SummerSlam 2018: Ranking every match by its probable quality

SummerSlam is going to be a long show. Between the pre-show and main show, there are 13 matches on the card. It feels like an unnecessary slog. As usual with these super shows, there are matches which look great on paper and ones which you know will bomb just by seeing the picture and preview.

If it's possible to tune in and out, which matches should you go out of your way to see and avoid, respectively? If you aren't watching live, which should you seek out on the Network the next day? Though one will never know for sure until the last bell is rung, here are the rankings we can be confident about based on the superstars and their past history.

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#13 Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns

Ugh.

This shouldn't be on the bottom, but we already have very recent history as to how this one is likely to go down. This match has everything working against it. There's no way that the Brooklyn crowd will even let it get off the ground, and even if it does, we have more than a big enough sample size between these two to understand how the match will likely play out.

In fact, you can create a drinking game from the match layout between these two. Since I care about your health, I'll invite you to take a drink only if you see more than one of the following four moves - suplex, superman punch, F5, and spear.

Expect a button-mashing contest in front of a supremely hostile crowd. If this manages to break the mold of their WrestleMania 34 and Greatest Royal Rumble encounters, it will be successful by its own standards. That's not a bar to hold in high regard.

Paul Heyman had a chance to break this mold, but now we aren't sure what to expect from him.

We can only hope that this is a last time ever match.

#12 Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

The rubber match no one clamored for.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - there's no reason for this match to happen at all, let alone at an already bloated SummerSlam. WWE's obsession with 50/50 booking has led to this rubber match without a single soul caring about who goes over in the feud. There's nothing at stake and no stipulation to give this match even the appearance that fans should be invested in it.

Their previous two matches were nothing to write home about. Baron Corbin is better with smaller opponents, but Finn Balor evidently isn't one of them. The best we can hope for is that it stays short and doesn't waste too much of our time.

#11 Raw Tag Team Championship: The B-Team (c) vs. The Revival

It's time to set tag team wrestling on a better path.

The Revival shouldn't be in a match this low, but they're facing a team of comedy jobbers who have already overstayed their welcome as champions. With that gimmick holding the match back, we shouldn't expect one of the classics they put on in NXT. Axel and Dallas simply won't be allowed to go as far as they potentially could.

The best case scenario would be for a quick victory for The Revival so that the tag team division can get back on course. It would be a bit anticlimactic since The Revival haven't exactly been revived from their doldrums, but this is where we are.

#10 Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega vs. Rusev and Lana

Unnecessary third and fourth wheels.

If this were simply Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Rusev, possibly with some kind of stipulation involved, this match would be a lot higher. Instead, WWE is obsessed with the idea of managers having to wrestle, and the match will suffer as a result.

The longer Rusev shares the ring with Almas, the better it will be, but Lana and Vega are guaranteed to see some ring time with resulting shenanigans. Zelina Vega is a serviceable wrestler, but Lana isn't.

We can only hope their ring time is kept to a minimum.

#9 SmackDown Women's Championship: Carmella (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair

Keep the "champ" out.

In a damning indictment of SmackDown's women's division, the quality of this match will be inversely proportional to the amount of time its champion spends in the ring. The less time Carmella is wrestling, the better the match will be.

Left to their own devices, Charlotte and Becky will take this match to higher heights than it would ordinarily reach, but Carmella can't be kept out of the ring forever. With a finish that's likely to be disappointing, it has an additional ceiling.

It can't be ranked any higher than this in terms of its prospective quality.

#8 Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

Why?

This feels like another match that's happening just for the sake of happening. The feud has only cooled Braun Strowman off when he should have heated up after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Some form of Dumb Babyface Syndrome is guaranteed to show up in this match as Braun Strowman chases Kevin Owens around. The match's quality will depend on how much of this is kept to a minimum.

Interference from Jinder Mahal isn't out of the question, either, which is another minefield this match will have to cross. Hopefully, it will be navigated safely, with the threat of Owens winning the briefcase being put safely in the rearview mirror.

#7 United States Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy

Strong style vs. beat-up style.

Jeff Hardy will bring it as much as he can, and he's proven somewhat successful at that since his return in April, but his beat-up body will inherently limit him in the match. Shinsuke Nakamura hasn't proved the best at carrying a match in his WWE tenure, so what we're probably looking at here is a perfectly acceptable match that won't get too far off the middle of the road.

Nakamura's strikes vs. Hardy's daredevil style should make for a good contrast that wasn't fully explored in their first two matches. This is a solid choice to warm up some of the hotter matches on the card that will follow it.

#6 Raw Women's Championship: Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Can Ronda make lightning strike a third time?

Ronda Rousey has already proven herself capable of carrying poor workers to a good match - see her bout with Nia Jax in June. There's no doubt that this one will be extensively practiced in the Performance Center beforehand, which will help to ensure things go smoothly.

The layout of this match is what will affect it most. No one wants to see Ronda Rousey struggle against a subpar worker who is much smaller than her in Alexa Bliss. The electricity will be buzzing around seeing Rousey rip Bliss' arm off.

If the bookers are smart, that's what the match will slowly crescendo to. If it doesn't, its quality will take a hit.

#5 Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Drew Gulak

205 is back on PPV.

This should be a fantastically-worked match, though the predictable low crowd response will, unfortunately, hold it back. Cedric Alexander is the consummate high-flier while Drew Gulak is 205's resident ground-based submission master. That contrast in styles will make for an interesting contest.

Gulak has a far meaner streak than he did when he last met Alexander. That should add some edge to the match as well, and the action will be fast-paced throughout. With little that can go wrong, this match is a sure bet.

#4 SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day

Let's hope they get more this time.

Stale as they are as characters, you can't bet against The New Day delivering a high-octane performance. The Bludgeon Brothers don't have much investment from fans, but they both play their roles well in the ring as monsters.

If given the time that they (and The Usos) didn't get at WrestleMania, this one can't fail to deliver. There's not a whole lot that can go wrong here, and if you don't watch live, this is almost certainly one that will be worth your time.

#3 WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe

Let's hope this "dream match" delivers.

AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are very familiar with each other. After all, they worked together for years. This will be the first time we see them go in a WWE ring, and although we can't expect them to equal their previous encounters when they were much younger, this should be a solid match at worst.

Styles' performances in 2018 haven't equaled his previous two years, and Joe hasn't had a chance to have a standout match yet, but each can push the other to go that extra mile on one of the biggest stages in wrestling.

The feud doesn't have as much heat as it should have, and now is the time to add some fuel to it.

#2 Intercontinental Championship: Dolph Ziggler (c) (/w Drew McIntyre) vs. Seth Rollins (/w Dean Ambrose)

Time to kick things into high gear.

The return of Dean Ambrose guarantees that this match is going to have a lot of buzz. If left to their own devices, there's no reason for Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins to not deliver. Thankfully, there won't be a countdown clock this time either, or an over-booked iron man match stipulation.

If there aren't too many shenanigans and overbooked interference spots, there's no reason why this shouldn't be a contender for match of the night and one of the best matches of August, even with TakeOver taking place the previous night.

#1 Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

It's time. Yes!

This is the match fans have been anticipating for two years, and though WWE could have done a lot more, it hasn't totally dropped the ball on building it. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz is the one match on the card that feels like it has a lot of heat inside of it waiting to explode, and with the caliber of the talent involved, there's no reason why it shouldn't.

The Miz has had a stellar 2018 with one of the main roster's best matches already under his belt, and Daniel Bryan has only been saddled with bad angles since his return, which hasn't allowed him to truly show the best side of himself. That will change on Sunday.

Only active sabotage should stop this match from being the best on the show.