WWE SummerSlam 2019: 10 last-minute predictions

The 2019 WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view takes place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario on Sunday, August 11.

As of the time of writing, 10 matches are scheduled for the next ‘Big 4’ event on the WWE calendar, with Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship) and Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship) among the featured encounters.

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya (Raw Women’s Championship) and Bayley vs. Ember Moon (SmackDown Women’s Championship) have also been announced, while Trish Stratus will compete in the final match of her career against Charlotte Flair.

With the Raw Tag Team Championship, SmackDown Tag Team Championship, Women’s Tag Team Championship and Intercontinental Championship absent from the show, Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan (Cruiserweight Championship) and AJ Styles vs. Ricochet (United States Championship) are the only other title matches scheduled for SummerSlam.

Elsewhere, the following non-title matches have been confirmed: Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon (Owens will quit WWE if he loses), Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt and Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler.

In this article, let’s try to predict the outcome of every match that will take place at this year’s “Biggest Party of the Summer”.

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#10 Cruiserweight Championship: Drew Gulak (c) vs. Oney Lorcan

Oney Lorcan defeated Akira Tozawa, Ariya Daivari, Jack Gallagher, Kalisto and Tony Nese in a six-pack challenge on the most recent episode of 205 Live to become the new No.1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Long-term, there is no doubt that Lorcan has the character and in-ring ability to win the title one day, but it feels like there has not been enough storyline build-up for him to be seen as a realistic challenger to take the title away from Drew Gulak.

Expect this to be among the best technical matches of the night, with Gulak retaining his title in the first of many encounters between the two men.

Prediction: Drew Gulak def. Oney Lorcan

#9 Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

If this match was a regular one-on-one encounter with no stipulation added to it, there could be an argument to be had that the villainous Shane McMahon might have a trick up his sleeve (otherwise known as Drew McIntyre and Elias) to help him pick up the victory.

However, ever since Kevin Owens promised to quit WWE if he loses at SummerSlam, it has felt obvious that the former Universal Champion will kick-start his run as one of SmackDown Live’s top babyfaces by defeating McMahon.

After all, the majority of the WWE Universe has grown tired of seeing the former SmackDown Commissioner run his mouth every week – something that has become a key part of the storyline – and Owens is the perfect opponent to finally defeat Shane O’Mac, bringing an end to his reign of terror as an authority figure on the blue brand.

Prediction: Kevin Owens def. Shane McMahon

#8 Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair has been out of the WWE spotlight over the last three months, with the likes of Lacey Evans, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross and Ember Moon receiving opportunities in the women’s division on Raw and SmackDown Live instead.

Given the star power that the WrestleMania 35 main-eventer possesses, her absence from a meaningful storyline was not going to last for long, and it was recently confirmed that she will go one-on-one with hometown hero Trish Stratus in Toronto, Ontario at SummerSlam.

This match is among the most interesting of the night for the simple reason that the Hall of Famer has not competed in a competitive singles match for almost 13 years.

With regards to the outcome, Stratus has mentioned in the build-up to the PPV that this will be the final match of her career, which usually means that the retiring Superstar is going to lose.

For that reason, we would be foolish to go against Flair.

Prediction: Charlotte Flair def. Trish Stratus

#7 SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Ember Moon

Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair at Money In The Bank in May to become the first WWE Superstar to win the NXT Women’s Championship, Raw Women’s Championship, SmackDown Women’s Championship and Women’s Tag Team Championship.

Since then, she has defended her title against Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, and she is now preparing to take on a woman who she personally chose to face at SummerSlam, Ember Moon.

On paper, this should be a potential show-stealer between the former NXT Women’s Champions. But, in all honesty, there has not been anywhere near enough development in this storyline to make fans truly invested in the outcome at SummerSlam, with Moon struggling to build up the required momentum to be viewed as a possible main-roster Champion.

Barring a swerve involving the possible return of Sasha Banks, the most obvious prediction is to go for a Bayley victory.

Prediction: Bayley def. Ember Moon

#6 United States Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Ricochet

Ever since the Paul Heyman era of Raw began, we have seen AJ Styles and Ricochet feature prominently on Monday nights.

Styles, with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson by his side, has quickly established himself as the top heel on the red brand, while Ricochet has been elevated from impressive mid-carder to somebody who is on the verge of breaking into the main-event scene.

Credit where it’s due, WWE’s decision-makers have done a very good job at setting up a title rematch where the outcome does not seem too predictable – something that has often been an issue in recent years.

Will Styles retain and continue The OC’s dominance on Raw? Or will the threat of Gallows and Anderson be countered by another tag team, enabling Ricochet to become a two-time United States Champion?

This is a tough call – both men have a ton of momentum right now – but let’s go with “The Phenomenal One”.

Prediction: AJ Styles def. Ricochet

#5 Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Finn Balor has been lost in the SmackDown Live shuffle ever since the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, which is alarming considering that he has spent most of that time as the Intercontinental Champion.

With Shinsuke Nakamura now holding the title, Balor’s focus has switched to Bray Wyatt, whose “Fiend” character debuted in July by attacking the Irishman on an episode of Raw.

Wyatt is one of the most talked-about Superstars in WWE right now, despite the fact that he has not competed in a televised match in almost a year, and his in-ring comeback at SummerSlam will be one of the most anticipated matches of the night.

As for the outcome, it has been widely reported that Balor is set to take a two-month sabbatical after the PPV, while Wyatt desperately needs to establish his new alter-ego with a debut victory.

Prediction: Bray Wyatt def. Finn Balor

#4 Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler

Goldberg legitimately knocked himself out midway through his defeat against The Undertaker at Super ShowDown in June. The match went down as one of the worst in recent memory, which is presumably why the WCW legend is keen to make amends by competing in a rare match at SummerSlam.

Now, although there is plenty of intrigue heading into the encounter, the one downside to this rivalry is that everything has been very predictable so far.

As soon as Dolph Ziggler began to repeatedly aim digs at Goldberg, it was obvious that it would lead to a match. As soon as The Miz was announced as Ziggler’s opponent, it was obvious that it was a ruse. As soon as Shawn Michaels and The Miz confronted Ziggler on the latest episode of Raw, it was obvious that Goldberg would return at the end of the show.

The next obvious step in this storyline would be for Goldberg to dismantle “The Showoff” in a two-minute match, but who really gains anything from a widely criticised 52-year-old defeating a full-time WWE Superstar who is still in his prime?

This could prove to be wildly inaccurate, but let’s go with Ziggler!

Prediction: Dolph Ziggler def. Goldberg

#3 Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Natalya

Much of the build-up to this match has centred around Becky Lynch referring to herself as “Canada’s new hero” – a moniker that she is planning to take from Natalya if and when she defeats her at SummerSlam.

Given that Trish Stratus is the true hometown hero on Sunday, as opposed to Natalya, the Canadian aspect of this storyline seems unlikely to play a factor on Sunday, with Lynch almost certain to be treated as the top babyface in the match.

Instead, the storyline plot that everybody should really be focusing on involves Ronda Rousey, Natalya’s long-time training partner and Lynch’s long-time enemy.

WWE fans have still never seen a one-on-one match between “The Man” and “The Baddest Woman on the Planet”, and it feels like Natalya’s latest ‘push’ has only happened in order to set up the return of Rousey.

If that is the case, then expect Lynch to make “The Queen of Harts” tap out in this submission match at SummerSlam, setting up Rousey’s possible comeback.

Prediction: Becky Lynch def. Natalya

#2 WWE Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton

Kofi Kingston has retained his WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler and Samoa Joe since winning the title from Bryan in the biggest feel-good moment of WrestleMania 35.

Four months on, the New Day member faces his toughest challenge yet, with Randy Orton determined to become a 14-time World Champion against the man who he ‘buried’ almost a decade ago during their rivalry in late 2009.

With respect to the rest of the Superstars and matches on the SummerSlam card, this is sure to be the one match where the Toronto fans are guaranteed to be invested from start to finish.

Will Kingston’s fairytale run as WWE Champion continue against somebody who has been blamed for holding him back earlier in his career? Or will Orton cement his status as one of WWE’s top heels by ending one of the most popular title reigns in recent memory?

This is another difficult outcome to call, but let’s go with Kingston, followed by a post-match Orton beatdown to continue the rivalry.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston def. Randy Orton

#1 Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins

This storyline began way back in January when Seth Rollins won the 2019 Royal Rumble to set up a match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35.

The former Shield member went on to defeat “The Beast”, becoming “The Beastslayer” and winning the Universal Championship in the process, but Lesnar now holds the title again after cashing in his Money In The Bank contract at the end of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in July.

Sadly for Rollins, the momentum that he had before the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 35 seems to have completely disappeared, and his defiant babyface promo on the latest episode of Raw gained hardly any reaction from the audience.

If he still had any of the momentum that he possessed before his big matches earlier this year, there would be a case for Rollins to reclaim the Universal Championship on Sunday. However, unfortunately, he doesn’t.

Anything other than a Lesnar victory would be a surprise.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar def. Seth Rollins