Botched Spot

Summerslam weekend is stacked this year and frankly I’m a little concerned about it. There are currently eleven matches booked on Summerslam itself, which is only one less than the seven hour marathon that was Wrestlemania 32. So either the matches will be really short or there will be a massive pre show, neither of which appeals to me. Also considering NXT TakeOver is Saturday night, we’re in for a whole lot of wrestling! Normally I’d consider that a positive, but after the draining experience of Wrestlemania weekend, I now know my limit.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

You’d think the show would be called “The Beginning” since the last one was “The End.” And for all of the concern about NXT’s roster getting raided, they still have a great looking card for Saturday.

No Way Jose vs. Austin Aries
After his debut I was ready to pass off No Way Jose as the next comedy jobber, but seeing his passion and anger over Aries has made me take a second look. While I’m a far bigger fan of Aries than Jose, I’ll still be pulling for the younger wrestler to win his first TakeOver match.
Who will win: No Way Jose

The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa
I can definitely see Gargano and Ciampa pulling this one off, especially if WWE wants to build them into bigger names once the Cruiserweight division kicks off on Raw.
Who will win: Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa

Andrade Almas vs. Bobby Roode
Glorious! I love Bobby Roode coming in with his heel character and his new and improved music. He hit the ceiling in TNA a long time ago, so it’s exciting to see him in a new place climbing the ladder all over again.
Who will win: Bobby Roode

Asuka defends her NXT Women’s Championship against Bayley
This is a tough call. While I think Bayley’s close to getting called up for good, I could see WWE wanting to have a big feel good moment at this show with her getting the title back. Asuka does have that undefeated streak though…
Who will win: Asuka, but I’m not betting any money on it.

Samoa Joe defends his NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura
I could easily see this match being the best of the night, if not the weekend. As angry as Joe’s been the past few weeks (months? Years?), I wonder if Nakamura will do any of his usual comedy spots. Either way, I think Nakamura will win this one and feud with Joe for a while longer.
Who will win: Nakamura

Summerslam

WWE’s first co-branded show since the draft kicks off with four Smackdown matches, six Raw matches, and one joint match (as much as you can say Brock is on the Raw roster). I’m doing all of the Smackdown matches first, not for simplicity’s sake, but because I think they’ll mostly be on the pre show.

Carmella, Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Natalya, Eva Marie and Alexa Bliss
For all the talented women that are in this match, you know it’s going to be five minutes long and all about whether or not Eva wrestles. While I enjoy Eva’s “excuse” gimmick, I don’t get why her character wants to be a wrestler if she just skips out on matches.
Who will win: Natalya, Eva Marie, and Alexa Bliss (due to Eva showing up late and distracting the babyfaces).

The Miz defends his Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews
Being one of the three Miz fans, I actually hope he holds on to his title for a while longer. He’s great at getting heat and I think Smackdown needs to have an established champion in this bold new era.
Who will win: The Miz

John Cena vs. AJ Styles
It will be nice to see these two wrestle one on one without the Club interrupting them. With all of the rumors about Cena taking another hiatus and viewing himself as a part time wrestler, as well as him putting over AJ on this week’s Talking Smack (a really great show you should start watching) I’m predicting the unlikely: That AJ Styles wins clean.
Who will win: AJ Styles

Dean Ambrose defends his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler
I’ve got to hand it to WWE, Dean, and Dolph- they’ve done a great job of building this feud in a very short amount of time. As good as it’s been, I just can’t imagine WWE putting the title on Ziggler (although I couldn’t imagine him even in the title picture in 2016, so I guess anything can happen!).
Who will win: Dean Ambrose

Cesaro vs. Sheamus in the first of their Best of Seven Series
Y’know, if WWE are going to make guys wrestle the same people over and over again, I’m glad they’re going to at least have some stipulation behind it. It’s a coin flip for who will win the first match, but I’ll go with the heel.
Who will win: Sheamus

The New Day defends their Tag Team Championships against Gallows and Anderson
As much as I love The New Day, I think it’s time for someone else to hold the belts. Gallows and Anderson have successfully detached from AJ and managed to be entertaining in their own right. A heel team holding the championships will also open up Enzo and Cass to a title shot later on.
Who will win: Gallows and Anderson

Enzo and Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens
I’m giving it to JeriKO in this first match because I’m guessing this will lead to a larger feud between these two teams. JeriKO have been great together, and actually outshine Enzo and Cass on the comedy stuff. I’ve no doubt that Enzo and Cass will eventually win the war, but this first battle goes to JeriKO.
Who will win: JeriKO (c’mon, Enzo and Cass don’t even have a merged couples tag team name!)

Rusev defends his US Championship against Roman Reigns
While I definitely prefer Roman Reigns in the midcard, I was sad to see his penis-joke/babygurl self pop back up so quickly after his turn as the “silent destroyer” earlier this year. I think Roman will win, but I don’t know if I see him holding the midcard championship, so it may be by disqualification or count out or something.
Who will win: Roman Reigns

Sasha Banks defends her WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte
Dana Brooke is banned from ringside! Can’t forget that important note. The way Dana Brooke’s name keeps popping up in this feud you know she’s going to show up sooner or later, but regardless I just can’t see Sasha losing.
Who will win: Sasha Banks

Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship
I don’t envy Finn Balor in this match. Most fans have no idea who he is, but he’s still thrust into the main event of this long ass show when fans will be wiped out and wanting to go home! Maybe Brock and Randy will main event, but still it won’t be easy for the Demon King (I think that was his nickname, they only said it a few dozen times on Raw). While I could easily see Seth taking home the gold (or whatever a “Universal” championship is made out of), I think WWE wants to stay committed to Finn and the new era.
Who will win: Finn Balor

Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar
I really hope Randy Orton wins and I think he could win. I haven’t always been Orton’s biggest supporter (despite the week I dedicate to him every year), but I love that he actually has a personality now. Also after weeks of Brock talking about Orton like he’s just another guy, I think it would really hurt Orton if he lost. I… care about Orton getting hurt? This really is a new era! Bray Wyatt may also interfere because of that mean look he gave Randy on Smackdown, but honestly I hope it’s just a straight match between these two men.
Who will win: Randy Orton

Is that all of it? That must be all of it. Despite it being a lot of wrestling, all of the matches look good, with no obvious duds. There are some surprising omissions, like Sami Zayn and Bray Wyatt, but I’m sure they’ll find a spot during the brand specific Pay Per Views. Thanks for reading!