It’s the eve of the biggest party of the summer, and my little pro wrestling heart is aflutter with excitement! SummerSlam is one of WWE’s “Big 4” shows throughout the year, along with Royal Rumble and WrestleMania earlier in the year, and Survivor Series taking place in November. And this year’s card looks to be an all-timer, with a slew of matches that are sure to bring the heat to Ford Field in Detroit. I’ve analyzed the data, studied every feud under a microscope, and consulted with experts (i.e. my friends who are also big wrestling nerds). And after much deliberation, I have finally compiled my WWE SummerSlam predictions in a way that I feel mostly confident about.
WWE has a habit of pulling out all the stops for their Big 4 events, and this year’s SummerSlam line-up is no exception. Although one of the biggest shocks for me is the matches that AREN’T happening at the premium live event. In a perplexing decision, WWE has omitted one of the hottest feuds this year in Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus from the card. That match seemed like a shoo-in to be featured, with Becky being a major mainstream star and Trish being a WWE Hall of Fame inductee. I was personally looking forward to seeing that match on the stage it deserved, so I’m a bit disappointed to be honest.
But that’s not the only women’s match to be mysteriously cut from SummerSlam. As it stands right now, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley isn’t set for a match on Saturday either. This is extra baffling since WWE usually likes to put as many title matches as possible on their Big 4 shows. I’m a huge fan of Rhea and was really hoping she’d get a chance to showcase her talent, so naturally I’m bummed she’s not in an official match. Although there is a bit of silver lining for her that I’ll touch on later.
So here we go, my predictions for WWE SummerSlam: