WWE SummerSlam 2021 Preview And Predictions
Aug. 21, 2021 may be the most anticipated date on the professional wrestling docket of the year! Taking place from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home of the NFL’s Raiders will host 50,000 plus fans for the “Biggest Party of the Summer”.
The 34th annual SummerSlam may arguably be the biggest in the Pay-Per-View’s (PPV) history. Headlined by Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending his strap against the 16-time World Champion John Cena, the 2021 version of SummerSlam will be the first “Biggest Party of the Summer” to be hosted inside of a stadium since 1992, and it will be the first time ever WWE’s August tradition will be broadcasted on a Saturday.
To go along with the mega main event, nine other contests are scheduled to take place inside the squared circle on Saturday, so let’s get right to the predictions!
Roman Reigns (C. W/ Paul Heyman) vs John Cena. Universal Championship
Thanks to some shenanigans by his former Shield brother Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank (MITB), the “Head of the Table” barely escaped Edge to retain the most coveted prize in all of professional wrestling. Reigns, thinking his night was over after pinning Edge’s shoulders to the mat, was celebrating in the ring when the familiar trumpets of Cena’s entrance music rang through the speakers of Dickies Arena. Cena did not say anything to Reigns in Fort Worth, TX. Instead, he went to the American Airlines Center in Dallas the next night on RAW to explain the only reason he returned to WWE after over a year away was to challenge the “Tribal Chief” for the Universal Championship in Vegas.
On the SmackDown following MITB, Reigns denied Cena’s challenge, claiming Cena wasn’t on his level. That’s when Finn Balor — who had defeated Sami Zayn earlier in the night — came out to the ring and challenged Reigns. Reigns accepted Balor’s challenge because Balor didn’t cut in line like Cena.
It looked like Reigns and Balor were going to throw down at SummerSlam, but during the contract signing for the bout the next week, Baron Corbin, who had been attacked by Cena earlier in the night after Cena refused to give Corbin money (Corbin is currently broke!), took out Balor and looked to sign the contract to face Reigns at SummerSlam (Reigns had already signed the contract and facing him would give Corbin a big pay day!), but Cena once again took out Corbin, and then he signed C.E.N.A. on the contract with a big, blue pen, making the match official between the two icons.
Over the last few weeks, both men have taken personal shots at each other. Reigns said Cena has had the same gimmick, entrance and moveset for 15 years, and now he’s nothing but a nostalgia act who even has bad moves in bed while Cena told Reigns he’s been pushed by WWE for 10 years as the next face of the company, and yet, there’s a reason why WWE keeps calling the true GOAT back! Cena even blamed Reigns for the reason why Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose in WWE, is in AEW!
This feud sells itself. WWE has been selling it as “The current GOAT (Reigns) vs the all-time GOAT (Cena)”! The fact of the matter is we’ve seen Cena and Reigns go one-on-one before. It was at No Mercy 2017, and Reigns withstood a multitude of Attitude Adjustments from Cena, including one off the top rope, but Reigns would put down Cena with a Spear, signaling he was the new face of the company.
WWE has shockingly failed to mention any of that history at the time this article is being published. The question is: Will history repeat itself on Saturday night?
The answer seems obvious. The logic points to Reigns walking out with his Universal Championship in toe, but there’s so many different ways WWE could go.
One way is certainly for Reigns to walk out champion by pinning Cena clean with a Spear. I doubt Cena taps out to the Guillotine.
Reigns could always defeat Cena with interference from the Usos, who have yet to get involved in this story on television.
But, what if… what if Cena somehow wins his 17th World Championship on Saturday?! He’s tied with Ric Flair for the most world titles as we speak, but Flair was just released from the company. Will WWE finally pull the trigger on Cena being the one to top Flair’s record or will they wait for his daughter Charlotte?!
And, what’s with Balor?! He got attacked by Reigns and the Usos two weeks ago on SmackDown when Balor called him out, and we haven’t seen him since. He has a right to be angry at both Reigns and Cena. Does he cost one of, or both of them, the title?! Do we get Reigns defending the championship against Balor after SummerSlam?! Does Cena win the title, and that sets up Balor vs Cena?! Does Balor’s interference make the match a no-contest, and Balor either faces Cena for the opportunity to face Reigns again, or it’s a triple threat match at Extreme Rules?!
So many questions. Yet, there’s only one answer! If I was a betting man, I would bet for Reigns to go over clean over Cena without any interference, and Reigns and Balor face off one-on-one at Extreme Rules in September. As much as I want the “Face That Runs the Place” to be Universal Champion on Sunday morning, I just don’t see it happening.
Whatever happens though, I’ll be on the edge of my seat because the match should tear the house down with a ton of false finishes.
Bianca Beliar © vs Sasha Banks. SmackDown Women’s Championship
When Beliar won the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Banks during the Night One main event of Wrestlemania in an instant classic that won an ESPY award for “WWE Moment of the Year”, wrestling fans knew Banks would eventually come back for her gold, and she picked the perfect time to do so! On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, Beliar was celebrating surpassing 100 days as champion when Carmella and Zelina Vega came out to ruin her celebration. The heels beat down Beliar until Snoop Dogg’s voice ran through the Target Center in Minneapolis to a huge pop, and Banks saved Beliar from humiliation.
WWE Officials Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville sanctioned a tag match between the four ladies for the main event of the show and following Carmella tapping out to the Bank Statement, Banks and Beliar would celebrate in the ring, until… Banks hit Beliar with a BackStabber and locked in the Bank Statement on Beliar to a roor of boo’s to end the broadcast. The next week, Banks explained that Beliar’s win in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium was a fluke, and she returned to take her championship back at SummerSlam.
Beliar has yet to get the upper hand on Banks throughout the buildup to this match, and that’s why I think she will eventually get the upper hand when she nails Banks with the Kiss of Death (KOD) at SummerSlam — just like at Wrestlemania — to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and just like in Tampa, these two should put on another entertaining bout!
If I was booking this match, I would put this match on first to set the tone for the evening. It would be a great story if the two ladies who closed Night One of Wrestlemania opened arguably a bigger PPV this year because of the times we are in right now. SummerSlam is going to be the largest crowd for a professional wrestling company since the Royal Rumble in 2020, and this match deserves the opening spotlight.
Edge vs Seth Rollins
As mentioned above in the Reigns-Cena section, Rollins cost Edge the Universal Championship at MITB. Rollins believes Edge jumped ahead of him in the №1 contender’s spot for the blue brand’s most prestigious title, and if he can’t be champion, neither can Edge.
We all know the history between these two men, and WWE has built the whole match around said history. In 2014 while Rollins was leading The Authority, he had a chance to Curbstomp Edge, who at the time had been retired with a career-threatening neck injury. Edge was trying to help Cena eliminate The Authority, but it almost cost him his ability to walk! Rollins didn’t pull the trigger, and Edge has waited years to get his revenge.
Yes, he eliminated him from both the 2020 and 2021 Royal Rumbles, but that’s not enough for the “Ultimate Opportunist”. He wants to beat the “Architect” in the ring at SummerSlam and teach Rollins respect.
Edge see’s a lot of himself in Rollins, hence the reason he called Rollins “Edge-lite”. They both won Money in the Bank briefcases and cashed them in successfully. They both have been in legendary tag teams. They both have won Royal Rumbles. They both have main evented Wrestlemania. They both have won every major title there is to win in WWE. They both used underhanded tactics to get to the top.
But Edge now see’s that what he did back in the day as the “Rated R Superstar” was wrong, and he’s trying to show that to the “Drip God”, but Rollins believes he’s done everything Edge has done, but better, and he’s going to prove it Saturday night.
This is truly a dream match seven years in the making. It’s a match that just two years ago was only possible on the WWE2K video game series. I believe when the night is all set and done, this match may very well be match of the night.
Ever since Edge returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble, his matches have been spectacular. His in-ring work is the best it has ever been, and Rollins never has a bad match. Get ready to call the LVPD because I imagine these boys are going to steal the show with Edge going out on top with a Spear, proving to Rollins he’s still the “Rated R Superstar”.
Bobby Lashley (C. W/ MVP) vs Goldberg. WWE Championship
It says a lot about the current state of Monday Night RAW in my opinion that the first RAW match of this article is the fourth match listed, and this honestly shouldn’t be the match I’m talking about, but WWE has pushed it hard enough to make it feel somewhat important, and it is the WWE Title, so here we go!
The “Almighty WWE Champion” dismantled Kofi Kingston like a ragdoll at MITB. The next night on RAW, following a beatdown of a returning Keith Lee, he was looking for a challenger for the “Biggest Party of the Summer”, and his challenge was answered by the one and only Goldberg, or as I like to call him, OLDberg!
OLDberg came out to the ring, said his typical, “YOUR NEXT” line to Lashley, and that’s been about it for the last four weeks. Sure, OLDberg’s son Gage has been on RAW a few times to show support for his dad (the kid is ripped by the way!), but it really does nothing for me.
I really wanted Lashley V. Lesnar at Allegiant Stadium, and OLDberg isn’t a suitable replacement. OLDberg isn’t GOLDberg anymore. He can barely deliver a Spear and a Jackhammer. I have no idea why/how he is in this match, but nonetheless, I’m predicting the “All Mighty” to go over in dominating fashion, making OLDberg tap out to the Hurt Lock.
Now, do I think OLDberg is going to hit a Spear, possibly a jackhammer and have a moment where it looks like he’s going to win the WWE Title? I do, but I don’t expect this match to last more than five minutes.
A.J. Styles and Omos © vs RK-BRO. RAW Tag Team Championships
This to me is the main event on the RAW side of SummerSlam. It’s had the most TV time out of anything on RAW, and it has the most compelling story on the red brand going into Saturday.
The night after Wrestlemania, Randy Orton and Riddle were randomly thrown together as a tag team, and I wasn’t sure how this unusual duo would pan out, but the team now known as RK-BRO, along with the champs Styles and Omos, have been carrying RAW since April 12. On the June 21 episode of RAW, Orton lost a MITB qualifying match to John Morrison and mysteriously did not return for two months, leaving Riddle to literally act like Orton during his absence. Riddle would use Orton’s moves and poses as a way to convince himself Orton was coming back soon, so when Orton returned two weeks ago to a ruckus crowd in Orlando, not only was the Amway Center excited to see the “Viper”, but so was the “Original Bro”.
Orton told Riddle they were no longer partners, but Riddle didn’t want to believe it. Styles and Omos didn’t either, which is why Styles challenged Orton to a match in the main event, which Orton won by RKOing Styles in mid-air as Styles was attempting a Phenomenal Forearm, but not before Riddle saved Orton by taking out Styles’ giant colossus. After Orton’s victory, Riddle wanted to celebrate with his “partner”, but the “Apex Predator” struck Riddle with an RKO of his own to end the show.
The following week, Orton kicked off RAW by explaining to the people in San Antonio that he doesn’t play well with others, but Riddle still didn’t want to believe RK-BRO was finished. He thought Orton RKO’d him to show him how to properly execute the maneuver. Styles and Omos once again interrupted, and Styles challenged Riddle to a match, which Riddle accepted and lost, with no Orton to be found.
Later in the night, the 7’3 giant dismantled Orton in a match before Styles interfered to cause more damage. However, before the tag champs could finish Orton off, Riddle made the save, taking out Styles and forcing Omos to go help his friend. Riddle would help Orton up, and Orton grabbed a microphone and told Riddle he had earned the respect of the “Viper”, and that RK-BRO was officially a team. Riddle was so pumped he challenged Styles and Omos for the titles at SummerSlam, and it was made official.
The chemistry between all four superstars is there as Orton and Riddle have both gone one-on-one with Styles multiple times in the last year, and Omos plays the role of Styles’ bodyguard perfectly. He’s a 7’3, 400 pound, athletic freak of nature, and he’s going to be a solo star one day! However, this is a tag match, and I predict Riddle will hit Styles with a Bro Derek to give him and Orton the titles, and we will see both of them do the famous Orton pose in the middle of the ring.
It’s a match I’ve been looking forward to since the day RK-BRO formed. These are by far the best two teams on RAW, and next to New Day, the best teams in WWE right now. This is going to be an awesome match Saturday!
Nikki A.S.H. © vs Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley. RAW Women’s Championship
When the former Nikki Cross inserted herself in between the Flair and Ripley rivalry during their build to Hell in a Cell, I should have seen MITB coming, but I didn’t. When Cross changed her character to Nikki “Almost a Superhero (A.S.H.)”, I didn’t think it was going to result in a big push but clearly it did because not only did Nikki A.S.H. win the Women’s MITB Ladder Match (a victory I thought for sure would go to Alexa Bliss), she cashed in the contract the next night on Flair, who had just made Ripley tap out the night before to win World Championship №11.
These three women have dominated the women’s division over the summer on RAW, and WWE has put a lot of time into putting Nikki A.S.H. into the main event scene, but I just don’t see it. Her “Almost a Superhero” character doesn’t work when she’s champion. I was happy when she cashed in the briefcase on Flair because I thought it meant she BECAME a superhero, but apparently Nikki believes superheroes aren’t real, and that you can ALMOST be one if you believe in yourself.
I’m just not feeling this match. The RAW women’s division needs a complete shakeup. Bianca Beliar and Sasha Banks feel like stars over on SmackDown. Even Bayley felt like a star when she didn’t have the championship before she sadly tore her ACL before MITB. None of these three women feel like stars and neither did Asuka when she had a long and boring title reign.
The one that feels the most like a star is Flair. Not just because of her last name but because she’s an 11-time Women’s Champion, she has charisma, she can speak on the mic, and her matches are usually pretty good. Ripley doesn’t have charisma, and Nikki doesn’t have the in-ring ability, and her A.S.H. character has really exposed her in-ring style in my estimation.
WWE has also booked all three women really weirdly since the triple threat was announced. Take this past Monday for instance. Ripley beat Cross clean with a Riptide, but then later in the night, Cross and Ripley TEAMED against Flair and Jax, and Flair pinned Ripley clean with Natural Selection. I just don’t get it.
To me, the most likely scenario, and the scenario I’m going with is Flair makes Nikki tap out to the Figure Eight and becomes a 12-time champion. I don’t see Ripley winning back the championship. I could see Nikki beating either lady and keeping her title if WWE wants to continue her magical run, but there’s really nobody else for her to face that’s a legitimate championship contender. Heading into the fall, WWE needs somebody strong on top of the women’s division, so RAW can remain entertaining against Monday Night Football, and the best candidate for that role is Flair.
The Usos © vs The Mysterio’s. SmackDown Tag Team Titles
These two teams had a fantastic match on the MITB Kickoff Show, which ended with Jey Uso placing his feet on the back of his brother Jimmy, so Jimmy could get leverage on his rollup pin on Rey Mysterio to win the SmackDown tag gold, so the Bloodline could leave MITB with all the gold. Over the next few weeks, both teams have used cheating tactics to pick up victories against each other in singles competition in anticipation for this rematch.
Rey has really been on his son Dominik about making sure they are on the same page, so they don’t get cheated again, and I think that’s the story of this match. After a great back and forth, and a few times where we think the Mysterio’s are walking away with the gold, Dominik will get distracted by one of the Usos, costing him and his father the straps, and WWE will tease a break up angle with the first ever father-son tag champs.
Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal
It’s crazy to think that just last year McIntyre was co-main eventing SummerSlam, defending his WWE Title against Randy Orton in the second event inside the original WWE Thunderdome. Now, this year, a man who I thought last year was the new face of the company after carrying the company through the “Performance Center Era” at the early stages of the pandemic is wayyyyyyyy down on the card, competing in a one-on-one match against… Jinder Mahal?!
Yes, you read that right. Jinder Mahal, the same Mahal who was once WWE Champion in 2017 and a former member of the infamous 3MB trio with McIntyre and former WWE superstar Heath Slater.
McIntyre went from getting the first entrance back in front of fans at Wrestlemania when he challenged Lashley for the WWE Title to facing Jinder Mahal in a squash match four months later.
What?! How?!
This is how: Mahal randomly cost McIntyre the MITB contract, so McIntyre has attempted to use his sword Angela, which is named after his late mother, to take out Mahal and his lackeys, Shanky and Veer. McIntyre has brutalized them over the past few weeks, and he defeated Mahal’s associates in a handicapped match on RAW Monday to ban them from ringside at SummerSlam.
Yeah, uh, Mahal is getting a beating, and hopefully, via Angela! I’m disappointed this isn’t a Sword Match to be honest, but I’m hoping after McIntyre Claymore’s Mahal back to catering, he can get back to being a predominant feature on RAW because the red brand desperately needs his presence at the top of the card.
Sheamus © vs Damian Priest. United States Championship
Since winning the United States Championship from Riddle at Wrestlemania, Sheamus has defended the title a grand total of two times. One of them came on the May 3 episode of RAW when Sheamus retained the title by disqualification, and the other came on the July 12 RAW when Sheamus destroyed Humberto Carrillo in a matter of minutes after a pre-match attack.
That’s it. That’s been Sheamus’ whole four month run with what used to be a prestigious championship.
Now, I’m not blaming Sheamus. Part of it has to do with he did get his nose broken legitimately by Carrillo in a match on the June 2 RAW, so he has to wear a protective mask to the ring, and he’s playing a pretty good heel by nursing the injury for longer than he’s actually injured, but the other part of it is he’s been mixing it up with Carrillo and Ricochet forever, and they are not worthy challengers. That’s why it was so refreshing to see Priest beat Sheamus in a №1 contender’s match on the July 26 RAW. Priest had been lost in limbo since injuring Miz at Wrestlemania BackLash, but Priest has an opportunity to become a mid-card player if he knocks off Sheamus at SummerSlam, which I believe he will, ending possibly the most boring U.s. Title run in history.
I will say though I could deal with this match, and the final match of the preview being on RAW, or the Kickoff Show and not on the main card. The eight matches pryor would be perfectly fine for the show.
Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie
When WWE released Bray Wyatt on July 31, I thought WWE may drop Alexa Bliss’ Fiendish-like character. After all, her character was developed strictly because of HIM! Instead, WWE doubled-down on her character, putting her into a feud with Eva Marie, who has had no sense of direction since returning to WWE in June. Her “bodyguard” — Doudrop — plays no significance really at all. She’s just there.
After a few interactions on Alexa’s Playground, Bliss and her doll, Lily, will look to put an end to the Eva-Lution, and i don’t know if they’ll put an end to the Eva-Lution, but they’ll definitely go over here. My sincere hope is WWE is bringing back Wyatt to a new deal once his 90-day no-compete clause expires on Halloween, and that’s why WWE is keeping Bliss in this character, but if not, the character needs to go! Without The Fiend, there’s no purpose, and Bliss has barely wrestled over the last year. I surely do miss the “Goddess”.
