Cesaro vs Sheamus(First match in Best of Seven Series)
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Announced on the go-home Raw before Summerslam, Sheamus and Cesaro had two matches the two previous weeks, with Cesaro being victorious in both. After Cesaro cost Sheamus his match against Sami Zayn, they both brawled backstage, with a visibly furious Mick Foley announcing that the 2 European superstars would have a best of Seven series, with the first match starting at Summerslam.
Cesaro has been gaining a good deal of momentum, while Sheamus has been pushed down the card significantly in 2016. The Celtic Warrior also openly stated that he was frustrated at his creative position in WWE, and said that he just wanted to be in an active storyline. It appears that his wish has been granted, as he is now in a full-fledged feud with The Swiss Superman. Expect this best-of-seven to go down the wire, and Sheamus starting off on the right foot.Prediction: Sheamus Becky Lynch, Carmella & Naomi vs Eva Marie, Natalya & Alexa Bliss
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Many believed that the Smackdown Live women’s division had been robbed due to the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Paige all being on Raw. However, through some fantastic storytelling, especially the handling of Eva Marie, fans have been extremely keen on what the Smackdown Live Women’s division has in store, especially because there will be a Women’s title introduced to the blue brand in a matter of time as well. Naomi also made a triumphant return with a new entrance and gear, as a babyface. In the last Smackdown Live before Summerslam, the returning Naomi was scheduled to face Eva Marie in what was supposed to be her 3rd ”Spectacular debut”. Eva escaped a match with Becky Lynch 2 weeks in a row with some bizzare excuse or the other, and this time, the All Red Everything star didn’t even show up, with her background announcer stating that she was stuck in traffic. Later in the night, Becky Lynch and Carmella faced off against Natalya and Alexa Bliss in a tag bout. Eva Marie then showed up at last, only to have Naomi chase her. This led to a comical sequence that saw the two non-participants enter the ring and cause a scramble, leading to Becky Lynch submitting Natalya successfully. It was then announced that the three babyface women would be facing off agains the three heel women of Smackdown Live at Summerslam. Expect this match to go about with Eva Marie finding excuses not to wrestle, and somehow sneaking in a pin at the end to get nuclear heat from the Brooklyn crowd.Prediction: Eva Marie, Natalya & Alexa BlissSasha Banks(c) vs Charlotte (WWE Women’s Championship; Dane Brooke barred from ringside)
Many fans believed that Wrestlemania 32 would see the coronation of Sasha Banks as the champion of the division. However, it was Charlotte who walked away as the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion in a critically acclaimed Triple Threat Match that involved Becky Lynch too. Charlotte had a good run with the championship, which saw her disowning Ric Flair in the storyline and replacing him with Dana Brooke.
The first Raw after the draft saw Sasha Banks defeat Charlotte to become the WWE Women’s Champion. This came as quite a surprise to many as they believed that Summerslam would be Sasha’s coronation. However, the title reportedly changed hands as WWE wanted to create a buzz about the first Raw after the draft. Unsurprisingly, a rematch was announced for Summerslam. The Boss just won her first title on the main roster, and it is unlikely she will drop it anytime soon.Prediction: Winner, and STILL WWE Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks
Dean Ambrose(c) vs Dolph Ziggler(WWE World Championship)
The brand split has come in a great time for Dolph Ziggler, who has benefited greatly out of it, getting a re-ignited push that has seen him get an opportunity to face The Lunatic Fringe for the WWE World Championship at Summerslam. The match has come as a surprise to many, since Ziggler has been put on a pedestal and toned down for over two years, despite constant show-stealing performances.
However, with simple and effective storytelling, WWE have rebuilt Ziggler in order to make him a credible contender to Ambrose, who has had the strap put on him since Money In The Bank. That being said, they both have done tremendously in their feud so far, even joining forces to take on The Wyatts(Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan). However, it doesn’t seem likely that Ambrose will be dropping the belt anytime soon, as they need a top babyface on Smackdown Live, and John Cena will be missing the next few months well.Prediction: Winner, and STILL WWE World Champion, Dean Ambrose
Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton
This is a match that has been around 14-15 years in the making. WWE have played this story out giving the context of their history together as rookies in Ohio Valley Wrestling(OVW), which was WWE’s developmental territory at the time. Orton and Lesnar faced each other once on Smackdown in 2002, with Lesnar getting an easy victory. However, it is 14 years later, and Brock Lesnar is now facing a man who is a 12-time world champion.
Their paths finally cross after nearly a decade and a half. It is a very interesting situation, as Brock Lesnar has been busted for anti-doping violations by USADA, and Orton is back from a 9-month injury and is in the start of a hot babyface run. Had it been a month ago before Lesnar was busted, there would be no questions about it that Lesnar was going over. However, Lesnar has been getting bad publicity, and Orton needs to be one of the top babyfaces of Smackdown Live after this.
Also, Lesnar will most likely be back only by Royal Rumble. So with this context in mind, the Viper seems to benefit more out of a win logically.Prediction: Randy Orton
Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins(WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor was the 3rd pick for the Raw brand and the 5th overall draft pick. That is a significantly high spot to be drafted at, and if that doesn’t say anything, there is nothing that does. Also, it saw the payoff of fans desperately waiting for Balor to be called up. The results have shown, because on his first night on Raw, Balor won a fatal 4 way against Kevin Owens, Cesaro, and Rusev, and then went on to beat Roman Reigns clean on the main event of Raw to secure his spot at Summerslam.
Seth Rollins was given a pass directly to the Summerslam match as it was Roman Reigns who took the pinfall to Dean Ambrose, and not him. With the WWE World Championship on Smackdown Live, there was the need to introduce a new title on Raw, which has been called the WWE Universal Championship. Not too much of a story has been told between the two competitors at Summerslam, but just the thought of these 2 wrestling titans in the same ring has generated a significant amount of excitement among the fans.
It is being told that Finn Balor will indeed come out as “The Demon” at Summerslam, and if that is so, there is a heavy chance of him winning, as “The Demon” is among the most protected characters. It is not yet clear whether this is the main event of Summerslam or not, but many fans seem to agree that this is the rightful main event of Summerslam. Prediction: Winner, and the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, Finn Balor.
