WWE SummerSlam 2016: Updated Match Card, Predictions for PPV's Biggest Stars
WWE SummerSlam 2016 is heavy on established stars in headlining roles while sprinkling in some of the athletes who will move the company into The New Era.
WWE is leaning on its top stars for SummerSlam, as evidenced by the match card. Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho have prime matchups at The Biggest Party of the Summer, which isn't surprising.
While Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns have dominated WWE programming over the last two years, it's the company's biggest names who draw attention. Not many casual fans may know The Shield, but plenty of people who pay attention to pop culture or sports in general know Lesnar and Cena.
Aside from WrestleMania, SummerSlam is the biggest and most anticipated pay-per-view on the WWE calendar, and the company wants to maximize the Superstars who casual fans have come to recognize.
The four-hour spectacle that is this year's SummerSlam needs that longtime star power to help draw fans who may only pay attention a couple of times per year. Plus, with SummerSlam returning to the New York City market, those big names will help focus the media on what happens at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
That's not to say The New Era won't be represented. Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are all early in their main roster careers and have prominent spots on the card. Enzo Amore and Big Cass might be the hottest tandem in WWE, and the New York natives are an instant sell to the raucous local crowd.
Then there's WWE's newest call-up and potentially its biggest future star, Finn Balor. The company is shooting him up the ladder, featuring him in one of Sunday night's headline matches against Rollins for the newly introduced WWE Universal Championship.
SummerSlam is one of WWE's pre-eminent events, and the company is holding nothing back in putting its biggest stars in prime positions. Who will be the biggest stars of the night, and what does SummerSlam have in store for them?
It's time to make some predictions. But first, let's look at the updated match card for Sunday's PPV.
WWE SummerSlam 2016 Match Card (as of August 18)
1 of 6Here is the latest match card for WWE SummerSlam 2016, as of Thursday:
- Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. Randy Orton
- Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins; singles match for the WWE Universal Championship
- Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE World Championship
- John Cena vs. AJ Styles
- Rusev (c) (with Lana) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE United States Championship
- Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte for the WWE Women's Championship; Dana Brooke is banned from ringside
- The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Club (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) for the WWE Tag Team Championship
- Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens
- The Miz (c) (with Maryse) vs. Apollo Crews for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
- Cesaro vs. Sheamus; first match in best-of-seven series
- Carmella, Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Natalya, Eva Marie and Alexa Bliss
While 11 matches might seem like a lot, this year's SummerSlam is a four-hour event, starting at 7 p.m. ET. It's a stacked card, for sure; more than half of Sunday's matches will be for WWE gold, including the company's newest belt, the WWE Universal Championship.
We start our predictions for SummerSlam's biggest stars with that match, focusing on the newest member of the main roster, Finn Balor.
Finn Balor
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Without question, WWE is going all in with Finn Balor.
Once he was announced as one of the first picks in last month's WWE draft, Balor became an instant star. Hardcore fans have known of Balor's ability for quite some time, both from his days in NXT and, before that, in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The Irishman finally made his presence known to casual fans the following week on Raw, making his way through a Fatal 4-Way semifinal match and a No. 1 contender's match against Roman Reigns to earn the right to square off against Seth Rollins for the newly established WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
Since then, he's stared down his opponent twice and has gotten the better of him each time. The Demon King (that's what WWE is now officially calling his alter ego) debuted not at the pay-per-view but on the go-home show in an attempt to build more excitement and anticipation.
Heading into SummerSlam, the question becomes: Can Balor afford to lose?
As Bleacher Report's Donald Wood recently wrote: "Building a true aura in wrestling consists of having an element of invincibility, and the Demon King losing to Rollins at SummerSlam would instantly damage his credibility with the casual wrestling fans."
Balor has climbed the ladder so quickly that anything less than winning would be deflating. WWE has built him up so much that he can't afford to lose. Doing so would cheapen the former NXT champion as a sideshow who gets painted up for special events.
Rollins vs. Balor is likely to steal the show at SummerSlam, and WWE should look to continue their feud through the remainder of the year, until current storylines with other main event-level stars (Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar) play out.
In addition, WWE can ill afford a screwy finish to usher in its newest title on the flagship program, Raw. Such a result would cheapen not only the WWE Universal Championship but the Superstar who holds it.
Prediction: Balor defeats Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship.
Sasha Banks
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There shouldn't be much doubt whether Sasha Banks will retain her WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam.
The Legit Boss has waited her turn since being called up to the main roster last summer, allowing Charlotte, Becky Lynch and even Natalya to have their moments to shine. Now it's Sasha's turn, and she's been among the top performers since stepping into the title scene.
The bigger question? Who will take Charlotte's place as Banks' top challenger?
The best Superstar to take Charlotte's place would have been Paige. However, she is now out of the picture following her suspension for violating the company's wellness policy. As a former champion, Paige would have been an instant contender, one who could mount a viable challenge to Banks.
After Paige, it's a thin group of contenders.
Summer Rae and Alicia Fox are good for television matches, but they're not credible threats to challenge for the title. Nia Jax has been presented as an unstoppable force, but she's faced only local talent since her call-up to the main roster.
The wild card in all of this could be a woman who is not even on the main roster. Bayley, who will face Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn for the NXT Women's Championship, has already made her pay-per-view debut at Battleground, teaming with Banks against Charlotte and Brooke. There is still the question of which program—Raw or SmackDown—would receive the former NXT champion, especially with the lack of a headline female Superstar on the blue brand's roster.
Of course, WWE could continue to showcase Banks and Charlotte, allowing that feud to persist until Jax is ready to perform on a larger stage. However, as seen on Raw this past week, WWE seems to be planting the seeds for a post-SummerSlam feud between the former women's champion and her protege, Dana Brooke. If that's the case, Banks will need someone to match up against.
The smart money is on Jax challenging Banks' reign the night after SummerSlam.
Prediction: Banks retains the WWE Women's Championship.
Dean Ambrose
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Of all the Superstars on this SummerSlam list, Dean Ambrose faces the most credible challenge.
Of all the buildups heading into The Biggest Party of the Summer, WWE has done its best work with the Ambrose-Dolph Ziggler feud. No Superstar on the main roster has benefited more from the brand split than Ziggler, who has been rejuvenated by his full-time move to SmackDown.
In the beginning, Ziggler was an odd choice to be the No. 1 contender to Ambrose's title. However, over the last three weeks The Show Off has proved himself more than capable of holding his own against The Lunatic Fringe.
Both men have displayed a hunger to be the top man on SmackDown, which has enhanced the buildup to SummerSlam.
Their match could be sneaky good, an under-the-radar showcase that has been overshadowed by the other headlining matches in this stacked pay-per-view.
Both men are at their best when playing the underdog, so it will be an interesting dynamic in the ring. Will the match be a back-and-forth affair, with neither man gaining an advantage until the end? Or will one of them be made to look strong throughout, only to come up short against the resilient opponent? In any case, the match is sure to elevate both competitors.
While Ziggler has already gotten a huge rub by being the first challenger to SmackDown's top titleholder, Ambrose should pull out the victory Sunday night. He's become the standard-bearer for the blue brand, a workhorse who shows up night in and night out for fans.
More than likely, SmackDown is building toward an eventual program between Ambrose and the winner of the John Cena-AJ Styles feud.
Prediction: Ambrose wins and retains the WWE World Championship.
John Cena and AJ Styles
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It's tough to separate AJ Styles from John Cena when it comes to who should receive top billing in this match. It all depends on which audience you're talking to.
For the casual fan, Cena remains the face of WWE, a veteran who's done more for the company than any other Superstar of his generation. His work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation is second to none. He's a merchandising machine who is beloved by children and parents.
He's also beloved by a group that WWE Corporate loves: the media. From his series American Grit on Fox to guest-hosting duties on NBC's Today Show, Fox's Teen Choice Awards and ESPN's ESPY Awards to film appearances, Cena is a walking billboard for WWE.
To not like Cena means one of two things: Either you don't like apple pie, ice cream and puppies, or you're a hardcore wrestling fan.
In the case of the latter, AJ Styles is everything you're looking for in a Superstar. The talented, well-traveled indie star has been among the most popular Superstars since his debut at this year's Royal Rumble. Styles' show-stealing matches are a big reason; his innovative offense is in direct opposition to Cena's oft-criticized Five Moves of Doom.
The dichotomy between these two is what makes their matchup special. It's also why WWE isn't likely to end this feud after two matches.
In typical WWE booking fashion, expect Cena to claim the win at SummerSlam, setting up the eventual rubber match at the SmackDown-only pay-per-view, Backlash. That's where Style should go over in order to set up a championship feud with current WWE world champion Dean Ambrose heading into Survivor Series.
Prediction: Cena wins.
Brock Lesnar
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Brock Lesnar might be a part-time WWE Superstar, but make no mistake: He remains the biggest draw.
Lesnar is headlining WWE SummerSlam this weekend against Randy Orton. The match is the lone crossover bout between the Raw and SmackDown brands, and the star power alone has wrestling fans excited.
While Orton's return to WWE's pay-per-view scene is anticipated, Lesnar is the main attraction here. His victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 helped validate Lesnar as a premier fighter both in the ring and Octagon, and WWE took advantage of all the media attention that fight garnered.
That adulation was short-lived once Lesnar was found to have failed a fight-night drug test. WWE has danced around the topic, with only a brief comedic mention by Orton during his interview with Chris Jericho at WWE Battleground.
Lesnar's even succumbed to Orton's RKO to close out a recent episode of Raw, although he exacted revenge the next night on SmackDown.
Still, Lesnar's invincibility has now been questioned in kayfabe, which begs the question: Will WWE make The Beast Incarnate a beast once again? Or will the powers-that-be decide that Lesnar needs to eat the pin at SummerSlam?
Turnbuckle Weekly's Chuck Carroll (h/t CBS Local Sports) believes it's possible that WWE will have Lesnar fall to Orton. Doing so would serve to punish Lesnar and help elevate the blue brand:
"WWE may opt not to have Lesnar put on such a dominating performance against Randy Orton ... It would have been unfathomable for Lesnar to lose at SummerSlam following a clean triumphant return to UFC. But his victory now appears to be about as dirty as his blood samples. That puts WWE in the unique position to have Orton come out on top here… and cleanly at that.
His mistakes may just cost him at SummerSlam, and the punishment may continue on for a while longer. WWE may give him the proverbial slap on the wrist by having Lesnar drop a couple of matches in a row.
"
As Carroll writes, Lesnar may receive the "Roman Reigns treatment," noting how Reigns' wellness policy violation cost him his main event spot. Reigns will battle Rusev for the United States Championship Sunday.
Eric Bischoff agrees with Carroll. On his latest podcast, Bischoff on Wrestling, the former WCW president and WWE Raw general manager said he would book Orton to defeat Lesnar at SummerSlam (h/t WrestleZone):
"So which one of these two do I want to prop up under these particular circumstances? I think, setting aside how I feel about them as performers, from a purely business point of view, I would probably have to go with Randy. Otherwise, all I am doing is drawing more attention to myself due to a really unfortunate situation.
"
WWE is in a tough situation with Lesnar. Seeing as how he's a part-time Superstar who is working limited dates, an Orton win would do more to help the company in the immediate future. But WWE must weigh that against booking Lesnar to lose, thus eliminating his invincibility. Look for this match to be as even as possible until the final bell.
Prediction: Lesnar defeats Orton.
What do you think? Continue the conversation in the comments section.
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