WWE SummerSlam 2015: Full Breakdown, Predictions for Entire Card
On Sunday, WWE will present its 28th annual SummerSlam pay-per-view live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center at a special start time of 7 p.m. ET.
Next to WrestleMania, SummerSlam is WWE's premier PPV of the year, so it comes as no surprise that Sunday's show has a stacked card. If recent SummerSlam events have been any indication, this year's installment should be nothing short of stellar.
In an epic rematch from WrestleMania 30, The Undertaker will look to avenge the end of his two-decade-plus undefeated streak against Brock Lesnar. Will he score his first win over The Beast Incarnate, or will Lesnar reign supreme once again?
For the first time, both the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Championships will be on the line when Seth Rollins takes on John Cena. Who will etch his name into the record books as the first person to hold both belts simultaneously?
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will partner up to take on the disturbing duo of Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper in tag team action. Which former faction members will earn bragging rights by emerging victorious?
Let's preview and make predictions for the event, as well as uncover the potential for every match on the advertised card.
Fatal 4-Way WWE Tag Team Championship Match
1 of 10
Simply put, the tag team division has been uninteresting for the last several months. There are plenty of talented tandems, but without any character development, the chase for the WWE Tag Team Championship has fallen flat, especially in the past few weeks.
While the Prime Time Players' reign as champs has been enjoyable, it's evident that they haven't gotten over at a quick enough rate. They were certainly deserving of a reign with the belts, but it's time to switch it up with a new set of champions.
The Lucha Dragons will be titleholders before long, as they have a ton of untapped potential, but it's too soon for them to be winning the straps. As for Los Matadores, they should never be holding gold until they change their horrendous gimmick.
Of course, that leaves The New Day, which has been the most consistently entertaining team in the division for some time now. Fans are finally getting behind its heel shtick, so it seems only logical to put the belts back on the faction.
As noted, the build for this bout has been less than stellar, but at least the multi-man nature of this match ensures that it will deliver.
Prediction: The New Day wins the WWE Tag Team Championship
Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler
2 of 10
Despite the huge pop Dolph Ziggler received upon his return to Raw this past week, it's hard to hold out hope for his getting the push he deserves, given how many times WWE has dropped the ball on him in the past. It's clear that WWE doesn't see him as a top priority right now, but then again, what about Rusev?
It has been six months since Rusev last won a match on pay-per-view, because he's been floundering since the feud with John Cena. His current program with Ziggler has been awful due to the lack of chemistry he has with Summer Rae, as well as the lack of chemistry between Ziggler and Lana.
Although it likely won't happen, this match should spell the end of this terrible feud, and in all honesty, it's not important who wins. That said, while Rusev is more in need of a win, WWE might throw Ziggler a bone because he just came back.
Regardless of who comes out on top, all four individuals would be better off on their own than with each other. It's nice to see them make the pay-per-view card, though, as one figured that they'd be held off until Night of Champions.
Thankfully, their wrestling ability is far superior to their acting skills, so the match should be solid.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins
Ryback vs. Big Show vs. The Miz (Intercontinental Championship)
3 of 10
This might be a minority opinion, but this feud has been a lot more enjoyable than perhaps expected when it first started. Granted, Ryback's untimely injury halted its momentum for a time, but WWE rebounded nicely with the champion's recent return to TV.
The Miz has been doing some of the best work of his career these past few months and has made fans want to see him get squashed come Sunday. Big Show isn't all that interesting these days, but at least he's been holding his own in this feud.
All that being said, neither of them needs to come out of this match as champion. Show shouldn't be holding gold at this stage of his career, and Miz doesn't need a title to get over since he's too talented a talker as it is.
Ryback has done a commendable job of building a fan following for himself since coming back as a babyface late last year and has earned a nice, long reign with the title. There's also plenty of potential challengers on the horizon he has yet to face.
Don't expect this match to steal the show, but it could very well be one of the night's more surprisingly pleasant matches if each puts forth a strong enough effort.
Prediction: Ryback retains the Intercontinental Championship
Neville and Stephen Amell vs. Stardust and King Barrett
4 of 10
As a major advocate of the Cody Rhodes character's return, it's great to see that WWE has finally gotten it right with Stardust since his return to TV. In making his gimmick slightly darker, he's become more intriguing, and his feud with Neville has also been enjoyable.
Obviously, it appears the sole reason WWE has been building Stardust up in recent months is so he could mean something in a match against Stephen Amell at SummerSlam. That's all fine and dandy, but the key is the aftermath and how it handles him once his program with Amell is over.
The ending outcome shouldn't be too hard to predict, as it's very rare that WWE brings in a celebrity to do a match and doesn't give him a win. In this case it's acceptable, because Stardust isn't a main event star and Barrett has been an enhancement talent all year long.
Moreover, Neville can benefit from teaming with a well-known actor, and it would be great to see his character get more direction post-SummerSlam. There's no question that the babyfaces will score the win here when Neville pins Barrett.
Interestingly enough, this match is more interesting than half of the card just for the anticipation of Amell's performance. Apparently, he's an freakishly good athlete and in incredible shape, so he shouldn't seem out of place in the ring with these three polished workers.
Prediction: Neville and Stephen Amell win
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
5 of 10
It boggles the mind why this feud has gone on for this long. Both Randy Orton and Sheamus are enjoyable on their own and have separately impressed so far this year, but they simply don't have great chemistry together.
Their bout at Battleground was entertaining for what it was worth, but part of that was due to the event emanating from Orton's hometown of St. Louis. Come Sunday in Brooklyn, it will be interesting to see how the audience in attendance reacts to this match.
Furthermore, does it really matter who wins? Sheamus needs the momentum more of the two, but WWE's past booking of Money in the Bank winners is a major indicator that he will lose once again to Orton.
Either one of them could win and it wouldn't make a lick of a difference, but let's go with Orton simply for the sake of it being SummerSlam and that babyfaces tend to go over more often than not.
These two would have benefited greatly from a no-disqualification stipulation. There's always the chance it will be added the night of the show, but regardless, they should have an average outing.
Prediction: Randy Orton wins
Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro
6 of 10
As good a feud as this has been so far, imagine how much more it would mean if Kevin Owens won the United States Championship from John Cena at Battleground and that title was on the line here. Nevertheless, the match should still be special, and they've built it up well in recent weeks.
This is a typical case of both wrestlers needing wins, but I think both guys can benefit if the finish as well as the rest of the rivalry is handled properly. Owens is coming off two straight losses to Cena, whereas Cesaro has yet to emerge victorious in a big-match situation.
Cesaro and Owens each have an equal chance of winning this match, but Owens should be the victor in their first one-on-one encounter. He has won less televised matches than Cesaro in the past two months, whereas The Swiss Superman can bounce back from another loss and will still be over with the audience.
Besides, it's too early in the feud for Cesaro to be overcoming Owens, and the Brooklyn crowd will react favorably to this contest regardless of who wins.
Additionally, look for this match to be the undercard classic of the night. If given the time it deserves, it could very well be the best bout on the entire card.
Prediction: Kevin Owens wins
Team PCB vs. Team Bella vs. Team B.A.D. (Three-Team Elimination Match)
7 of 10
WWE has done a decent job of rebuilding the heavily damaged Divas division in the past month by giving the women more time for their matches, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Without character development, fans won't feel an attachment to any of the women's wrestlers, which won't bode well for them once the faction wars are over.
As for this match, it's a great way of including everyone in the card and makes sense from a storyline standpoint after what we've seen recently. However, there's no doubt that Team PCB will win here.
Although they've lost more matches than they've won of late, Team Bella doesn't need this victory. Nikki Bella will still be the Divas champion regardless of the outcome, so this match should be used to help put over one (or more) of the NXT standouts.
It's possible Sasha Banks will score the win for her team, but if there will be a singles match for the Divas title at Night of Champions, Charlotte could be the one to challenge for the gold, given she's a babyface. She already has a submission win over Nikki that has oddly gone under the radar, so winning this match would re-establish her as a threat to the title.
Here's hoping they can keep control of the match and not let it turn into a train wreck given the amount of people involved.
Prediction: Team PCB wins
Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper vs. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose
8 of 10
A case can be made for why both of these tandems should be involved in the WWE Tag Team Championship picture, but this rivalry has been thoroughly enjoyable so far. It's better than going back to Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns one-on-one yet again and incorporates Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper in a logical way.
Due to it being a tag team match, either team could win, and no one would suffer as a result. It's also worth noting that this might not be the end of the road for the rivalry, either.
That said, it's surprising how Reigns hasn't been able to win a match on pay-per-view since Extreme Rules in April. That alone makes one believe that the babyface duo will go over here, thus allowing Reigns to get his revenge against Wyatt without actually pinning him.
The biggest question on everyone's minds is if one of the former Shield members will turn heel here. That will definitely occur at some point, but unless it's Reigns, it wouldn't make sense to do it in Brooklyn, because the crowd will side with Ambrose anyway.
The chaotic brawls between the two duos in the last month have been a ton of fun, so this match should be as entertaining as the epic Shield-Wyatt Family matches from last year.
Prediction: Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose win
WWE Champion Seth Rollins vs. U.S. Champion John Cena (Winner Take All)
9 of 10
This looks to be a no-win situation for either man. John Cena and Seth Rollins have had strong reigns with their respective titles, and both would be better off losing them to someone who could benefit from the boost.
Although it would end the match on a sour note, a non-finish of some kind is very likely, and WWE hasn't shied from doing it before on the SummerSlam stage. But if forced to choose a winner between the two, it should undoubtedly be Rollins.
Cena's grand 16th world championship win should have more of a build behind it and not be rushed six days prior to the pay-per-view. It also shouldn't happen in a match that won't be closing out the show, so WWE would be wise to keep Cena in chase mode for a while longer.
As for Sheamus potentially cashing in Money in the Bank, it's difficult to see it happening this soon. He doesn't fit into the WWE title picture right now, and it'd be a predictable way of getting out of merging the two titles.
The match Cena and Rollins contested on the July 27 edition of Raw was phenomenal, and their SummerSlam outing should be no different.
Prediction: Seth Rollins leaves as the WWE world heavyweight and United States champion
Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker
10 of 10
Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker have appeared less on WWE programming going into SummerSlam than they did on the road to WrestleMania 30, but the build for the rematch has been exceptionally better this time around.
Most of that can be contributed to the epic brawl they had on the July 20 edition of Raw, but Paul Heyman's promos have also done a great job getting fans hyped for the match.
A non-finish would be the easy way out in this case, but it'd be disastrous for WWE to have the main event of their pay-per-view end in such a fashion for the second consecutive month. There must be a victor in this match, and it must be Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar has gone unbeaten since ending The Streak at WrestleMania 30 and his first pinfall loss in over two-and-a-half years shouldn't come in a match against someone who doesn't need the win. The Deadman has virtually nothing to gain from winning here, which then raises the question why WWE would have bothered bringing him back in the first place.
Losing to Taker on this show wouldn't kill his momentum entirely, but the defeat wouldn't be as damaging if Undertaker went full-fledged heel and resorted to dirty tactics to come out on top. Furthermore, there should be zero desire to see another rematch at WrestleMania 32, so hopefully both guys will move on to something new after Sunday.
Considering Undertaker has seemed to be in a much better state of health this year, he and Lesnar should be capable of contesting a brutal brawl worthy of the summer spectacular.
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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