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Final Picks for Strowman vs. Fiend, McIntyre vs. Orton and WWE SummerSlam Card
August 23, 2020Final Picks for Strowman vs. Fiend, McIntyre vs. Orton and WWE SummerSlam Card
If WWE SummerSlam 2020 on Sunday is anything like the rest of the year, anything can happen at this pay-per-view.
Between Retribution's attacks, the mind games of The Fiend and Braun Strowman, Randy Orton's return to The Legend Killer and Dominik Mysterio's debut match, this event has tons of intrigue working in its favor.
It could be one of the best shows in a long while, a total disaster or some combination of the two. Brace yourselves!
But until we know for sure whether the event was a success, we'll guess what will happen while there's still time to toss out some predictions.
Let's run down the card with one last round of picks for who will win at SummerSlam 2020.
Universal Championship Fall Count Anywhere Match: Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt
The feud between Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt started off logical but has diverted to a strange new direction.
Instead of The Fiend being the personification of evil, it's The Monster Among Men who is looking like the heel. Telling Alexa Bliss he doesn't give a damn about her and press-slamming her in the ring throws this all for a loop.
In contrast, it's seeming as though The Fiend is becoming more chivalrous, which may mean WWE is planning a double turn. For that to be the most effective, a title change could take place.
Strowman was never the original plan to hold this championship earlier this year. He was the emergency backup option following Super ShowDown. WWE may want to go back to Wyatt as champion like things were before the Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns scenario was instituted and fizzled out at the onset of the pandemic, and we may see Bliss help The Fiend recapture the gold.
Knowing WWE and that it avoided putting the belt on Strowman until it was a necessity, it wouldn't be shocking if his run is up here and the status quo of The Fiend as champion is restored, especially since he last won the Universal Championship in a Falls Count Anywhere match too.
Prediction: Wyatt wins the title.
Street Fight: Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins
For months, Seth Rollins has targeted Rey Mysterio and his allies in an attempt to right the wrongs he sees as holding back Monday Night Raw from true success.
It's been a flimsy idea with an even more bland execution, as nearly every week, the same few people fight in the same brawl segments.
At least with this Street Fight, though, we will be seeing Dominik Mysterio's first official match. His debut is easily the most interesting element to track in what could otherwise be just a series of kendo stick shots and nothing more.
If WWE is feeling generous, he will win with some help from his father, as well as possibly Aleister Black, Humberto Carrillo and maybe even Kevin Owens. But if WWE wants nothing more than to beat the same drum that has been pounding since Money in the Bank, The Monday Night Messiah will stay on top.
The more interesting outcome is an upset, so let's hope WWE goes down that road.
Prediction: Mysterio wins.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza
Since WrestleMania, Zelina Vega has had her eyes on the Raw Tag Team Championship. Andrade, Angel Garza and Austin Theory (when he was still in the stable) have fought champions The Street Profits countless times over the spring and summer.
Nearly every time they have clashed, the champs have stayed on top. It's been a largely one-sided feud that WWE has milked to the point that Vega is so desperate she's resorted to poisoning Montez Ford. It needs to conclude.
For the sake of finality, the only way Vega will stop trying to win those titles is if she's successful. It's time for Andrade and Garza to capture the belts.
Whether as a result of the lingering effects from the poisoning, some outside interference or just being the better men this particular night, the titles should change hands.
Prediction: Andrade and Garza win the titles.
United States Championship Match: Apollo Crews vs. MVP
Apollo Crews was set to defend the United States Championship against MVP at Extreme Rules but was unable to compete for medical reasons. MVP consequently declared himself the champion and strutted off with the title as if that made it a fact.
It became undisputed that Crews was still the champion when he defeated MVP on Monday Night Raw to retain the title, take the fresh belt and carry that on his shoulder going forward.
Instead of taking this in a new direction, though, WWE decided to rinse and repeat. Matches are being rerun for seemingly no reason other than to kill time until fans can attend events again.
There's no reason to think this is happening for any reason beyond that, especially with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin banned from ringside.
Sure, there's a chance MVP wins the title, if not just for a swerve, but even that just keeps these two feuding and would set up another match between them.
Let's hope WWE puts this to bed and at least has Crews defend the title against Lashley the following week at Payback, rather than having MVP as the No. 1 contender for another month.
Prediction: Crews wins.
Raw and SmackDown Women's Championship Matches: Asuka vs. Bayley and Sasha Banks
The Golden Role Models are both set to defend their singles titles against Asuka in separate matches at SummerSlam. The Empress of Tomorrow defeated Bayley to earn a shot at Sasha Banks and then stood tall in a Battle Royal to become the No. 1 contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
As much as Banks and Bayley love to gloat about having all the gold, there's a chance Asuka takes both belts to become the fourth double champion this women's division has seen in two years and leave her opponents holding only the tag titles by the end of the night.
Don't get your hopes up, though. That's not too likely to happen.
WWE seems far too invested in Bayley to have her drop the title. Outside of a momentary switch to Charlotte Flair, she's held the title since Money in the Bank 2019.
Even in the face of having no challengers and repeating the same feuds for a full year, WWE keeps sticking to Bayley as champion instead of freshening things up.
Banks, on the other hand, seems to have won the Raw title just to tell this storyline.
The most logical outcome is that Banks will drop the Raw Women's Championship, but Bayley will somehow retain. This will further the divide between the best friends, who relationship could fracture if they lose the tag titles at Payback.
Prediction: Asuka beats Banks but loses to Bayley—or at least doesn't win her title.
No Disqualification Loser Leaves WWE Match: Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville
Just when the feud between Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose seemed dead after weeks of going nowhere, it was resuscitated with a pair of scissors.
Deville's attack on Rose and subsequent cutting of her golden locks was the inspiration for this clash, which was originally a Hair vs. Hair Match.
That has since changed to a Loser Leaves WWE stipulation with a No Disqualification bonus for reasons that have yet to be revealed.
The original stipulation felt like a guarantee that Rose would retain her hair and Deville would take the head-shaving in stride, possibly unleashing an even more vicious side.
But with this change, it opens more room for speculation. Suddenly, Rose is no longer impervious to a loss.
Is this a means to get Deville off television so she can take time off to deal with her recent horrific experiences, or is there something else to it?
There is a chance Rose gets sent away, but it's a safer bet Deville is still losing this match and will be off television for a little while.
Prediction: Rose wins.
WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
If fans were able to attend these shows, Drew McIntyre would likely get a huge pop every night for having a rock-solid title reign. He's proved himself to be a strong champion every chance he gets.
But there's no one hotter than Randy Orton. Since The Legend Killer persona returned earlier this year, he's been stealing the show and taking out the competition.
There's no bigger threat to McIntyre's reign than Orton, yet there's no one better suited to take The Viper down a peg than The Scottish Terminator.
If either man wins, it will be both a shock and believable. That's why there's a good chance neither outcome takes place.
To get around having one of them lose, this could be the match during which Retribution shows up and attacks both of them so that the pay-per-view ends in shambles. SummerSlam will go off air with confusion and chaos, and WWE will hope that's enough intrigue to get fans to tune in to Raw the next night.
Prediction: No one wins. Retribution interferes and causes a no-contest.
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.