WWE SummerSlam 2013: The Bookmakers' Verdicts for the Main Event Matches

The second largest WWE pay-per-view of the year, SummerSlam, is finally upon us and a number of bookmakers have begun to offer prices for this evening's matches.

For the first time since winning the WWE Championship back at WrestleMania 29, John Cena heads into a pay-per-view bout the underdog outside the realm of kayfabe. British company William Hill is currently offering odds of 3/1 on John Cena walking out of SummerSlam victorious over Daniel Bryan.

Most fans would probably agree that Bryan is the overwhelming favourite this evening, but with Randy Orton lurking in the wings, it is highly possible that even if "The Goat" manages to knock off "The Champ", he will not be showing up on Raw with the gold.

SummerSlam's second main event features "The Best vs. The Beast". Within kayfabe, Brock Lesnar is, naturally, the overwhelming favourite to defeat CM Punk, who looks like a schoolboy in stature next to the former NCAA Heavyweight Champion. Moreover, with Paul Heyman in Lesnar's corner, "The Best in The World" certainly seems to have his work cut out for him.

The bookmakers appear to feel that, even disregarding kayfabe, Lesnar is still the most likely to walk away with a victory. William Hill are offering 1/4 on Lesnar and 11/4 on Punk, suggesting that they are in little doubt as to the outcome of this contest.     

Finally, the third main event, which will likely feature somewhere among the stacked under-card, will show "Captain Charisma" Christian trying to achieve his goal of becoming World Heavyweight Champion for a third and final time. Somewhat surprisingly, the bookmakers appear to feel that there is absolutely no doubt that Del Rio will walk away with the title.

William Hill are offering odds of 7/2 on Christian winning his third World Championship in WWE. Those are good odds, considering the likelihood of interference from a returning Ricardo Rodriguez, whom Alberto Del Rio beat down on a recent episode of Monday Night Raw.

Ultimately, while betting large amounts of money on a scripted entertainment production such as WWE would not be altogether wise, placing a small wager can often enhance the viewing experience. 

Placing a £10 treble on Christian, Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan to win their respective matches currently returns £68.80