WWE SummerSlam 2016: Predicting Winners for All Projected Title Matches

WWE SummerSlam 2016 will feature every belt being on the line in various matches, as well as a new title—the WWE Universal Championship—making its debut with the Raw brand.

Seth Rollins and Finn Balor will likely be the biggest match everyone is talking about, but we shouldn't overlook the other titles being defended, as some major shake-ups could occur.

On the SmackDown side of things, Dolph Ziggler is looking to stabilize his career with a renewed vigor at the spite of Dean Ambrose's cocky confidence.

The two midcard titles are up for grabs, as The Miz will defend his Intercontinental Championship against the young and hungry Apollo Crews, and the rivalry between Rusev and Roman Reigns over the United States Championship has become increasingly more personal as time has gone on.

Speaking of personal, The New Day is down one member, as Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were able to take Big E out of the equation, evening the odds for their tag team bout.

Last but not least, Sasha Banks will be defending her newly won Women's Championship against Charlotte, who still claims to be the top woman of the division despite no longer having the title to her name.

What is going to happen with these championship matches at SummerSlam 2016?

Who will walk out with gold around their waists, and which wrestlers will be licking their wounds as they fall from grace?

Let's break these matches down and give some predictions of what will transpire.

WWE Tag Team Championships: The New Day vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

Credit: WWE.com

Ever since The New Day passed the record for longest title reign during this lineage of the WWE Tag Team Championships, the trio's days were numbered in more ways than one.

WWE rarely keeps titles on Superstars long enough to break records, and when that does happen, it's almost always the case that new champions are crowned soon after—sometimes as quick as that very week or even day.

The New Day has avoided this loss for a few more weeks, although it's easy to think the inevitable will catch up to it when Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows receive their shot.

First off, this will be an even two-on-two match without a third New Day member hanging around ringside to provide support for his teammates. Frequently, that outside player is likely to stop any shady tactics from happening or to just motivate the other two.

As the members of The Club diagnosed, Big E is out with a case of "ring post-itis," meaning Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will have no advantages other than the standard champion's leverage of being able to retain through disqualification or count-out.

Since they are babyfaces, those outcomes aren't likely to occur, and since none of these four men specialize in submissions, this is going to come down to who can score the pinfall.

Distractions and cheating favor Anderson and Gallows heavily, and WWE may be looking to freshen things up with new champions so as to keep The New Day from becoming too stale.

Losing the belts at this point would not hurt The New Day in the slightest. It carved out its spot in the history of great wrestling stables long ago, so it's time for the new blood to get some of the spotlight.

SummerSlam needs to come off feeling as big as WrestleMania, and this title change will help build some of that reputation.

Prediction: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows become the new champions.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz vs. Apollo Crews

Credit: WWE.com

While The New Day is in the record books, The Miz has taken to counting his days as champion just for the thrill of it despite being several hundred days behind The Honky Tonk Man's record of 454 days—a record that will probably stand forever.

If Apollo Crews has anything to say about it, he'll not only be the one to overcome The A-Lister, but he'll also kick-start his title reign by ending The Miz's at SummerSlam, dethroning the loudmouth and proving he's a force to be reckoned with on the blue brand.

For fans of his work in NXT and on the independent scene, the optimistic viewpoint for this match is that Crews has a lot of positives on his side to win. He's the younger star with more to prove, and he's being portrayed as the more athletically gifted between the two.

However, The Miz is a cagey veteran in comparison. He has retained his title numerous times through manipulation and interference from Maryse or by just finding a way around the rules on his own.

The biggest question to decipher a winner for this match is whether WWE values the momentum of change and the brass's push of Crews or if the story being told is "close, but no cigar."

Not every title will change hands, so if The New Day loses and there's already a guarantee of the Universal Championship surprise, The Miz could retain here, only to drop it at Backlash.

Prediction: The Miz somehow walks out with the Intercontinental Championship despite Crews appearing like the rightful winner.

WWE United States Championship: Rusev vs. Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

The United States Championship match is surrounded with so many outlying factors that it makes it tough to distinguish just how WWE views the setup to begin with, let alone the potential finish.

Rusev and Lana just had their wedding, meaning there could be more time set aside for a honeymoon vacation coming up. The two lovebirds could be holding off on celebrating their wedding until Rusev drops the title and doesn't have to be depended on.

More important, though, is the situation with Roman Reigns and his position in the company. After violating the wellness policy, he was suspended for 30 days, took the pinfall loss at Battleground and was seemingly demoted to the midcard for this feud.

Is that the truth, or is it just misguided speculation? Has Reigns actually been taken down a few pegs and saddled with Rusev as a form of punishment?

If that is the case, the former top dog is going to lose this match or at least be unsuccessful in adding another title to his trophy case. This would be another way to humble him, and it would be an opportunity to boost Rusev's clout.

On the other hand, this could be the opposite scenario. Perhaps Reigns was moved into a United States Championship feud so he could win the belt and carry it while Seth Rollins and others focus on the main event scene.

This would be a means to keep Reigns relevant to the WWE Universe without putting the primary focal point of the show on his shoulders, as he's no longer as trustworthy as he was prior to his suspension.

History tells professional wrestling fans to err on the side of caution when going to two different extremes, as the simplest answer is almost always what ends up being the truth.

Prediction: Roman Reigns will win the match by disqualification or lose through some sort of shenanigans, so he will look strong but will not take the title from Rusev.

WWE Women's Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte

Credit: WWE.com

For the majority of the title matches taking place at SummerSlam, the outcome is somewhat up in the air, but that does not apply to the Women's Championship bout.

Sasha Banks is too popular for WWE to take the title off her this soon after she won it on July 25. Doing so would tarnish her credibility in a way that would be hard to come back from without putting in more effort than it would be worth.

What would the benefits be? Another Charlotte title reign would retread on familiar ground, and that isn't something the fans are clamoring for more than Banks getting her proper shot at the top.

With Dana Brooke banned from ringside, this only helps solidify the idea of The Boss retaining her title even more.

Charlotte is not going down without a fight—that's for sure—and this could end up being one of the best women's wrestling matches of the entire year, but the finish is not something that feels even remotely up for debate.

Prediction: The Boss keeps her gold safe and sound.

WWE World Championship: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler

Credit: WWE.com

As a fan of Dolph Ziggler, it's tough to admit the following, but it's nonetheless true: He has no chance at winning the WWE World Championship.

Saying Sasha Banks is guaranteed to defeat Charlotte is the only other match that compares to this one when it comes to predictability.

Dean Ambrose has surpassed Ziggler's popularity and credibility in their respective careers to a point where The Showoff needs to step up his game to be looked at on the same level.

Since both are babyfaces, this has the potential to be one of the most interesting and entertaining matches of the night. Both men are great performers who will give it their all in an attempt to steal the show, and they may be successful at that.

Barring some kind of news report that Ambrose has sullied his reputation backstage, Ziggler's stock has risen dramatically or that an injury would dictate the result of this match, it seems like this is the one title match where the easiest bets can be made.

All of the odds are in Ambrose's favor, ranging from him having the champion's advantage to his track record of late in comparison to Ziggler's.

The Lunatic Fringe may be in for a fight, but he's exactly the type of character to put up with everything Ziggler can throw at him and still pull out a victory.

Look out for either a mutual sign of respect at the end of this match or a heel turn for Ziggler, but don't hold your breath for a title change.

Prediction: Dean Ambrose holds on to SmackDown's WWE World Championship.

WWE Universal Championship: Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

The 2016 brand split has forever altered the course of WWE, and with Raw missing a world champion, commissioner Stephanie McMahon and general manager Mick Foley decided to up the ante by announcing the creation of the new Universal Championship.

Putting aside any feelings about the name of the title and its implications for intergalactic adversaries to be included in the mix from now on, the two wrestlers fighting to be declared the first-ever universal champion are Finn Balor and Seth Rollins.

One man has been the figurehead of NXT for many months, carrying the NXT Championship with intense passion and gaining much support from the WWE Universe. The other was one of the longest reigning WWE world heavyweight champions of the modern era—along with having an extra reign added to his numbers despite how short that was.

Both would make great champions in their own ways, so WWE can't go wrong with the decision here. If Dean Ambrose retains his title, Rollins would be a good juxtaposition, as it would be nice to see one brand have a heel champion while the other has a babyface on top.

On the contrary, if it's interesting to see something different, what's fresher than a new addition to the main event scene being the guy to carry the championship? Balor has proved himself trustworthy, so it isn't as though WWE would be putting too much responsibility on someone who couldn't handle it.

Rollins has the edge when the ability to cheat is factored in, but Balor's story could be that he has the heart to overcome any and all obstacles.

The Architect is often portrayed as the smarter person in his matches, but how do you outsmart The Demon King? Isn't that the type of unpredictable element that would be difficult to anticipate and strategize around?

Since this match is arguably the biggest and most important on the card, it is probably going to end the show, which means fans will want to go home happy. The way to do that is for Balor to get the upset and be the first universal champion in WWE history.

Prediction: Finn Balor keeps the ball rolling in the New Era by winning the WWE Universal Championship.

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.