Projecting the Most Likely Heel and Face Turns at WWE SummerSlam 2020

Credit: WWE.com

WWE SummerSlam 2020 is one of the biggest nights of the wrestling year and has been built on the back of great talent driving some fantastic stories.

The tagline for Sunday night's edition is "You'll never see it coming," which indicates some dramatic moments and surprises are on the way.

One of the easiest opportunities to shock everyone and get the WWE Universe talking is pushing someone in a new direction. WWE has never shied away from turning top talent on a big pay-per-view for the sake of surprising those watching.

This year has a few key storylines begging for a dramatic face or heel turn. Whether it be Shayna Baszler embracing her role as a fan favorite or Alexa Bliss turning against her friend, Braun Strowman, these moments will have massive ramifications for the future.

Here, we look at the most likely heel and face turns that could happen at SummerSlam and just how much they would change the landscape of WWE.

Cedric Alexander has struggled for over a year now on WWE Raw. His transition from 205 Live was shaky at best, and the talented cruiserweight rarely got a true spotlight. He was fortunate enough to get a chance to feud with AJ Styles, but he could not pull out a win when it mattered.

The day after WrestleMania 36, Alexander formed a tag team with fellow beleaguered cruiserweight Ricochet. While a talented team on paper, the two struggled for consistent victories. And WWE hasn't known what to do with them at any point.

The answer may come in the form of Montel Vontavious Porter. He has brought together his own stable of talent as both a manager and active competitor: The Hurt Business. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin have bought in, but MVP clearly has his eyes on adding another member.

That would be Alexander. Much like Benjamin, he is in need of a fresh start and has the talent to thrive. At 31 years old, he would fill the young rising star role in a stable where the current members average 45 years of age.

This heel turn seems the most likely of all because it is the best explanation for why MVP has been granted another shot at Apollo Crews at SummerSlam. Lashley and Benjamin have been banned from ringside, but Alexander can help MVP win the United States Championship.

The Hurt Business is a much better fit for Alexander than a tag team with Ricochet, especially since Mustafa Ali has seemingly returned to take his spot.

Shayna Baszler may be the most talented wrestler in the women's division outside of the Four Horsewomen and Asuka. She dominated NXT as champion for longer than anyone else in the black-and-gold brand's history for a reason.

The former mixed martial arts fighter has made an impressive transition to the squared circle. However, her run on Raw in 2020 has had too many stops along the way. It seems WWE is uncertain what role she should play.

However, recent weeks have hinted that The Queen of Spades could be turning face. She has teamed up with Asuka against Sasha Banks and Bayley and feuded with supposed fellow heel Nia Jax, but she has mostly kept her same cocky attitude.

This has left the opportunity for her to remain heel or fully embrace a babyface role. SummerSlam would be the perfect time to establish her role. That likely would be indicated by standing in The Empress of Tomorrow's corner to make sure the champions don't try anything to cheat.

If Baszler vs. Jax was planned for SummerSlam, they could have told the story of The Queen of Spades fully embracing this role in the ring. But that seems set for a later time.

The WWE Universe has speculated for months about the potential of Seth Rollins turning Dominik Mysterio against his father, Rey. It seems less likely with each passing week, but the opportunity is still there.

Dominik has looked good despite limited experience in his various appearances for WWE, but he is not going to sell anyone on him as a performer in his current role. He relies too much on his father's name and has not developed enough in his own way.

SummerSlam is an opportunity to solidify his character. If The Monday Night Messiah brutalizes Dominik to the point that something snaps, fans may see a new side of the younger Mysterio. He could become a disciple of Rollins' and abandon his father.

What matters most is that Dominik evolves beyond his current role. He needs to truly embrace a character. In an interview with Michael Wonsover of ESPN, the 23-year-old said he would like to one day wrestle in a mask under the name Prince Mysterio. That will work better than his current status.

Dominik certainly needs a better wrestling name and gimmick, and that will come with time. But joining Rollins would jump start that process, even if it's a classic WWE swerve lacking strong logic.

What fans have seen with Bray Wyatt over the years is that he loves attention. He wants people to follow him even to worship him. It has been a central character trait from his time as The Eater of Worlds to his current role as The Fiend.

After failing to turn Braun Strowman, his next target appears to be Alexa Bliss. The Fiend choked her out with the mandible claw one week and then seemed protective of her the next week. The Goddess has even said that she is enthralled by The Fiend.

Wyatt will do anything in his power to regain the Universal Championship. What better way is there to begin than turning The Monster Among Men's best friend against him.

Despite Strowman's apparent disregard for Bliss, he has shown several times that he cares about her since they teamed up for the Mixed Match Challenge in 2018. If she were to turn against him, it would make it easy for The Fiend to take down The Monster Among Men.

What would become of The Goddess is hard to say. Would she revert to the cocky heel she was previously? Would she become a recurring character in the Firefly Fun House? Could she become a vessel for Sister Abigail?

Many questions remain about what role Bliss will play in this story. She might even protect Strowman in the end, but a heel turn is certainly possible.