Credit: WWE.com
Credit: WWE.comWWE SummerSlam 2023 will have a great lineup and be the end of several storylines involving the best performers from Raw and SmackDown.
There are so many matches on Saturday’s show that some are being moved to Raw and SmackDown instead. Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus and Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez were both taken off the card, but what’s left is still sure to be good.
In the main event, Tribal Combat, Roman Reigns, and Jey Uso will fight to see who is the real Tribal Chief. Reigns’s Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will also be up for grabs. Jey is a real threat to the title, but it’s not clear if that’s enough to beat a champion who has been unbeatable for almost three years.
Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor will fight each other again, and this time the World Heavyweight Championship will be at stake. In the background, Mr. Money in the Bank, Damian Priest, will be watching. Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar also want to settle their long-running rivalry in the rubber match.
Before SummerSlam 2023, these are the most essential last-minute choices.
Slim Jim Battle Royal
A Slim Jim-sponsored Battle Royal is the newest addition to SummerSlam. There will be no prizes, but the winner will likely become the new face of the partnership, as Randy Savage did many years ago.
So, there’s no reason for the average viewer to care about anything but one fan favorite, LA Knight, finally getting their long-awaited moment in front of a packed house at Ford Field.
Knight has consistently failed when it was most important, like when he didn’t win Money in the Bank or didn’t make it past the first round of the US Championship Invitational. He is still very popular with the audience but needs a big win to build up real momentum.
No one knows what else WWE has planned for him, but it seems likely that he will win the United States title before the end of the year.
There will be a few other famous people in this Battle Royal, but the self-proclaimed Megastar is the only choice that makes sense.
I think that the LA Knights will win.
Ricochet vs. Logan Paul
Even though Logan Paul has been talking a lot of trash lately, he hasn’t won a single match in WWE since last year’s SummerSlam, when he beat The Miz in a one-on-one match for the first time.
If WWE wants people to take him seriously and for it to matter when he gets what’s coming to him, he needs to win his match with Ricochet at this year’s event.
Ricochet has done many great things during this program, but beating Paul at the event won’t help him much. Since he’s been stuck at a certain level for so long, it’s hard for fans to see him as anything but a mid-card act.
He has already tried to challenge Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship, but he lost and would feel out of place in the main event. He is the perfect person to help Paul get where he needs to go while looking great in defeat.
This would be the best fight to start the night off with and book as a show before Paul finally wins.
I think Logan Paul will win.
MMA Rules Match: Ronda Rosey vs. Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler’s betrayal of Ronda Rousey at Money in the Bank was very sudden, and the timing was suspicious, but both women have done a great job of building up interest in their first-ever head-to-head match at SummerSlam.
It’s hard to tell who fans should cheer for in this feud, but Rousey will likely take another break from WWE soon because of how quickly this match came together.
If so, it’s almost a sure thing that Baszler will go over. Having Rousey win at the end of her current run doesn’t change anything.
The Queen of Spades should be trained to take on Rhea Ripley for the World Women’s Championship. Beating Rousey would give her that chance. No one knows exactly what the MMA rules will be, but she should win decisively no matter what.
I think Shayna Baszler will win.
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre
During Gunther’s year-long reign as Intercontinental Champion, he hasn’t lost a single match, but that could change now that Drew McIntyre is going for the gold.
If there were ever a good time for Gunther to lose his title, it would be at SummerSlam 2023, almost 35 years after The Ultimate Warrior ended The Honky Tonk Man’s historic run.
But McIntyre is not the right person to take the title away from him, and now is not the right time since Gunther will break the record in a month.
McIntyre is always in the main event; right now, he could be in the running for the World Heavyweight Championship. The following person Gunther loses should be someone who can benefit from it, not someone already well-known.
Since McIntyre’s contract situation is still unclear, it would be easy to pick Gunther to keep the title, but WWE could pull off a big surprise by making The Scottish Warrior the new champion.
Drew McIntyre will win the Intercontinental Championship, according to my guess.
WWE Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka have all been fighting with each other over the WWE Women’s Championship for months, and this Triple Threat match on Saturday night will be the last straw.
The tension between Belair and Flair has been the show’s main focus, making Asuka the last thing on anyone’s mind and making the title a little less critical. That could change if SummerSlam has a great match and an excellent finish.
Belair and Flair can keep fighting even though nothing is at stake, but Asuka must still be in the running for the title after this event. That doesn’t mean she has to stay champion, though, because Iyo Sky has a good chance of cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase.
Sky has tried to cash in twice in the last month, but he has been stopped both times. After Asuka beats Flair and Asuka, which will start two new feuds, the third time should be the charm for her at SummerSlam.
Prediction: Asuka will keep the title, but Iyo Sky will cash in and take it.
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
Surprisingly, WWE hasn’t decided on a rule for Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes’ third match at SummerSlam, especially since their storyline has become so dull.
It got off to a good start, but it lost steam because no one knew why Lesnar was going after Rhodes in the first place. Instead, it was clear that the only reason they had been paired together for so long was to keep Rhodes busy before he had to face Roman Reigns again for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
The only good outcome is for Rhodes to win so he stays on the right path.
It’s been said that whoever wins will be next in line for a shot at the world title, and if the rematch between Rhodes and Reigns won’t happen until WrestleMania 40, Rhodes could challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship soon.
No matter what, Rhodes should win for this fight to end the right way.
I think Cody Rhodes will win.
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor
When Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor go back and forth for the World Heavyweight Championship, it could mean that the title is going to change hands, or it could mean that the ongoing Judgment Day storyline will take another turn.
The whole group seemed to be in charge of the Raw brand, and each member had their accomplishments. If Bálor won the title at SummerSlam, they could reach their goal, but Rollins’ reign would have to end.
Even if it were only briefly, it would be nice to see Rollins back in chase mode. However, his rivalry with Bálor has gone on too long, and both should move on to other opponents. Rollins still has a lot to do as World Heavyweight Champion, and there are a lot of people who could challenge him.
The finish can be done so that Damian Priest again hints at cashing in and almost does it, but Rollins takes advantage of the confusion to win. A priest is likely to leave Judgment Day and become a babyface band.
The World Heavyweight Championship will stay with Seth Rollins.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Tribal Combat Match: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
Three years into a thrilling storyline called “Bloodline,” Roman Reigns and Jey Uso are returning to where it all began.
Uso will rechallenge Reigns for his valuable prize. This time, the match will be called “Tribal Combat.” This comes a month after Uso beat Reigns with a pinfall, his first loss since December 2019.
With that impressive accomplishment, it’s even clearer that he won’t be able to beat his cousin this weekend.
Since the fall of 2020, Reigns has been the best wrestler, but he has lost his last two pay-per-view matches. If he would give the title to Uso, he would have put Reigns in the pin simultaneously.
Uso will give Reigns a hard time and come close a few times, but it’s almost certain that The Head of the Table will win. The real question is how they will keep the story going after SummerSlam without Reigns and how Jimmy Uso will fit in.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will stay with Roman Reigns.