WWE SummerSlam 2016: Full Card Predictions After Battleground

Blockbuster matches that fans have long seen coming will be key to the WWE SummerSlam 2016 card.

The Battleground pay-per-view offered a number of peeks at what to expect at next month's massive event. John Cena evened the score with AJ Styles. Sasha Banks bent Charlotte in half. 

Those results will inevitably lead to two SummerSlam bouts that will surprise no one. Cena vs. Styles looked worthy of the August PPV from the get-go. Banks vs. Charlotte was destined to happen on a stage this size.

What of the rest of the Raw and SmackDown Superstars?

What does WWE have in mind for Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady at SummerSlam? Who will challenge Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship? What does Raw do about its lack of world title?

The following is a look at how WWE is likely to answer those questions. A look at storyline arcs, logical scenarios and any hints floating out there help shape the SummerSlam card beyond the previously announced Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton showdown. 

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Women's Championship)

The pieces have been falling into place for Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for a long time. 

The latest came in the form of Banks and Bayley beating Charlotte and Dana Brooke at Battleground. The final image of that bout was The Boss wrenching the champ's head backward and forcing her to submit.

That victory will propel Banks to the title shot she has been demanding for the past few weeks.

And WWE has been prepping her to step into contention. Banks is 8-1 since returning to action in May, per CageMatch.net. She's been made to look like a world-beater as Charlotte has done everything to avoid facing her.

This is the money match many thought would happen at WrestleMania. It is now set to be one of SummerSlam's key additions.

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev (United States Championship)

Rusev and Sami Zayn both walked out of Battleground with an increased supply of momentum. 

The Bulgarian Brute beat down Zack Ryder to retain the United States Championship. It was just the latest in a string of dominating performances. Afterward, Rusev demanded a tougher challenge. 

As for Zayn, he spent Battleground outdueling his longtime rival Kevin Owens. The victory was one of the babyface's best performances to date.

Pitting Zayn against Rusev would create another underdog-vs.-monster story, something we have seen a number of times in The Bulgarian Brute's past, including his brief feud with Ryder.

Finn Balor vs. Chris Jericho

Finn Balor needs a way to make an introduction. Chris Jericho has been playing a gatekeeper of sorts for new stars. WWE will fit these two puzzle pieces together at SummerSlam with that in mind.

Balor ruled NXT for the past two years. He's now set to thrill fans as part of Raw after going to the red brand with the third overall pick in last week's draft.

WWE's schedule may have spoiled what the company had planned for Balor upon his arrival. As PWInsider's Steven Fernandes noted, Jericho vs. Balor is advertised for WWE's South American tour in October.

Jericho playing the role of veteran taking on a rookie is nothing new. Y2J did that for both Fandango and AJ Styles in recent years.

Balor will walk a similar route as Styles, getting his career jump-started by way of clashing with a veteran who can still go in big spots. 

John Cena vs. AJ Styles

With Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady's help, John Cena took down The Club at Battleground.

That contest served as a bridge between Cena and AJ Styles' instant classic at Money in the Bank and their expected rematch at SummerSlam. Visions of the marquee pay-per-view were in many heads as soon as Styles vs. Cena I wrapped up.

Indy wrestler Gran Akuma tweeted: "Cena/Styles was stellar. I'm not even mad at the finish, because it means more matches like that. A SummerSlam level feud for sure."

Styles bested Cena the first time around. Cena earned a win in this tag team bout. That evened the series, and sets up SummerSlam as the potential home for the rubber match.

With as stellar as Cena and Styles' first clash was, WWE has to be licking its lips thinking of what those two could do on the SummerSlam stage.

The New Day vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (Tag Team Championship)

The New Day fell to The Wyatt Family at Battleground, but thanks to the brand split won't have to worry about those monsters anymore. The New Day will instead have to take on a fellow Raw squad—Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady.

The Realest Guys in the Room are already hugely over. Since their arrival from NXT this April, Amore and Big Cass have earned some of the biggest reactions of anyone on the roster. Expect WWE to take advantage of that. 

We don't often see babyface-against-babyface matchups like this, but this is too good of a clash to avoid for that reason. The rest of the tag team division would kill for the momentum these two teams have.

WWE will look to catapult Amore and Cassady into true stardom. After their win at Battleground against The Club, they are destined to meet the champs at SummerSlam. 

The banter during the build is going to be magical.

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship)

After outlasting Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose is without a rival.

The WWE champion defeated his old allies at Battleground, assuring that the title would be exclusive to SmackDown. Many of the big names on the blue brand will have other plans come SummerSlam.

Randy Orton will be busy tangling with Brock Lesnar. John Cena is sure to collide with AJ Styles. That doesn't leave a ton of options left. 

That situation will open the door for Bray Wyatt. He is fresh off leading his team to victory against the tag team champs The New Day. 

The Eater of Worlds has circled the fringes of the WWE title picture in the past, but has never fully been pushed. As one of SmackDown's brightest stars in a time where WWE is trumpeting the arrival of a New Era, though, that is set to change.

Look for Wyatt and Ambrose to revisit their 2014 rivalry, moving it to a bigger stage and changing its dynamic by way of the WWE Championship.

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens (World Championship)

Dean Ambrose's victory at Battleground left Raw without a world championship.

For now, that will be used as a means to add buzz for SmackDown. Eventually, though, WWE is going to go back to the two-title system it implemented during the last brand split. The company isn't going to leave its flagship show lacking in world title pedigree.

That will create the need to crown a new champion, a need that the two men Ambrose defeated on Sunday night will help fill.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins will keep battling. As Monday's Raw preview on WWE.com laid out, "There's no chance these two are done with each other, so the only question is where 'The Man' and 'The Guy' will take their rivalry next."

Rising stars Cesaro and Kevin Owens will join the fray, with WWE looking to make use of two of its top performers.

Cesaro didn't make the Battleground card. Owens dropped his pay-per-view match to Sami Zayn. There will be a lot of work needed to get both men into the title picture, but it will be well worth it.

This Fatal 4-Way showdown has classic written all over it.