For the first time in quite some time, I can comfortably say; I am looking forward to the next WWE PPV. Summerslam is shaping up to be an excellent card, from top to bottom. To make things sweeter, it’s not even complete yet. Just five matches officially announced but right now, those five matches alone could run a three hour program and the viewers would get their money’s worth.
First, what’s not announced yet? It seemed like Dolph Ziggler and Big E. Langston would collide at Summerslam but that took place this week on Raw. We got a great match that served as a good lead-up to the main event that night, however with the inclusion of both A.J. Lee and Kaitlyn, it has led me to believe that we could see an inter-gender tag team match, pairing Ziggler and Kaitlyn to face the team of A.J. and Langston. If that is the case, fans can expect a very good match. A.J. and Kaitlyn have clicked well in the past couple of matches they’ve had together, and Ziggler and Langston barely scraped the surface of potential wrestling gold they have together.
There’s the Shield — all three members — who are not on the card as of right now. At first, I expected the Usos to team with Mark Henry to take on all three members of the Shield in a six man tag, but with the Usos dropping a match to the Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro, led by Zeb Colter) and Henry getting involved with a potential program with Ryback, it seems like they are potentially scrapping that idea entirely. If I had to take a guess, Henry could be either left off the card completely or continue his program with Ryback into Summerslam, and The Shield could either get involved in a tag team contest against the Usos or the Real Americans — or both, one can hope — while Dean Ambrose, the United States Champion, would be left off the card.
Now, the matches that HAVE been announced.
Bray Wyatt, along with Eric Rowan and Luke Harper, have been terrorizing the WWE. They’ve attacked the likes of Tons of Funk members Tensai and Brodus Clay and R-Truth, but their main target seems to be the Devil’s favorite son, Kane. For weeks, Bray has left cryptic messages, both in his promos and on Twitter, in an attempt to turn Kane back into the monster he once was and away from the big, lovable monster he has turned into. This past week, Kane answered those messages when he challenged Bray to a one on one match. In order to stay true to Summerslam’s “Bring the heat” feeling, the match is being labeled as a “Ring of Fire” match. No, don’t expect Honky Tonk Man to ditch the Elvis gear and dawn an all-black outfit and impersonate Johnny Cash. What could the match actually mean? A PG-version inferno match, perhaps? One can hope.
After Damien Sandow won the Money In The Bank ladder match for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, Cody Rhodes has been walking around with quite the chip on his shoulder. In his defense, he was pushed off the ladder by his former best friend and Rhodes has made sure Sandow knows it. After a hilarious segment of Rhodes tossing Sandow’s briefcase into the Gulf of Mexico — oh those instant replays in slow motion — Sandow responded with two vicious attacks, one verbally and one physically, backstage, to show Rhodes how inferior he was, both physically and intellectually. This past week, Rhodes responded by luring Sandow into the ring with the promise of giving back his briefcase, only to get a few shots in to send Sandow retreating for the locker room. If this match had any more build-up to it, it could be worthy of a spot on a Wrestlemania card.
Alberto Del Rio will put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line as he hopes to successfully defend it against internet heart-throb, Christian. After defeating Randy Orton and RVD in a number one contender’s match on Smackdown, Christian looks to get his “one more match” and bank on it next Sunday. A solid one on one match but wait just one second. This week’s Raw, we saw RVD defeat Del Rio in singles competition. Could it be possible that after defeating the defending WHC Champion in a non-title match, RVD could be added to the match next Sunday? If you ask me, a triple threat match between those three will sell far better than a one on one between Christian and Del Rio. I have no problems with Christian but since 2005, he has failed to be a big time draw. If RVD is added, that match adds a lot of unpredictability and will be an out-standing contest.
The Best versus The Beast. A match with the perfect headline that follows, C.M. Punk will go head to head with “Paul Heyman guy” Brock Lesnar. After Punk was screwed over by his then-mentor Heyman, he made it his mission to ruin not only Heyman’s life but anyone and everyone that is in his life and conspired with him. The only way for Heyman to potentially get away with his actions was to hide behind the behemoth known as Lesnar and hide he did. Over the past few weeks, Punk has been involved in several brawls inside and outside of the ring against both Lesnar and other “Heyman guy” Curtis Axel. While he has been on the receiving end of most beatings when Lesnar has shown up, Punk has still made his presence felt, getting a chair shot in on Lesnar this week while chasing off Heyman and Axel in the weeks prior. If the WWE has done one thing right, it’s the amazing story-telling they have done every week involving these three men. No matches are even needed at this point. The brawls, the staredowns, the build-up to Lesnar getting into the ring, everything has been magnificent.
If that isn’t enough to excite you, how about the main event picture? John Cena will defend his WWE Championship against quite possibly the most over guy in the business today, Daniel Bryan. A few weeks ago, Cena had the chance to name his opponent for Summerslam. After pondering the thought in a mind-numbing promo, Cena finally selected Bryan. In the next few weeks, Bryan got himself involved in management issues revolving around his look. While Triple H thinks Bryan is a good fit as an opponent, Vince McMahon sees things differently. To reflect wonderfully on their Be A Star campaign, McMahon has referred to Bryan as a gargoyle, a troll and simply a loser. Caught in between the father/son-in-law argument, Stephanie McMahon tried seeking a middle ground and helped transform Bryan’s look from WWE-branded t-shirts to a full fledged corporate suit. When Vince attempted to get Bryan to shave his beard, Bryan had other plans, refusing to do so and then taking off his suit to reveal a “The Beard is here!” t-shirt.
Now if you re-read that last paragraph reflecting the main event picture, you’ll notice one thing. The past few weeks hasn’t really reflected the main event picture at all. More than anything else, this program is of Daniel Bryan trying to prove to company management that he is worthy of being WWE Champion. That’s the beauty of this whole story. You already have a great match in the making, so there really isn’t need to build it up further between Bryan and Cena. Instead they have added a third party to the picture — the McMahons — adding an element of surprise that could push the main event of Summerslam to a whole other level.
If you’re not excited for Summerslam, now is the time to start.
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