WWE SummerSlam 2018: Best Finish for Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss, More Matches

As the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year for WWE next to WrestleMania, SummerSlam 2018 on Sunday promises to be a show worth watching based how it has been hyped up and what's on tap.

Not every advertised match has been built up amazingly well, but the right execution could make it an event for the ages.

It also helps that there are several marquee matchups that are exciting on paper, including AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey. Even the Universal Championship main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, a bout that has been done to death, could end up featuring a twist or two.

That said, it is imperative WWE pulls off the proper finish for each scheduled SummerSlam contest to ensure the best pay-per-view possible. It has been a few years since the company last delivered a critically acclaimed SummerSlam, but if booked correctly, it could turn WWE programming around heading into the fall.

Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss

Credit: WWE.com

Rousey has had her sights set on becoming a champion in WWE since first setting foot in the company at the beginning of the year. Although it was too soon for her to walk away with the title at Money in the Bank, SummerSlam might be the perfect stage for her to finally capture gold.

Standing in her way, however, is Bliss, who has had a stranglehold on the strap for the better part of the past 18 months. While she has earned everything she has achieved, it is high time WWE moved on to a fresh face such as Rousey to carry the division.

Thus, it's more a matter of how than if Rousey will win the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam. Having Bliss beat Rousey would be foolish considering it wouldn't be realistic to have the champion survive against her, not to mention that it isn't necessary for the feud to be dragged out longer.

Having Natalya turn on Rousey and cost her the championship was a possibility, but doing that following the recent death of her father, Jim Neidhart, would be idiotic. Rather, Rousey successfully snapping the arm of Bliss and celebrating her title win with Natalya afterward is the way to go.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

Credit: WWE.com

SmackDown Live will be offering a slew of exciting matches at SummerSlam, with Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz chief among them. The bout has been billed as being more than eight years in the making, so the history (as well as chemistry) these two have is off the charts.

In addition to their rivalry being so entertaining, there is a sense of uncertainty regarding the finish. It has yet to be confirmed whether Bryan will be re-signing with WWE once his contract expires shortly after SummerSlam, so it's possible officials don't want him to win in case he decides to depart the company.

Even if one is to assume that Bryan will stick around in WWE, there is nothing for him to gain by beating Miz at SummerSlam. Their feud should last several months, so there is no reason to rush to the payoff by having Bryan defeat his archrival in their first major singles encounter.

The Bryan vs. Miz program should run all the way through WrestleMania, where Bryan could knock off The Awesome One for the WWE Championship. In the meantime, Miz can begin building momentum with a win against Bryan in Brooklyn, New York.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

Credit: WWE.com

The never-ending Lesnar-Reigns rivalry will hopefully come to a conclusion Sunday, when they meet once again for the Universal Championship. Reigns has yet to beat The Beast Incarnate in singles competition, and that must change at the upcoming event.

It was apparent from the get-go that WWE had its mind made up that Reigns should be the one to dethrone Lesnar as universal champ, but it was widely assumed the trigger would have been pulled on the title change at WrestleMania 34. Lesnar retained that night but now needs to drop the strap.

Lesnar and Reigns have proved that they can work well together, so their match at SummerSlam should be nothing short of a highly physical war. Reigns should decisively defeat Lesnar and put their rivalry to rest because it's the logical story to tell.

The arena's reaction when Reigns dethrones Lesnar is bound to be negative, but having Braun Strowman cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase would end the evening on a high note. There's no telling whether Paul Heyman will play any sort of a role in any of this, but that gives fans an incentive to tune in and find out what WWE has in store for Reigns vs. Lesnar, as well as every other contest on the card.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.