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WWE SummerSlam is seen as one of the biggest events of the year. Since WrestleMania 36 wasn't able to include many of the Superstars who Vince McMahon may have wanted at the Showcase of the Immortals, SummerSlam could be the biggest show this year.
At present, there are a number of WWE Superstars on the sidelines whilst the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause issues for WWE, as well as others who are still on the outside waiting to make their return from injury.
SummerSlam would be the perfect event for many Superstars to return since the global pandemic seems to be settling down around the world and fans will hopefully be able to make their return to arenas by August.
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#5 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar was defeated by Drew McIntyre back at WrestleMania this year and hasn't been seen on WWE TV since. The former Champion has instead decided to sit out the last few months and remain safe with his family whilst the pandemic has taken hold.
It's a strange situation because Lesnar is the kind of star who would be looking to get even with McIntyre following his victory, much like when Seth Rollins defeated him at last year's WrestleMania.
If McIntyre continues to dominate on Monday Night RAW, then it's easy to see Lesnar making his return at SummerSlam so that he could become a roadblock. It's also easy to see The Beast Incarnate setting up a match for himself for the next Saudi Arabia show (if Crown Jewel happens later this year) whilst he is there.
SummerSlam is also expected to be the first WWE show since March to have an actual audience in attendance, which is something that could easily sway Lesnar to making his return to the ring much sooner than expected.
#4. Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods is still technically a SmackDown Tag Team Champion, even though the star went down with an Achilles injury at the tail end of 2019 and he has been sidelined ever since. The New Day has been doing well in the Tag Team Division without Xavier and even managed to win back their WWE Tag Team Championships from The Miz and John Morrison a few months ago.
Reports that surfaced at the time of his injury suggested that Woods could be out of action until as late as 2021, but many stars have returned from injuries in WWE much sooner than expected.
John Cena made a career out of returning from injuries much sooner than the prognosis expected him to and this allowed the Cenation leader to make some incredible surprise returns throughout the course of his career.
It would be a huge surprise if Xavier Woods is able to make his WWE return at SummerSlam so that The New Day could become a trio once again and continue dominating the Tag Team Division.
#3. Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan has been out of action since the Summer of 2019 after suffering a knee injury. The former NXT star was in a match with The Lucha House Party when he suffered the injury and hasn't been seen on WWE TV since.
There have been various updates on Sullivan over the past few months with many sites believing that the Freak could make his return this month. The recent COVID-19 pandemic may have affected those plans since WWE would want there to be an audience in order to make a surprise return much more effective.
Sullivan was on course to become the new monster in WWE and despite his main roster career getting off to a rough start, he was able to push himself back on track.
If Sullivan was initially expected to make his WWE return this month, then there's a high chance of him being one of the surprise returns at SummerSlam. As for which brand he would grace upon his return, we believe that right now, SmackDown could use his services.
#2. Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn was the Intercontinental Champion a few short weeks ago but after the Great Liberator refused to make his return to WWE whilst the COVID-19 pandemic was still an issue, the company stripped him of the Championship.
To determine the new Champion, WWE held a tournament that AJ Styles won a few weeks ago. The new Champion recently reignited his feud with Daniel Bryan on SmackDown but it's expected that at some point, Zayn would want to cross paths with the "Face that Runs the Place".
After all, Zayn didn't lose his Championship, which means that if WWE allows audiences to return at SummerSlam, then there is nothing preventing Zayn from making his return and challenging AJ for the title that is technically still his.
The future for Sami is looking somewhat bleak at present since the former Champion's main allies have gone after the SmackDown Tag Team Championships and seemingly left him behind. It'll be interesting to see if Zayn is able to step back into the Intercontinental Championship picture upon his return.
#1. Roman Reigns
WWE was handed a huge blowback in March when Roman Reigns revealed that he was stepping aside and not participating at WrestleMania. The Big Dog was set to battle Goldberg at the biggest show of the year for the Universal Championship but given his history with leukemia, and the fact that his wife had given birth to twins, he made the right decision for himself.
WWE only recently had a case of COVID-19 at their Performance Center, so it's easy to see why Reigns is still reluctant to make his return to the company. At present, Braun Strowman is involved in an interesting feud with his former Wyatt Family leader.
If the company is able to continue this storyline until SummerSlam, then Reigns could become a part of it if he returns at SummerSlam. Reigns' feud with the Wyatt Family in 2015 could be revisited this way as well.
It's unknown if the four-time World Champion will be able to pick up where he left off when he makes his WWE return. However, a feud with either Bray Wyatt or Braun Strowman over the Universal Championship would be an interesting way to go, don't you think?
