Jericho and Curtis Axel sort of did with Triple H.  Luke Harper and Erick Rowan could also turn things in Wyatt’s favor.

Adrian Fylonenko: The winner of the match is obvious, but how Bray Wyatt pulls off that victory is going to be exciting. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Inferno match (Ring of Fire), but they are always intriguing in some sort of way. Kane has never had a problem putting over younger Superstars and since he is going away to film See No Evil 2, The Big Red Machine has to be written off somehow. Are we going to witness Kane being set on fire?!

Kane [0] Bray Wyatt [4]

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar: The Best vs. The Beast

Graham Mirmina: Needless to say, this has undoubtedly been the best-booked feud in quite some time. All the interactions between CM Punk, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar in recent months have been absolute gold. If we could get a year-long rivalry between Triple H and Lesnar, why can’t the same be done for Lesnar and Punk? I wouldn’t mind seeing Punk go over at SummerSlam while having Lesnar score the victory to allow the rivalry to continue. So, expect Lesnar to defeat Punk in some fluky fashion following interference from Heyman and/or Curtis Axel.

Chris Mueller: Punk and Lesnar will have the most brutal match of the night, but it’s Lesnar who will walk out with the win. If you look at every match Lesnar has had since returning, it has followed a pattern up to this point: He loses one and then he wins one. He most recently defeated Triple H at Extreme Rules prior to losing to The Game at WrestleMania. Then he beat Triple H at Extreme Rules, So the pattern might indicate that The Beast should win here, I say he defeats Punk, which could mean we will see a rematch between the two at some point down the line.

Ryan Dilbert: WWE has made CM Punk so strong in recent weeks, it feels like the company is prepping us for a Lesnar win. Their last encounter saw Punk outsmart Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman on Monday’s Raw. Lesnar will have his revenge in the ring. Punk can beat up Heyman post-match to get out his anger, but Lesnar’s power, size advantage and Heyman’s interference spell bad things for Punk during the match itself.

Adrian Fylonenko: Wow, CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar. The WWE Universe is finally getting the match it's wanted to see for years and the WWE has done an absolutely brilliant job building up this rivalry. I’m very surprised to see that there is no stipulation that has been added to the match (steel cage) because that would give Punk a better chance to win. I’m going to think outside of the box and say that Lesnar vs. Punk ends in a draw. This is a tremendous feud and it should not end at SummerSlam. The match could end in a double count-out, which I know would upset the fans, but if Punk hits a GTS on Paul Heyman afterward, all will be forgiven.

CM Punk [0] Brock Lesnar [3] Draw [1]

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Christian: World Heavyweight Championship

Graham Mirmina: I’m really disappointed with how little build this match has received up to this point. Sure, Christian has been on a hot streak as of late, but that’s the only story this match has right now. Their backstage confrontation on Raw was nice, but it was too little, too late. Regardless, it should be a great match, but the ending result is fairly obvious. As much as I would love to see Christian as world champion again, I don’t think it happens here. Del Rio will retain after Ricardo Rodriguez returns to seemingly cost him the title, only to ultimately help him retain it in the end.

Chris Mueller: This match gets two predictions from me. The first prediction is that Christian will win the World title on Sunday. The second prediction is that Sandow will successfully cash in and take the title from him the same night. Captain Charisma might get to hold the title until Raw the following night, but I see Sandow cashing in very quickly.

Ryan Dilbert: WWE likes Alberto Del Rio as champion. He has been either WWE or World champ for a good portion of his run with the company. Christian getting another shot is a good story, but it's one that WWE would only use to increase the heat on Del Rio. Squashing Christian’s dreams will go on his villainy resume just below trying to smash Dolph Ziggler’s head in at Payback.

Adrian Fylonenko: Obviously, the WWE loves Alberto Del Rio and wants him to be the World Heavyweight champion. Problem is, most WWE fans don’t. At first, I thought Christian was going to win the title and Damien Sandow was going to cash in his MITB briefcase, but the Intellectual Savior of the Masses will wait for the opportune time. As for the match itself, I expect Del Rio and Christian to have an even, back-and-forth contest where Del Rio wins via roll-up. Christian has defeated Del Rio twice with a roll-up, so look for Del Rio to grab the tights and get the win.

Alberto Del Rio [3] Christian [1] * Damien Sandow cashes in on Christian.

John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan: WWE Championship

Graham Mirmina: These two had an excellent match last year on Raw, and I have high hopes for their upcoming encounter. Daniel Bryan is the most over act in all of wrestling right now, so he has to win here. WWE has to strike the iron while it’s hot or risk throwing money out the window. I’m not high on Triple H being the special guest referee, but here's how it will play out: Bryan targets Cena’s injured elbow, Cena taps out and HHH misses Cena’s foot on the rope (shades of SummerSlam 2011). Regardless, Randy Orton cashing in here will put him over big time as a heel and will allow Cena to take time off in order to undergo surgery.

Chris Mueller: This is an easy match to predict since it is well known that Cena will be having surgery following SummerSlam. In short, Bryan wins the WWE title, but whether he holds it for very long will depend on when Orton chooses to cash in his briefcase.

Ryan Dilbert: Bryan wins and somehow manages to avoid Randy Orton cashing in. It’s time for WWE to pull the trigger on Bryan. His popularity is bubbling over right now and a WWE title reign right now would be perfect timing. WWE should play up Cena’s elbow injury, both making Bryan looking predatory and protecting Cena in the loss.

Adrian Fylonenko: After watching that epic promo between Cena and Bryan last week on Raw, I am completely sold on this match and can’t wait to see what happens. I expect Cena and Bryan to wrestle a good 20-25 minutes and to make things better, it’s going to end up being a four- or five-star match. With reports of Cena set to have surgery, I expect the current champ to drop the title. Now, how that happens is going to be intriguing. Daniel Bryan will win via the Yes Lock, but Cena will not tap out. Bryan will have the hold in for a long time and Cena will pass out Steve Austin/Bret Hart style. While Bryan is slowly getting up and begins to celebrate, Randy Orton will come out of the crowd (no music), hit the RKO and cash in his MITB briefcase to get the easy win. This way, Bryan and Orton are in the WWE title picture for a while and Orton finally makes his long-awaited heel turn.

John Cena [0] Daniel Bryan [4] *Randy Orton cashing in on Daniel Bryan [2]

Who had the best predictions? Will Randy Orton successfully cash-in his MITB briefcase? Let us know your SummerSlam 2013 predictions in the comments below!

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