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We are a little over three weeks away from SummerSlam 2020, as WWE will bring the 33rd edition of the "Biggest Party of the Summer". This year's SummerSlam could be a unique one, as there are rumors of WWE having the event at an outdoor location like a beach or a boat. Even if that is not the case, we will see SummerSlam taking place for the first time without a live audience due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, two matches have been confirmed for SummerSlam. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will defend his title against Randy Orton and The Street Profits will defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against Angel Garza and Andrade. We will certainly see several more matches being added to the card in the coming weeks. Let's take a look at five matches that need to happen at SummerSlam and five that should not.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda)
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#5 Should happen at SummerSlam - "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs Braun Strowman
The rivalry between the Universal Champion, Braun Strowman, and Bray Wyatt has seen several twists and turns since WrestleMania 36. While there were several concerns among the fans about WWE having gone ahead with the feud too early, credit needs to be given to WWE for keeping it interesting.
At Money in the Bank, we saw the Firefly Funhouse version of Bray Wyatt challenging Strowman for the Universal title and losing to his former family member. Last month, the two took on each other again at WWE Extreme Rules in a Wyatt Swamp Fight. The cult leader version of Bray returned and was able to win the non-title match, with the help of The Fiend.
The best part about it is that the mega in-ring showdown between the Monster Among Men and The Fiend is yet to happen, and SummerSlam 2020 is the ideal occasion for that. It was one exactly one year ago at SummerSlam 2019 where The Fiend made his in-ring debut and destroyed Finn Balor. The Fiend vs Braun Strowman for the Universal Champion should happen at SummerSlam, with The Fiend ideally going over and becoming the new champion.
#5 Should not happen at SummerSlam - The Fiend and Nikki Cross vs Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss
This past week on SmackDown, we saw two major things after the main event that could have huge implications on SummerSlam. First, Nikki Cross seemingly teased a break-up with Alexa Bliss by shovng her out of frustration and walking away. But that was not all, as The Fiend shocked us all by appearing and attacking The Goddess. Bray Wyatt has previously used Alexa Bliss as a bait to lure Strowman during the Wyatt Swamp Fight at Extreme Rules.
Now one direction that WWE might take, which I certainly hope they don't, is book a tag team match between Bray Wyatt and Nikki Cross to take on Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam. Now, this could work if WWE plans to repackage Nikki and introduce her as a part of Wyatt's family, but I don't think that's the right decision.
The Universal Championship needs to be defended at SummerSlam in a big match and there is no need to book an unnecessary tag team match. A better direction would be to turn Alexa Bliss heel and make her join hands with Bray Wyatt to form a new Wyatt Family.
#4 Should happen at SummerSlam - AJ Styles vs Big E
AJ Styles moved to Friday Night SmackDown earlier this year and won the Intercontinental Championship tournament to become the new champion. In the last few weeks, he has defended his title against the likes of Drew Gulak, Matt Riddle, Gran Metallic, and has helped elevate the blue brand's quality of product. But he needs a huge match at SummerSlam.
There were earlier reports of WWE booking Matt Riddle to challenge The Phenomenal One for the IC title at SummerSlam, but with him being involved with King Corbin, that might not happen. Instead, Big E could prove to be a great opponent for AJ Styles. Recently, Kofi Kingston revealed that he will be out of action for some time and asked Big E to shine as a singles Superstar in the meanwhile.
The WWE Universe has since been speculating a big singles push for Big E, and we saw the hints of the same when the New Day member had a dominating victory over The Miz this past week on SmackDown. A great way to take this story forward would be to let him challenge for the Intercontinental Championship, and maybe even take the title from AJ Styles and have a solid run as the IC champ
#4 Should not happen at SummerSlam - Cesaro & Nakamura vs The Lucha House Party
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The New Day at "The Horror Show at Extreme Rules" last month to become the SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Since the absence of Sami Zayn from WWE programming, the two have been on their own and while WWE Universe was afraid of WWE not using them in any form, they are all set to walk into SummerSlam with the Tag Team titles of the blue brand around their waists.
This past week on SmackDown, The Lucha House Party (Gran Metallik and Lince Dorado) confronted Cesaro and Nakamura. Nothing to take away from the talented luchadors, but them challenging for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at SummerSlam might not make for a compelling program.
Shinsuke and Cesaro are two of the best workers in WWE right now, and they deserve a decent run with the title. And for that, they need to work with a solid team where fans are invested in the story. One great idea would be to pair up Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak, as the two have been teasing working together for quite some time.
#3 Should happen at SummerSlam - Apollo Crews vs MVP
Now, this completely depends on whether Apollo Crews can be cleared to compete at SummerSlam or not. MVP was set to challenge the United States Champion Apollo at "The Horrorshow at Extreme Rules" last month, but due to the latter testing positive for COVID-19, the match never happened. Interestingly, MVP went ahead and crowned himself the "real" United States Champion, with a new title belt.
If Apollo recovers in time, WWE could book a match between him and MVP at SummerSlam to determine the undisputed United States champion. It is up for debate as to which title will become official going forward!
#3 Should not happen at SummerSlam - MVP vs Bobby Lashley
In case Apollo Crews doesn't make it up by SummerSlam, WWE might be tempted to book Bobby Lashley to turn on MVP and book the two of them for the United States Championship at SummerSlam. But they should not pull the trigger on the group so soon. MVP has been doing a stellar job as Lashley's manager and the pairing, along with Shelton Benjamin, has so much potential.
WWE might go ahead and book a tag team match between The Hurt Business and three other Superstars as a backup if Apollo can't make it to SummerSlam. But Lashley and MVP should stick together for now.
#2 Should happen at SummerSlam - Dominik & Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins & Murphy
With each passing week, it is becoming clear that we are heading towards the in-ring debut of Rey Mysterio's son, Dominik. After Seth Rollins extracted his father's eye at Extreme Rules, Dominik had revenge in mind as he blasted on Rollins and Murphy on RAW. In all likeliness, this will head towards a big match at SummerSlam.
But I don't think WWE should book a singles match between Seth Rollins and Dominik at SummerSlam. Why? I'll elaborate on that in the next point. As of now, a better match would be to have Dominik team-up with another huge babyface, ideally Kevin Owens, to take on the Monday Night Messiah and his disciple.
WWE might be tempted to book the return of Rey Mysterio (who has not lost his eye actually, it was Kayfabe!) and have the father-son duo to take on the heels. While it isn't that bad of an option, that would ultimately "no sell" the horrific injury to Rey Mysterio's eye at Extreme Rules. He needs to be out for a long time and SummerSlam is too soon for him to get back and have a match.
#2 Should not happen at SummerSlam - A singles match between Seth Rollins & Dominik Mysterio
Coming to the point of why WWE should not book a singles match between Seth Rollins and Dominik at SummerSlam, I'd like to quote Daniel Bryan - "WWE fans are fickle!"
Seth Rollins might be a massive heel on-screen, but the WWE Universe loves him as a wrestler and consider him to be one of the best in the world. Even after he extracted Rey Mysterio's eye at Extreme Rules, which is something only a massive heel can do, fans praised the entire match and his chemistry with Mysterio.
There is already a portion of fans who are not happy with Dominik getting so much screen time ahead of several other WWE Superstars who have been working hard but hardly getting any TV time. Having Dominik face and go over Seth Rollins at SummerSlam in a singles match might turn fans against him.
Another issue is, that a singles match leaves out talents like Murphy, who deserve every chance to shine on a big stage.
#1 Should happen at SummerSlam - Bayley vs Nikki Cross
Hear me out, I think Nikki Cross challenging Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam could be a good idea. We saw her lose her title match against Bayley this past week on SmackDown. What happened next was very interesting as she showed signs of frustration and even shoved-off her "best friend" Alexa Bliss. Now, Bliss might be busy with The Fiend and Braun Strowman at SummerSlam, as discussed earlier, so where does Nikki go from here?
WWE has a great chance to give Nikki a new and more serious character, where she is determined to defeat Bayley and win the title. If Nikki Cross manages to defeat Bayley at SummerSlam to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion, and Sasha retains her title, it would create for an interesting story.
That would leave Bayley now with one title, while her "best friend" Sasha would have two titles around her waist. Sasha was previously in a similar situation, but was faithful to Bayley, helping her retain her title on multiple occasions. Will Bayley develop a sense of jealousy, being the one with fewer titles? It will be interesting to see if that happens!
#1 Should not happen at SummerSlam - Bayley & Sasha Banks vs Asuka & Nikki Cross
The biggest issue with Sasha Banks and Bayley holding the WWE Women's Tag Team titles as well as both the singles Women's Championship of RAW and SmackDown is that the tag titles are almost an afterthought. There is no real rivalry for those titles heading into SummerSlam, which diminishes their purpose.
This past week on RAW, we saw Bayley attack Kairi Sane, forcing Asuka to leave her RAW Women's Championship match to save her friend, which led to her losing the match, and hence the title. Now, it would have been a great setup for a Bayley & Sasha Banks vs Asuka & Kairi Sane match at SummerSlam, but as we know, Kairi Sane left WWE. Hence, it remains to be seen how WWE books this angle going forward.
One potential idea could be to let Asuka team up with Nikki Cross to take on The Golden Role Models at SummerSlam for both the RAW and SmackDown Women's titles. But I don't think WWE should book it as Nikki Cross should go solo. She had her tag-team experience with Alexa Bliss, and she should realize that she needs to reach the top of the mountain alone.
