New WWE SummerSlam 2026 Match Card Predictions After SNME Results at MSG
WWE wasted no time coming out of Night of Champions on June 27, making multiple marquee matches official for the two-night SummerSlam in Minneapolis on Aug. 1 and 2, but the undercard for both shows still needed work.
The main goal of Saturday Night's Main Event should have been to set the stage for SummerSlam in two weeks' time. Although it was uneventful on the whole, SNME at MSG was at least effective in that respect.
Most notably, the blockbuster tag team match pitting SummerSlam opponents CM Punk and Cody Rhodes against Gunther and Sami Zayn ended with Nick Aldis costing Gunther the victory, leading to the announcement during the SummerSlam Kickoff show at Fanatics Fest that Gunther and Aldis will do battle at U.S. Bank Stadium.
In the wake of SNME, here are the latest match predictions for the August extravaganza with what else the card could consist of.
Currently Confirmed Card
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- Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (World Heavyweight Championship)
- CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Championship)
- Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Hell in a Cell)
- Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky (Women's World Championship)
- Penta vs. Chad Gable (Intercontinental Championship)
- The Usos and Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight, Solo Sikoa and Royce Keys
- WWE Women's Championship five-way ladder match
- Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
It has not yet been made clear which matches will be closing Night 1 and Night 2 of SummerSlam, but it's safe to assume Reigns vs. Rollins will get top billing on Night 2 with that being the biggest promoted match heading into the event.
Punk vs. Rhodes would also be suitable in that spot with how highly anticipated their encounter is, but they could just as easily end Night 1. The Hell in a Cell clash between Femi and Lesnar will likely open Night 1 so it can set the tone for the rest of the weekend.
Morgan vs. Sky for the Women's World Championship was the first match made official for SummerSlam when Sky became Queen of the Ring at Night of Champions and immediately chose to challenge Morgan. Penta vs. Gable as well as the six-man tag team match were added on the July 13 edition of Raw.
Gunther vs. Aldis, which has been in the works since their heated altercation backstage at Night of Champions, has been confirmed for the card as of Sunday's SummerSlam Kickoff show at Fanatics Fest. The five-way ladder match for the vacant WWE Women's Championship still has three open slots that will be filled in the coming weeks on SmackDown.
Who Else Will Qualify for Interim WWE Women's Championship Ladder Match?
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Raw general manager Adam Pearce declared on July 17 that Rhea Ripley isn't currently cleared to compete, and as a result, an interim WWE women's champion will be crowned in her absence by way of a five-woman ladder match at SummerSlam.
Tiffany Stratton and Jade Cargill were the first to qualify on Friday's SmackDown. That means the heavily speculated one-on-one outing between Cargill and Charlotte Flair won't be happening at the event and that The Queen is bound to win her qualifier against Nia Jax next Friday night.
It's unknown who will take part in the remaining two qualifiers, but Blake Monroe and Giulia would both be safe, credible options. Chelsea Green would work as well given her soft alliance with Stratton, or Jordynne Grace who hasn't been seen on SmackDown in months.
An interim title is certainly not necessary as Ripley could have easily been stripped of the championship if she won't be around for the foreseeable future, but doing such a spectacle of a match ensures there will be more female representation at SummerSlam than there may have been otherwise.
Fatal Influence vs. Brie Bella and Paige (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship)
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Saturday Night's Main Event opened with Fatal Influence besting Brie Bella and Paige for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. They previously lost to the duo in non-title action on SmackDown but thankfully won when it mattered most.
Bella and Paige's run with the twin titles was fine albeit forgettable. Fatal Influence arrived on the blue brand with some momentum before being quickly cooled off, so giving them the belts was at least a step in the right direction in heating them back up again.
The feud may not necessarily be over just yet, however.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported at the beginning of July that a WWE women's tag team title bout between these teams was originally penciled in for the premium live event. That could still be the case, just with Fatal Influence defending instead of challenging.
Jane lost her ladder match qualifier to Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown, so if Fatal Influence is going to have any presence at SummerSlam, it would be here.
Bella and Paige failing to regain the gold would allow them to go their separate ways.
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Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin (United States Championship)
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After Trick Williams knocked off Ricky Saints to hold onto the United States Championship on the road to SummerSlam, Carmelo Hayes stepped up as the next contender.
Their non-title contest on the July 10 edition of SmackDown was crashed by the returning Baron Corbin, who laid waste to both men.
Corbin made it clear during a vignette on the subsequent SmackDown that no one will step foot in his path of destruction, and so it seems his sights are firmly set on the star-spangled prize. If WWE was building toward a Triple Threat between Williams, Hayes and Saints before, that plan has probably been changed to Corbin replacing Saints at SummerSlam.
The title has been defended at the last few installments of SummerSlam as well as on most PLEs since WrestleMania 42, so there's no reason for that trend to stop at SummerSlam in Minneapolis. Doing a Triple Threat would add unpredictability to the outcome and increase the chances of Williams not walking out with the belt.
Corbin is a former U.S. champ in his own right and is already off to a strong start on SmackDown as part of his return run. With a win-loss record of 0-4 at SummerSlam (including Kickoff shows), he might finally pick up his first victory at the event and hold main roster gold for the first time in years.
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria
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It was at SummerSlam one year ago that Bayley inadvertently cost Lyra Valkyria the Women's Intercontinental Championship against Becky Lynch.
Over time, the two eventually worked through their differences and turned into a tremendous tandem, coming close to capturing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship together on multiple occasions but always falling short.
Valkyria unleashed her pent-up frustration on Bayley on the June 22 edition of Raw following their latest loss with the tag titles on the line. She cemented her heel turn by refusing to reconcile with The Role Model and agreeing to face off with her at Saturday Night's Main Event.
Although Bayley put forth an admirable effort, Valkyria ultimately emerged victorious with a brand-new submission hold before brutalizing her rival at ringside. It left fans wondering whether Bayley was about to be written off television ahead of a rumored departure, but there's a better chance the angle was designed to build toward a rematch at SummerSlam.
With Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill a part of the ladder match for the WWE Women's Championship, there won't be a non-title women's match on the card otherwise. Bayley and Valkyria running it back with some sort of a stipulation would be a welcome addition.
The Vision vs. Alpha Academy (World Tag Team Championship)
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If Bron Breakker doesn't defend the World Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam, he may not end up making the card at all, which would be a drastic downgrade after competing at the last two installments.
The sole match that makes sense for him to have this year would be against Alpha Academy's Otis and Akira Tozawa. He, Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri got the better of the beloved duo on last Monday's Raw and stood tall with the tag titles in tow.
Breakker going from feuding with Seth Rollins and nearly winning the World Heavyweight Championship at the onset of 2026 to being arguably the least relevant member of The Vision is egregious, but being a background player in this story is his only way of securing a spot at SummerSlam.
At best, this bout is Raw-worthy, but this feud has been prominently featured on the flagship show in recent weeks and should be prioritized come SummerSlam over other matches with less history and hype behind them.
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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