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WWE's SummerSlam comes at an interesting time for WWE. It's traditionally their second-biggest pay-per-view of the year and it's their last real chance to put on a great show before their impending Fox deal comes to fruition.
It's also the first pay-per-view that we'll see following Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff's appointments as Executive Directors of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live respectively. This means it'll be our first real chance to see what a big WWE show will look like with the aforementioned pair overseeing things.
With all of the above in mind, it seems clear that WWE will want to pull out all of the stops for their Summer spectacular, putting on as many dream matches as they possibly can to entertain the WWE Universe.
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Unfortunately, the matches announced so far, whilst intriguing, aren't exactly setting the world alight. We have a rematch between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title, Becky Lynch is defending her Raw Women's Title against Natalya in the challengers home-nation of Canada and Bayley has offered Ember Moon a friendly chance at the SmackDown Women's Title.
It's a good start, but there are plenty more matches to be announced, several of which were teased or set-up on this week's post-Extreme Rules Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live. So let's take a look at some of the matches we'll likely see at SummerSlam to make it a fantastic show.
#6. 'Demon' Finn Balor Vs. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt finally made his return to the ring this week and 'The Fiend' attacked Finn Balor, ambushing him and laying him low with a devastating Sister Abigail. Unfortunately for Balor, this seems like only the beginning of his issues with Wyatt's new character.
Wyatt took to Twitter after his re-debut and indicated that he had unfinished business with Finn Balor and that the pair of them will put on a 'spectacle'. Where better to put on a spectacle than at SummerSlam?
The biggest question on everyone's lips isn't whether or not Balor and Wyatt will clash at SummerSlam, that seems a given, but instead, it's whether or not we'll get 'Demon' Finn Balor Vs. 'Fiend' Bray Wyatt.
Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio has indicated that the current plan is for this to happen which would definitely create a lot of intrigue given that Balor is undefeated as 'The Demon' but many would expect Wyatt to get the win given he's just returned.
#5. Mustafa Ali Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - Intercontinental Title Match
Mustafa Ali is someone who has actually been booked really strongly on the main roster since transitioning from 205 Live. But, he has been plagued with a series of unfortunate injuries that seem to arise just as soon as he gets close to competing for his first main roster title.
That's why it's good to see SmackDown Live continue to give Ali chances, despite his bad luck because he's truly an immense talent as evidenced by his in-ring ability and unscripted promos. I truly believe he'd have had at least one championship reign by now if he had kept out of the 'local medical facilities'
With that in mind, Ali is the perfect opponent for the newly minted Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and it seems that's the direction WWE want to go as they had Ali 'congratulate' Nakamura on his Extreme Rules title win backstage on this week's SmackDown Live.
#4. Kabuki Warriors W/. Paige Vs. IIconics - No DQ/No Count Outs
WWE has told a great story with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay as Women's Tag-Team Champions by having them evade their #1 contenders Kairi Sane and Asuka over and over again.
Most recently on SmackDown Live they had the wily heels realise that if they got counted out they'd lose the match, but retain their titles, much to the frustration of Paige and her tag-team, who'd been trying to have their title match for weeks.
This booking is working as well because the WWE Universe are certainly angry at Royce and Kay for not being fighting champions and for disrespecting the tag-team titles that Bayley and Sasha Banks tried so hard to establish.
With all of that in mind, it seems like SummerSlam is the best place to, not only give these newly established titles a decent spotlight, but to pay off the feud between these two teams and have an actual match that Royce and Kay can't escape from. That's why I've suggested a No DQ/No Count Outs stipulation.
#3. AJ Styles Vs. Ricochet
Following the two brawls on Monday Night RAW with The Club interrupting the six-man tag-team match to attack Ricochet, and Ricochet returning the favour during The Club's match with Lucha House Party that things aren't over between the former United States Champion and current champ AJ Styles.
So far the feud between AJ Styles and Ricochet has been a good one, with Ricochet really cementing himself as a top contender against one of wrestling's all-time modern greats in Styles. It's produced some great moments too, for example, Ricochet's sell of the Phenomenal Forearm this week was otherworldly
There's a ton more mileage in this feud though, especially now that AJ Styles has gone full-heel, has a stable of guys around him and holds the title for the plucky challenger Ricochet to chase. This is why these guys have to wrestle for the belt at SummerSlam. Plus, any match between these two has the potential to steal the show.
#2. Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton - WWE Title Match
It's wrestling booking 101 - when you pin the current champion you earn yourself a title match and that's exactly what Randy Orton did on this week's SmackDown Live when he downed Kofi Kingston with an emphatic RKO.
Kingston has been booked as an incredibly strong world champion, defending against Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan and anyone else thrown his way. In fact he's only been pinned twice since winning the title, once in a Two Out of Three Falls match against Dolph Ziggler and in the Six-man tag at the hands of Orton, but never in singles competition.
That alone makes Orton a credible threat to Kingston, but when you throw in the immense history between the two, including the real-life antagonism between them during Kingston's initial main event run and you have yourselves quite an intriguing prospect for SummerSlam.
#1. Kevin Owens Vs. Shane McMahon
Kevin Owens is arguably the most-over male Superstar on the WWE roster right now and Shane McMahon is undeniably the most despised male Superstar on the roster right now. So, it's only right that their ongoing conflict is settled in the ring at SummerSlam.
After all the Stone-Cold-Stunning, voice of the people, iteration of Kevin Owens deserves to get his hands on 'The Best in the World. However, if this week's SmackDown is anything to go by it looks like the son of the boss will have a few tricks up his sleeve in the form of the heel locker room members.
Despite having the likes of Drew McIntyre, Elias, Buddy Murphy, the Authors of Pain, etc. on his side Shane McMahon has still fallen victim to, not one, not two, but three Stunners at the hands of Owens and hopefully he'll eat at least one more at SummerSlam.
