New WWE SummerSlam 2026 Match Card Predictions Including Roman Reigns' Opponent
WWE's summer season is officially getting underway, meaning the always-anticipated road to SummerSlam is also officially beginning.
Seeds are already being planted on Raw and SmackDown for major matchups that could be in store for the star-studded card. It was evident at Clash in Italy that WWE isn't willing to shake things up significantly coming out of WrestleMania 42, but anything can change between now and August 1 and 2.
Among the biggest questions going into the event is who Roman Reigns' opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship will be—provided he's still in possession of the prestigious prize by then. He's fresh off a successful title defense against Jacob Fatu in Tribal Combat but doesn't seem to have anyone else waiting in the wings at the moment.
The winners of the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments, which commenced on the June 1 edition of Raw, will determine the number one contenders to the men's and women's top titles at SummerSlam, so fans will have a better idea of what to expect after Night of Champions on June 27.
Until then, these are the latest match card predictions for WWE SummerSlam 2026.
Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Last Man Standing Match)
1 of 7
There was no real reason for WWE to rekindle the rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi coming out of WrestleMania 42 other than to keep the latter busy if he's not going to be involved in the world title picture anytime soon.
Although Femi advanced to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament on last Monday's Raw, all signs point to him not winning the whole thing. Ideally, he'd fight for a top title at SummerSlam and walk away as the new champ, but if that was the case, he wouldn't have been defeated decisively by Lesnar at Clash in Italy.
The Beast Incarnate avenged his loss to The Ruler from WrestleMania because they're going to have their rubber match at SummerSlam instead.
The two had great chemistry both times they waged war, so at least the third encounter will be equally entertaining despite Femi having nothing to gain from beating Lesnar again. A Last Man Standing stipulation would ensure their final chapter is an epic one.
Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill
2 of 7
Rhea Ripley retained her WWE Women's Championship at Clash in Italy, but the real focal point was Charlotte Flair teasing a match with Jade Cargill by thwarting Michin and B-Fab's interference.
Flair and Cargill have been at odds since WrestleMania 42. In establishing herself as an ally to Ripley, The Queen has helped keep the title out of Cargill's grasp.
Unless one of them wins the WWE women's title from Ripley in the coming months, their inevitable outing will be non-title—and it's undoubtedly worthy of the SummerSlam stage.
The Storm has racked up wins over the likes of Naomi, Asuka and Tiffany Stratton so far in her WWE career, but a one-on-one encounter with Flair has eluded her. Stepping up to The Queen would only further solidify her spot at the forefront of the blue brand's women's division, which would effectively put Flair back in a place of prominence on the show as well.
They'll first face off in a Fatal 4-Way match as part of the Queen of the Ring tournament, but a singles showdown should be in order for SummerSlam.
Gunther vs. Finn Bálor (Undisputed WWE Championship)
3 of 7
Gunther fell short of dethroning Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash in Italy, but the bout wasn't without controversy.
The referee missing The Ring General's foot under the rope left the door open for a rematch, which has since been set for the June 19 edition of SmackDown.
Gunther can't continue to challenge for SmackDown's world championship without winning it. It would have been best for him to take the title when he had the chance at Clash in Italy, but pulling the trigger on a title change later this month would work as well, if not at Night of Champions on June 27.
Rhodes could be the defending champ come SummerSlam, but it wouldn't be remotely as interesting as Gunther being in the role, as he was for last year's installment.
There aren't many ready-made challengers on SmackDown right now, but Finn Bálor could be built up as a credible contender as he was at the beginning of the year for his feud with CM Punk now that he's a member of the blue brand.
The two have never met one-on-one on a major stage and SummerSlam would be the perfect place for them to finally have the banger they're capable of, regardless of who goes over.
Penta vs. Chad Gable (Intercontinental Championship)
4 of 7
No Superstar seems to have more momentum in WWE at the moment than Chad Gable, who just had the best bout of his entire career at AAA Noche de los Grandes with Ludwig Kaiser's El Grande Americano.
The unmasking of Gable was long overdue, but it was also exceptionally executed. The entire match was a masterpiece and has received critical acclaim online over the past week.
WWE is well aware of what it has in Gable considering he immediately returned to television on SmackDown days later. In one of his two backstage segments, his character came full circle by apologizing to Rey Fenix for disrespecting the lucha libre culture, indicating he'll be a babyface going forward.
With SummerSlam emanating from his hometown of Minneapolis, it would be asinine for him not to make the card, specifically in some sort of a championship match.
Most fans aren't expecting him to be utilized at the main event level, but a simple shot at the Intercontinental Championship would suffice given his history with Penta from last year.
Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
5 of 7
Randy Orton's long-awaited heel turn and feud with Cody Rhodes was ruined by WWE and TKO forcing Pat McAfee into the storyline and dragging down the build to their WrestleMania match.
Rhodes retaining in anticlimactic fashion was even worse, and although Orton laid out The American Nightmare afterward with a punt kick to the skull, The Viper hasn't been seen on SmackDown since.
There's no telling when Orton will be back on television, but he and Rhodes have unfinished business that needs to be revisited upon his return. As noted, it wouldn't have the Undisputed WWE Championship at stake if Gunther wins it beforehand, nor would it need to.
Leaving it to just Rhodes and Orton without any outside forces would make for a significantly more compelling story and allow them to get back to the roots of their rivalry.
Unless he's out injured for real, Orton should be resurfacing on SmackDown any day now, and him being the catalyst for Rhodes dropping the belt to Gunther would be an effective way to reheat their bad blood.
Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky (Women's World Championship)
6 of 7
Iyo Sky wrapped up her rivalry with Asuka by beating her at Backlash but has been without much direction since then.
Winning Queen of the Ring would seem to be the only achievable goal for The Genius of the Sky right now, as she hasn't announced intentions to do anything else and hasn't been a regular on Raw since before Backlash.
Becoming Queen of the Ring, however, would put her on a path to challenge for championship gold at SummerSlam.
Roxanne Perez has been teasing tension with Liv Morgan as of late, but that may not be something WWE pursues until after SummerSlam, possibly once The Prodigy captures the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Morgan vs. Sky is a suitable title match for The Biggest Party of the Summer and would be an excellent use of both women at the event.
Sky is such an elite performer that she belongs in the championship mix more often than not, and Morgan desperately needs notable names from the Raw roster to challenge her.
Stephanie Vaquer still has to return from injury and settle her score with Morgan from 'Mania, but that would presumably happen on the sooner side and not be saved for SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Championship)
7 of 7
With The Vision in Seth Rollins' rear view, the only thing left for him to do is attempt to reclaim the piece of gold he never lost: the World Heavyweight Championship.
To do so, he must win King of the Ring for the first time in his career and punch his ticket to SummerSlam to battle a familiar foe in Roman Reigns.
The two have been feuding on and off for nearly a dozen years now but have yet to have that one defining match that properly pays off the program. It likely would have happened at WrestleMania 42 had Rollins not gotten hurt in October and been forced to relinquish the world heavyweight title.
Waiting until WrestleMania 43 next year is too long, so SummerSlam would be the next-best event to host the marquee matchup.
The biggest downside to building around Reigns vs. Rollins as one of the SummerSlam main events is that it does nothing to elevate the talent of tomorrow. It's almost irrelevant who wins since the title should be around the waist of a fresher face, anyway.
Rollins has yet to make it past the first round of the King of the Ring tournament, but once he does, it will merely be a matter of time before he sets his sights on his Shield stablemate and the coveted title he once held.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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