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SummerSlam 2021 is less than a week away and it's set to be the biggest pay-per-view of the WWE calendar year. There will always be complaints about the quality of the card for a pay-per-view like SummerSlam, but it's a strong one this year.
Despite three marquee matches featuring legends (Edge, John Cena, and Goldberg), the card doesn't feel like it's built around them. With 10 matches booked as of this writing, there doesn't seem to be a need to add more matches.
Let's look at five matches that should have happened at SummerSlam 2021.
#5. Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar - A blockbuster SummerSlam clash
This is the most obvious one and it tops our list of matches that should have happened at SummerSlam 2021. Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley is undoubtedly a great match, but it doesn't have the same appeal that a Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley match has.
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Lashley admitted years ago that he returned to WWE with the intention of meeting Lesnar down the road. SummerSlam 2018 would have been the perfect stage, especially since Bobby Lashley beat Roman Reigns clean in the previous pay-per-view.
Instead, WWE decided to begin a mini-tournament on RAW one night later to determine Lesnar's Universal title opponent at The Biggest Party of the Summer. Reigns met Lashley in the final and defeated him a week later.
Similarly, many fans felt that WrestleMania 37 was the perfect time to bring Brock Lesnar back. A WWE title clash would have been the undeniable main event of WrestleMania 37 Night One and it was the perfect stage.
History would repeat itself this SummerSlam season, but it was Goldberg who ultimately returned for his second match of 2021. Goldberg vs. Lashley is a big attraction, but Lesnar as The All Mighty's opponent would have been a bigger draw.
The only problem is that WWE would need two nights for the pay-per-view since this would be a deserving main event as well. With that said, it seems like the company hasn't contacted Brock Lesnar regarding a return.
#4. Kevin Owens or Big E vs. Baron Corbin - A comedy match for SummerSlam
We saw Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin recently on SmackDown, which means that it won't happen at SummerSlam. But WWE should have reserved it for the card because it wouldn't have been a long match.
While the card is filled with matches promising a level of intensity, a light-hearted bout would be the missing piece. Corbin has been doing his best character work in the build to the pay-per-view.
He doesn't have a match at SummerSlam, or anything else, for that matter. After various attempts at restoring his financial stability, Baron Corbin seems to be continuously spiraling.
Kevin Owens gave him money on SmackDown, telling him to redeem himself in the process. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode hilariously stole his money after Corbin received a shot to his private parts via a nerf gun.
He then tried sabotaging Finn Balor by securing a Universal title match against Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, but John Cena came out and signed the contract himself.
Corbin tried his luck on RAW and when asked by Drew McIntyre how much he needed to get out of his financial woes, he hilariously said $100,000. Stealing Big E's briefcase was his latest move.
A match against Big E or Kevin Owens would have been great on the SummerSlam card. Baron Corbin deserves to be on it for his work this past month alone. But don't be surprised to see him sneak his way into the event.
#3. Apollo Crews vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - A SummerSlam moment for the King?
King Nakamura has had a lot of momentum, but he won't be on the SummerSlam card. WWE, just like last year, opted to have an intercontinental title change before the pay-per-view and not during it.
The same thing happened last year when Jeff Hardy dethroned AJ Styles to become the Intercontinental Champion on the Blue brand.
In the penultimate SmackDown before SummerSlam, Crews defended his Intercontinental Championship against Nakamura and lost. Both Rick Boogs and Commander Azeez were ejected from ringside and Shinsuke Nakamura went on to defeat Apollo Crews to become a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
One can't help but wonder whether it would have been a better moment at The Biggest Party of the Summer than on SmackDown. However, we do understand one side of the argument, that WWE needs to have big moments happen on free television as well. The SmackDown broadcast deal with FOX is a massive money maker and title changes on the show are important.
However, it would have likely been Shinsuke Nakamura's best moment in WWE since he joined in 2016.
#2. Sheamus vs. Damian Priest vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison - A Fatal-Four-Way match at SummerSlam
Another thing that is lacking at SummerSlam is a strong multi-man match. WWE rarely goes wrong with Fatal-Four-Ways and this would have been an entertaining match to watch.
All four men have a lot of experience and since The Miz was recently cleared to return to the ring, John Morrison and he would have made for good additions to the US title picture. Sheamus vs. Damian Priest has been an entertaining feud in itself, but a Fatal-Four-Way would make for a better match.
We expect all four superstars to be involved in the US title feud after the upcoming pay-per-view. For now, the focus must be on Priest getting his SummerSlam moment and a first title win on the WWE main roster.
A multi-man match could have been the company's way of protecting Sheamus, although he hasn't necessarily been the most protected champion. Simply put, Fatal-Four-Way matches in WWE are fun and it rarely ever goes wrong. The chaos of it all makes for an entertaining match and a great reaction, which is what any superstar wants when they enter the ring.
#1. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair - The biggest possible return at SummerSlam
Many are asking the question about why Becky Lynch isn't on the SummerSlam card. It has been 15 months since Lynch has been on WWE TV. After announcing her pregnancy, her time in 2020 was done. Like Brock Lesnar, many WWE fans assumed that The Man would return by WrestleMania 37.
It made sense that she wasn't on the card, so a return post-WrestleMania was then expected, but that didn't happen either. It's been four months and the RAW Women's Triple Threat match at SummerSlam confirmed that Becky Lynch won't wrestle at the event.
Lynch should have returned to set up a SummerSlam bout against Charlotte Flair. Being the champion who never lost the title, she has a valid claim for an instant title shot.
There are suggestions, however, that Becky Lynch could be moving to SmackDown instead of RAW. This would make sense as WWE has been loading the Blue brand with a stacked roster since the FOX deal in 2019.
However, Lynch's best match in WWE has been against Charlotte Flair at Evolution 2020. It would have been a great match for The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
