WWE SummerSlam 2011: 10 Reasons You'll Absolutely Need to Watch SummerSlam

Are you all ready for "The Biggest Party of the Summer?" I'm talking, of course, about SummerSlam.

It is billed as one of the WWE's "Big Four" pay-per-views, and unlike Survivor Series has been doing, it appears that it will actually live up to that moniker.

We've got two huge matches on tap. John Cena vs. CM Punk to determine the Undisputed WWE Champion and Randy Orton vs. Christian in a No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight title. Even Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly has a certain amount of appeal thanks to Beth's recent heel turn.

There will likely be another four matches or so added to the card, and by all indications, SummerSlam is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining pay-per-views of the year.

Why do I think so? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Here are 10 reasons why you should skip whatever you've got going on next Sunday night and watch SummerSlam instead.

10. Sheamus's First PPV Match as a Babyface

SPOILER ALERT: This slide contains SPOILERS from tonight's Smackdown.

Mark Henry has put two of the WWE's biggest fan favorites—The Big Show and Kane—on the shelf, and Sheamus turned face in order to stop the World's Strongest Man from taking anyone else out.

I personally like the decision, and it seems like Sheamus will get more over with the crowd as his face run progresses.

Yet, it's still very early on his face run, and not all WWE fans have adjusted from booing to cheering the Celtic Warrior.

His match against Henry at SummerSlam is smart booking-wise because Henry's one of the WWE's top heels right now, and the fans will likely be strongly behind Sheamus in this bout.

I'm still interested to see the reaction Sheamus gets in Los Angeles, however, because it could set the tone for the direction of his character. That is, whether he stays face or not.

I am of the firm belief, though, that Sheamus will do just fine in his first pay-per-view match as a good guy and thus will be booked as Smackdown's No. 2 face going forward. 

9. History Will Be Made

History will be made at SummerSlam.

For the first time ever, two WWE Champions—CM Punk and John Cena, obviously—will go one-on-one to determine the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Now, if you're a pessimist, you're probably thinking that the only reason, "History will be made" is because of the WWE's idiotic booking which gave Cena the title just eight days after he lost it.

Here's a secret: I might be a pessimist.

But, if you're an optimist, you're thinking that history will indeed be made at SummerSlam because we've never seen a match between two WWE Champions.

No matter which category you fall into, though, the fact still remains that we will indeed see something next Sunday that we've never seen before. 

8. Alberto Del Rio Might Cash In

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Alberto Del Rio was in line to win the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship four times so far in 2011 before plans eventually fell through.

Ouch, that hurts.

It seems like the WWE creative team continues to flip-flop on what they want to do with Del Rio.

Do they want him to cash in on John Cena? Do they want him to cash in on CM Punk? Do they want him to win the WWE Championship while still holding the briefcase?

You're guess as good as mine, and our guesses are probably better than the creative team's at this point.

But I have a gut feeling that Del Rio will cash in his briefcase sooner rather than later, and SummerSlam presents the perfect opportunity to do that.

Cena is quite obviously the WWE's top face, and Punk is working his magic as a popular anti-hero tweener, which means that Del Rio can essentially cash in no matter who wins their match.

In fact, I'd be quite surprised if he didn't cash in, win the belt and ignite a feud between all three wrestlers. 

7. The Possibility That Masked Kane Comes Back

Mark Henry sidelined Kane with a storyline leg injury after a brutal attack on Smackdown a few weeks back, and the Big Red Monster isn't scheduled to return for at least another month or so.

But before Kane was put of action, he appeared in a few backstage segments on Smackdown in which he spoke about how he felt he was "becoming more human."

That is, he was just Kane. He was no longer the Big Red Monster.

That got me thinking: What better way for Kane to go back to being a monster than putting his mask back on?

The answer is none.

Plenty of WWE fans have been pining for Kane to return to his masked form for years now, and his current "feeling human" storyline presents a great opportunity for Kane to do so.

The roof would explode off the Staples Center if, after the Henry/Sheamus match, masked Kane returned and destroyed the World's Strongest Man.

6. To See What Role Triple H Will Play

Triple H returned to WWE TV as the company's new C.O.O. just a couple weeks away, and he's been booked as a baby face boss so far.

Yet there have also been subtle hints of heel Hunter, and it appears that the creative team is building toward a major rivalry between he and CM Punk at some point down the road.

But with Punk working in that face/tweener role, that feud will likely have to feature a heel Triple H, and he's obviously going to have to turn to do so.

Therefore, there are a number of different ways in which Triple H can get involved in the WWE title feud between Punk and John Cena.

He could be the Special Guest Referee for their bout at SummerSlam, or he can make an impact in hundreds of other ways.

I'm honestly not sure how the WWE will play this one, but I am quite sure of one thing: Triple H will play a major role at SummerSlam, and it'll be part of a much bigger future storyline. 

Cee Lo Green Is Performing

Totally kidding here.

If I hear Forget You one more time, I'll chop off both of my ears and donate them to scientific research.

5. It Will Set the Stage for the Main Event Scene Over the Next Several Months

There is a lot going on right now in Raw's main event scene. John Cena and CM Punk are both WWE Champion, Triple H is the new C.O.O. and Alberto Del Rio is the MITB briefcase holder.

The same goes for Smackdown. Christian and Randy Orton are entangled in a bitter feud, Mark Henry is being pushed as one of the brand's top heels and the newly face Sheamus is being booked as one of its top faces.

Therefore, whatever happens at SummerSlam will have a drastic effect on the major storylines and feuds on both brands going forward.

If Christian beats Orton, then that feud is likely over, and Christian could move on to a feud with Sheamus.

If Punk beats Cena or vice versa, Del Rio can cash in and ignite a one-on-one or three-way feud over on Raw.

The possibilities truly are endless.

But when SummerSlam comes to a conclusion next Sunday, we will likely have a much clearer picture of the main event feuds on both brands and how they will play out all the way up to Survivor Series. 

4. To Hear Jim Ross Call an Entire Pay-Per-View

I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely amped to hear Jim Ross call an entire WWE pay-per-view for the first time since 2009.

Sure, we got a taste of Ross at Wrestlemania 27, but that's all it was, a taste.

In Ross's absence, the announcing on both Raw and Smackdown has been OK for the most part but God awful at times, with Michael Cole's heel antics really taking away from the quality of the broadcast.

In fact, Cole's still annoying the hell out of me on Raw because he talks way too damn much when J.R. should be the one calling the majority of the match.

Without a doubt, Good Ole J.R. is the greatest announcer in the history of wrestling, and he can make any match feel like it's something special.

I think we'll see him shine on Sunday when he takes over his rightful spot as the true voice of the WWE.

3. The Undertaker or Chris Jericho Returning?

There has been absolutely no sign of The Undertaker the last several months and zero indication that he'll be back anytime soon.

But if Christian beats Randy Orton at SummerSlam, could the Deadman return to take the World Heavyweight Championship from him?

Admittedly, it's a monument long shot. But hey, you never know.

Another long shot for a WWE return is Chris Jericho, who had a very interesting response to Punk mentioning him on Monday's Raw. As it turns out, though, there was more to that response than meets the eye.

Apparently, Jericho wants to wrestle Punk at Wrestlemania 28—damn, that would be phenomenal—and his Tweet was a scripted one to help set up that potential feud.

I don't think that means he'll return this soon (about eight months before WM 28), but I'm not going to count it out either.

The WWE is on fire right now, and an Undertaker or Jericho return would be like pouring a can of gasoline on it.

2. It Might Be Even Better Than Money in the Bank

Isn't there a huge company "where wrestling matters?" Yeah, it's called World Wrestling Entertainment.

As much as we like to criticize the WWE for focusing too much on "entertainment" and not enough on "sports," the company put on one of the greatest pay-per-views ever at Money in the Bank last month.

John Cena vs. CM Punk was likely the Match of the Year, Randy Orton vs. Christian was great once again, and the MITB ladder matches were spectacular as usual.

And guess what? Cena and Punk will wrestle again in front of a hot Los Angeles crowd at SummerSlam, and so will Orton and Christian.

Plus, we could see the addition of several matches that should be very good wrestling-wise. R-Truth vs. John Morrison, Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz and Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston just to name a few.

Though it will be hard to top Money in the Bank, there's a possibility that SummerSlam does just that.

But even if it doesn't, it will still be one of the top two or three pay-per-views of the year. 

1. The Potential for a John Cena Heel Turn

The WWE really does come full circle.

Just a year ago, John Cena was involved in the hottest angle in the WWE against the Nexus, and many fans saw SummerSlam as the picture perfect opportunity to turn Cena heel.

Of course, the WWE dropped the ball big time there, when Cena's team won the elimination match and essentially started the downfall of the Nexus faction.

Now, fast forward to SummerSlam in 2011, and we're right back where we started. Cena is involved in the WWE's biggest feud, and once again, there's a great opportunity to do the unthinkable and turn him heel.

Will it happen? I wouldn't bet 50 cents on it.

But with CM Punk's recent spike in popularity, Randy Orton as another huge face for the WWE and the potential upcoming return of a face Chris Jericho, there likely won't be a better time in the near future to turn Cena heel.

If the WWE's going to shock the wrestling world yet again, they need to do it by turning their top merchandise seller into the company's biggest antagonist.

And they need to do it at SummerSlam.