WWE SummerSlam 2016: Start Time, Possible Spoilers, Best Finishes
On Sunday night, WWE SummerSlam will air live at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dedicated fans will want to tune in starting at 5 p.m. ET for the SummerSlam Kickoff. The pre-show has three matches scheduled:
- Cesaro vs. Sheamus (first match of Best-of-Seven series)
- Sami Zayn and Neville vs. The Dudley Boyz
- American Alpha, The Hype Bros and The Usos vs. Breezango, The Ascension and The Vaudevillains
The main show will start at 7 p.m. ET. It will run for four hours and feature 10 matches, including:
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- Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (Women's Championship)
- Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE World Championship)
- Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (WWE Universal Championship)
- Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton
That’s six hours of professional wrestling total, although the first hour of the kickoff will likely be commentary only; Barclays Center is informing live fans that the show starts at 6 p.m. ET.
Here are some possible spoilers and best finishes for the biggest show of the summer.
Possible Spoilers
David Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says the Lesnar vs. Orton match is scheduled to main event SummerSlam.
According to Antony DiMoro of Forbes, WWE Creative may have Goldberg confront Lesnar at SummerSlam. There would be no better way to close the show. Picture it: Goldberg runs in and costs Lesnar the win against Orton. The Viper celebrates, and Lesnar and Goldberg stare daggers at each other as SummerSlam goes off the air.
A source at Cageside Seats claims that New Day will likely drop the tag team title belts to The Club.
According to Daily Wrestling News, John Cena, who now considers himself a part-time wrestler, is planning to take time off after SummerSlam. He will be filming a second season of American Grit and will likely return in time for November's Survivor Series. This might indicate that AJ Styles will beat Cena at SummerSlam and carry SmackDown during Cena’s absence.
Best Finishes for Three Midcard Matches
SummerSlam 2016 Predictions
| Match | Predicted Winner | Predicted Finish |
| American Alpha, The Hype Bros & The Usos vs. Breezango, The Ascension & The Vaudevillains | American Alpha, The Hype Bros & The Usos | Pinfall |
| Sami Zayn & Neville vs. The Dudley Boyz | Sami Zayn & Neville | Pinfall |
| Cesaro vs. Sheamus | Sheamus | Pinfall |
| Carmella, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya, Alexa Bliss & TBD | Carmella, Becky Lynch & Naomi | Submission |
| The Miz vs. Apollo Crews | The Miz | Pinfall, Outside Interference |
| Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens | Enzo Amore & Big Cass | Pinfall, Clean |
| The New Day vs. The Club | The Club | Pinfall, Clean |
| Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte | Sasha Banks | Submission |
| Rusev vs. Roman Reigns | Roman Reigns | Submission, Interference |
| John Cena vs. AJ Styles | AJ Styles | Pinfall |
| Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler | Dean Ambrose | Pinfall |
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins | Finn Balor | Pinfall |
| Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton | Randy Orton | Pinfall, Interference |
Cesaro vs. Sheamus
Why? This is the first match in a best-of-seven series, which means we will likely see all seven matches, and we're going to be watching these two guys fight for two to three months. The whole thing just stinks of poor booking and a "we need to give them something to do" attitude.
Does it really matter who wins the first match? No, not really, especially if they're going to be splitting the wins.
It's up to the two competitors to save this series and make it a brutal, stiff, old-school affair. Maybe the last couple of matches can have some interesting stipulations or incentives to keep the interest going? Time will tell.
Sheamus will probably win the first match. He's been out front for the company, doing lots of promotion and public appearances. And Cesaro might still be in the doghouse for expressing his opinion of the WWE draft.
The New Day vs. The Club
After the buildup for the past month, it would be a genuine surprise if New Day managed to retain the titles. They've held the belts for a year, and they are so popular with the fans that they don't need the titles to get over.
Furthermore, New Day is not at 100 percent, which gives them a perfect excuse to lose; Big E. has been on the bench since The Club attacked him with the ring post.
Gallows and Anderson, on the other hand, have not gotten over with the casual fans. Along with AJ Styles, they lost their six-man tag match against Cena, Enzo and Cass at Battleground. Another loss would be a major setback and paint them as weak.
Expect Gallows and Anderson to go over in dominating fashion, and expect Woods to take the pinfall.
Rusev vs. Roman Reigns
Finally, at long last, Roman Reigns is where he needs to be. He's in the upper midcard contending for a midcard belt. The WWE Universe has given him a wonderful, warm response since he's made the move down from the main event, and it proves that the fans actually like Reigns. They just don't want him crammed down their throats at every opportunity.
The Rusev and Lana wedding two weeks ago gave Reigns the opportunity to show his humorous side and loosen up a little. It's refreshing to see what Reigns is like when he isn't carrying the company on his back or hindered by creative decisions that are out of his control.
This title match should be the beginning of a long feud rather than a one-off confrontation. Rusev will win with Lana's interference. That finish will keep both competitors looking strong, and Reigns will continue to torture the happy couple into the fall.
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