Way Too Early Predictions for WWE SummerSlam 2018 Match Card
The next WWE pay-per-view following Extreme Rules will be SummerSlam 2018, set for August 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This is still far enough away that plenty of plans can change, and the landscape of the WWE Universe could look drastically different from now, in more ways than one.
Superstars can get injured, feuds can get over more with the fans than anticipated or fail to capture the audience's attention, and the writing team can run out of ideas.
However, we're already starting to see some hints at what could possibly be in mind for the lineup of the biggest show of the summer.
WWE is dropping clues left and right, and there is a logical progression to some of these storylines, so it's up to us to speculate on where things will go.
Part of the fun in looking ahead is filling in the gaps with our predictions, so let's take a look at some of the options of what might be in store for fans come SummerSlam 2018.
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Lio Rush
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As Cedric Alexander looks to build the legacy of his title reign, it appears as though Hideo Itami is the next in line for an opportunity at the belt.
With Extreme Rules coming up first, it's only logical to assume those two will face each other at that event, rather than at SummerSlam.
In fact, with the way the most recent co-branded events have been booked, the cruiserweights have entirely been ignored without a single appearance on a pay-per-view since WrestleMania.
With that in mind, Itami's title shot could also happen on 205 Live over the next few weeks, as stretching this out until August could be asking for too much.
By that time, Alexander will have likely retained the title and be on the lookout for a new contender, which is where Lio Rush steps in.
He made his debut this week and soundly defeated an enhancement talent, before cutting a promo about how nobody in the locker room can compare to him.
WWE will assuredly keep up that trend in showing Rush as a star on the rise, with his ascent eventually leading to the top of the food chain.
Alexander vs. Rush will be a Cruiserweight Championship clash between someone who respects competition and someone whose ego controls his life in what will presumably be the pre-show of the night.
United States Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
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After losing multiple attempts to win the WWE Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura immediately set his sights on Jeff Hardy's United States title as his next target.
The two were set to face off on SmackDown this week, but Nakamura was unable to compete, leading to this encounter being postponed.
It's doubtful they will go too much longer without fighting, with their inevitable title match probably happening at Extreme Rules.
The smart money is to bet on Nakamura winning the championship there, which will offset his recent string of losses and reposition him as a top star on SmackDown.
After that, Hardy will be entitled to a rematch, which is the absolute easiest direction for the feud.
It requires little to no effort for the writers to continue this storyline into SummerSlam, as there will be enough animosity between the two to keep the heat and a logical reason for them to fight again.
At SummerSlam, Nakamura will retain the title before moving on to someone new in September.
Raw Women's Championship Match: Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey
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One of the few matches that appears to be set in stone, rather than the product of educated guesswork, is for Ronda Rousey to get a shot at the Raw Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss.
When Bliss cashed in the Money in the Bank contract and interrupted in Rousey's match against Nia Jax, she arguably cut in line and stole the title away from the next champion to be.
After Rousey attacked Bliss on Raw and got herself suspended for 30 days, it seemed to set forth an obvious path for The Goddess.
Jax's obligatory rematch is set for Extreme Rules, wherein Bliss will retain the title—by hook or by crook—only to find herself facing danger immediately when Rousey's suspension is lifted.
Since Rousey is the biggest star in the women's division, having her at SummerSlam is a must, and booking her in a title match against Bliss is one of the best draws WWE can organize.
This will be the match that crowns Rousey the new champion, which appears to be inevitable.
SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Carmella vs. Becky Lynch
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Since Asuka has lost three matches now, including her title match against Carmella at Money in the Bank, it's hard to put much stock in her being the primary focal point of SmackDown's women's division.
A few months back, when her undefeated streak was in tact, this appeared to be a guarantee, but it's no longer believable.
With James Ellsworth by her side, it's more than possible Carmella is somehow able to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship yet again, either through a distraction victory or the champion's advantage by disqualification or count out.
Following that, it would make sense for Becky Lynch to be the next contender in line for a title shot, as she appears to be in the process of being built up for a push.
Looking past even SummerSlam, it makes it easier to think Lynch could be the one to dethrone Carmella, as Survivor Series will be the next of the big four main pay-per-views.
Assuming that show follows last year's format with the champions of Raw and SmackDown facing each other, Ronda Rousey vs. Lynch would certainly catch a lot of attention.
While it's true that Asuka vs. Rousey could be interesting, Lynch's association with Charlotte Flair and the Four Horsewomen would be the first tease in the mega match between Flair and Rousey at WrestleMania 35.
If Asuka comes up short yet again at Extreme Rules, be on the lookout for Lynch to swoop in and steal her thunder.
Raw Tag Team Championship: The Deleters of Worlds vs. the Authors of Pain
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As fun as The B-Team and The Deleters of Worlds can be, it's important not to lose sight of how they are both jokes at their cores.
There isn't much of a foundation to build a division around either one of them, as it's tough to take them seriously as the champions and best of all the tag team competition.
Between the two, Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt have an advantage of being more credible due to their singles careers, which should give them the edge to retain the titles out of Extreme Rules, but following that, the belts are in serious danger of going to other people.
Among the possible options, The Authors of Pain should be the best equipped to go on a path of destruction that leads straight to gold, as they are now back in the mix after making their returns on Raw and looking dominant.
SummerSlam seems as good a time as any for a fresh start, and putting the belts on a pair of monsters who look like the total opposite of a comedic act could be the way WWE plans on revitalizing the division.
Raw's Intercontinental Championship Scene and Leftover Singles Stars
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Perhaps the most difficult aspect of SummerSlam to predict is what will happen with the large quantity of noteworthy stars on Monday Night Raw who seem to be in flux at the moment.
To a certain extent, this applies to Braun Strowman, even though his Money in the Bank contract possibly points to his involvement in the Universal Championship hunt more than anything else.
However, he's been interacting with Kevin Owens, Finn Balor and Baron Corbin, who could have every right to be in the multi-man match that has seemingly been scrapped, based on their previous accomplishments.
This can't amount to another series of tag team bouts, so they will have to figure out something more solid for them to do, and if the Universal Championship is not in their sights, the Intercontinental Championship may take that belt's place.
Naturally, that depends on what happens between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins, as they are the focus right now for that title.
Rollins and Ziggler could simply have another match at Extreme Rules, but if that happens, it'll be hard to sell the crowd on watching a fourth fight without some gimmick attached.
That is where we may see WWE simply merge these Superstars together in a different multi-man setup, with all of them fighting each other with the Intercontinental Championship on the line.
Whoever wins could pick any of the other contenders as the next spinoff feud rather easily, and it would get lots of names on to the card without much effort.
The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan
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Team Hell No will receive a shot at the SmackDown tag titles at Extreme Rules, but given Kane's status as a part-timer, it's safe to say The Bludgeon Brothers will be able to retain, despite the fight they're up against.
Harper and Rowan aren't the only ones involved in this feud, though, as The Miz has been an integral part in pushing this story along, butting his head in and continuing his animosity toward Daniel Bryan.
That feud between The Miz and Bryan has many years behind it, and WWE's creative team obviously aren't foolish enough to overlook the interest in seeing it continue.
The easy prediction in all this is that The Miz will undoubtedly interfere to cost Bryan and Miz their title match, setting up a one-on-one fight between Bryan and The Miz for SummerSlam where they'll attempt to settle the score once and for all.
Unfortunately for The Bludgeon Brothers, though, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship may be pushed aside, as the tag team division hasn't been the top priority for these co-branded events, so they may be completely inconsequential in the planning of this card and just as absent as Kane.
WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
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Rusev has been consistently cheered by the fans for several months, but WWE still refuses to officially turn him babyface for some reason, hurting the momentum he can gain.
Because of this, it's difficult to trust in any solid push coming out of his title match against AJ Styles, which appears to be a one-shot job to fill time and nothing more.
After Extreme Rules, Styles will move on to a new challenger, which could only really be Samoa Joe, given the hierarchy on SmackDown and the possibility The Miz and Daniel Bryan will be busy with each other.
Joe is as worthy of a contender as can be, with the size and intensity to be a legitimate threat to The Phenomenal One.
The two have worked together plenty of times in Impact Wrestling to guarantee they'll have good chemistry in the ring at one of the biggest shows of the year, and their friendship could be an indicator of where the title may be next.
Seeing Joe take the belt off Styles would not be too surprising here, nor would his own loss to Bryan later down the line after that.
Brock Lesnar Defends the Universal Championship
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It's suspicious that WWE announced a "multi-man match" for Extreme Rules, without specifying how many people would be involved, before releasing an image showing that it would be a Six-Pack Challenge and then dropping it entirely the following week.
Could plans really change that drastically and that quickly with the main event of that event and SummerSlam, or was there no solid idea to begin with?
The only carryover seems to be that Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns are taking the forefront of probable contenders to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Even if a multi-man match gets put back on the lineup for Extreme Rules, the winner will likely be one of those two, but with the current idea in mind of the two having a singles match, that seals the deal even more.
It's hard to imagine WWE putting anybody over Reigns for a title shot, but it's equally frustrating to think the writers can be so dense as to think the fans really want another match between Reigns and Lesnar.
Keeping all that in mind, there is a distinct chance both Reigns and Lashley end up being awarded a match for the Universal Championship by making this a Triple Threat.
However, it's important not to forget about the looming specter of Braun Strowman and the Money in the Bank, as he could force himself into the mix to turn this into a Fatal 4-Way, or capitalize after the fact with a bonus match against the winner of the Triple Threat.
With Lesnar's contract ending soon and these three challengers hungry for the title, the only assurance appears to be that a new universal champion will be crowned by the end of SummerSlam.
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.
