WWE SummerSlam 2011 Results: 7 Huge New Rivalries We Could See Going Forward

WWE SummerSlam is officially in the books and that means it’s time to move on.

With “The Biggest Party of the Summer” behind us, the journey to Survivor Series has just begun.

Of course, we have to go through Vengeance, Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell before we get there. But that’s beside the point.

Because, today, we’re going to examine how the results of last night’s pay-per-view have set the table for the WWE’s Fall “season.”

Now that SummerSlam has come and gone, who’s going to be feuding for the WWE Championship? How about the World Heavyweight title? And what can we expect to see out of the mid-card?

Well, let’s take a look at seven huge new rivalries that we could see sooner rather than later.

7. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

Last night's SummerSlam pay-per-view opened with a huge Six-Man tag team match, as the team of The Miz, Alberto Del Rio and R-Truth faced Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Morrison.

Team Raw Baby Faces got the win after Mysterio hit a top rope splash on Truth, and for those who haven't been keeping a tally at home, that means the scoreboard now reads something like this: Mysterio 2, The Miz 0.

Mysterio has now gotten the best of The Miz twice—in the WWE Championship Tournament finals and last night—and as a result, I think this feud, though not necessarily brand new, is only in its infant stages.

If Mysterio's knee injury is bad enough to keep him away from the ring for a while, I'd expect The Miz to cost Mysterio the WWE title on tonight's Raw—don't forget about Mysterio's guaranteed rematch—and then take him out of action with an injury angle (to set up a huge return feud around Survivor Series).

If Mysterio isn't going to miss any time, I'd still expect The Miz to cost Mysterio on tonight's show and kick this rivalry up a notch.

After all, you don't really think that a quality feud like Miz/Mysterio is going to just go away that easily, do you?

6. Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase

Assuming the less than stellar feud between Cody Rhodes and Ezekiel Jackson will officially be put to rest soon, you have to think that Rhodes’ next major rivalry could be with his protégé, Ted DiBiase.

The relationship between the former Legacy members has closely mirrored the arrangement The Miz and Alex Riley once had, and that will likely continue past SummerSlam.

But, ultimately, I think the main goal of the “friendship”—or whatever you want to call it—between Rhodes and DiBiase is for Rhodes to do for DiBiase what The Miz did for Riley.

That is, get him over as a face.

I think it’s fair to say that Riley wouldn’t be nearly as over as he is if it weren’t for The Miz, and down the road, we’ll likely be saying the same about Rhodes and DiBiase.

The tension between the two has been building, and I’d expect to see the second-generation stars clash as their rivalry heats up heading into Survivor Series.

5. Sin Cara vs. Hunico

At last week’s Smackdown taping, the recently suspended “Sin Cara” returned to action with a victory over Tyson Kidd.

Only, it wasn’t actually Sin Cara. As many of you know, it was WWE developmental wrestler Hunico underneath Sin Cara’s mask, because the real Sin Cara had yet to serve out the entirety of his suspension.

While it’s still unclear if the man formerly known as Mistico will even return to the WWE, rumor has it that a feud between Sin Cara and Hunico could be on the horizon, with the idea that Hunico was an impostor who wanted to capitalize on the Sin Cara character.

Even though I’m a bit disappointed that Sin Cara would be pushed right out of the gate after being suspended, I still like the idea of a Mistico/Hunico rivalry.

With the WWE heading to Mexico in October, it makes sense business-wise to have a feud between two lucha libre sensations that could headline the Smackdown shows on the Mexican tour.

4. World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry

The rivalry between Randy Orton and Christian has dominated Smackdown’s main event scene since the first week of May, and after Orton defeated Captain Charisma at SummerSlam to win back the World Heavyweight Championship, there's a possibility this feud could extend through next month's Night of Champions pay-per-view.

But a more realistic scenario would be if Orton successfully defends his title against Christian on this week's Smackdown, and the two finally go their separate ways.

After all, Christian vs. Orton has been really good. But you don't wanna beat a dead horse. It's time to move on.

And, if that indeed does happen, then the stage is set for the Viper's next opponent to be the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

Henry defeated Sheamus at SummerSlam, and he's been built up as a huge force to be reckoned with over the last several months on Smackdown.

There was a reason behind making Henry look like a monster, and quite simply, it was to get him ready for a World title feud with Smackdown's No. 1 face, Randy Orton.

3. Sheamus vs. Christian

As I touched on in the last slide, there's indeed a decent chance that the feud between Randy Orton and Christian goes on for another month or so.

But I do believe that Orton's ultimately headed for a feud with Mark Henry, and that leaves Christian looking for his next foe.

Look no further than Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior only recently turned face, but he's already pretty over with the crowd as a fan favorite. In fact, it's surprised me how quickly he's gone from being booed to being cheered by the masses.

Sheamus is undoubtedly the No. 2 face on Smackdown now (obviously behind Orton) and, with Christian as one of the blue brand's top heels, it certainly wouldn't be surprising to see these two in a lengthy rivalry over the next few months.

Remember, these two have a ton of history together, as Sheamus often found himself in the middle of the Orton/Christian rivalry.

2. CM Punk vs. Kevin Nash (with Triple H)

CM Punk beat John Cena in controversial fashion last night to become the Undisputed WWE Champion, but Punk's celebration—and his title reign—didn't last too long.

As he was relishing in his victory, Punk was shockingly laid out by Kevin Nash with a big boot and a jackknife powerbomb, which allowed Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and win his first World title in the WWE.

So, the question is: Why Nash? Seems obvious to me.

Given the history between Nash and Triple H—don't forget about the Kliq, fellas—it's pretty clear that Triple H sent Nash to take Punk out and prevent him from leaving the Staples Center as the WWE Champion.

Perhaps a more important question now, though, is: Was Nash's return a one-time thing?

I don't know. But I could see a situation where Nash wrestles Punk on a couple of PPVs to try and injure Punk, but Nash consistently fails to beat Punk. So, Triple H decides to take matters into his own hands and wrestles Punk at Survivor Series.

Now, let's watch tonight's Raw to see if I'm right.

1. John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

What a cluster...um, mess the WWE Championship scene is at the moment.

Given the way the title is passed around more than a cheap hooker, you could argue that three men—Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and John Cena—are all entitled to a rematch for the WWE's top prize.

Will they all get it? Who knows. 

But here's how I see the situation playing out on tonight's Raw: Instead of Mysterio facing new WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio one-on-one, Triple H announces that all three wrestlers will get their rematches in a Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Championship in the show's main event (which Del Rio will win).

That way it keeps Triple H looking like an impartial boss (even though we know he isn't) and it will allow Cena to somehow move into a WWE title feud with Del Rio.

After all, it's hard to imagine Cena staying away from the title scene (that's the understatement of the year), Mysterio could easily continue his feud with The Miz (especially if Miz costs him the title) and Punk has bigger things to worry about, like Triple H and Kevin Nash.

There you have it, folks, Raw's main event scene for the next several months. You're welcome.