WWE SummerSlam 2014 Predictions

On paper this card looks stacked but I said that about the last ppv and it really failed to deliver. But in LA and since its one of the big four, I’m sticking to my guns on this one – I think it will be a good show.

John Cena (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Brock’s t-shirt could suggest that they’re going to take this into the next ppv and that somehow John Cena will retain. I wouldn’t put anything past them. However, I’m picking Brock here and we’ll need to watch the odds going in to Sunday night. There are some odd rumours going around about a double turn. I don’t know how you could do that, why you would do that and what the point would be for Cena to turn. Lesnar could but again, why?

Cena is off to film a movie, starts shooting next month. Logic asks why would Cena win here and says it’s not the time for Brock to lose. Questions are raised when you consider that a Lesnar takes their one big title off the road for a long, long time. Even so, he still should be winning this match.

What I will say is that their match in 2012 is my favourite John Cena match of all time and my favourite of the Lesnar matches that he’s had since his return to the company. It was brutal, slow, well-paced, great entertainment and Cena got his ass handed to him. Everything about it was perfect, except the finish.

This time, they’ll put it right. Lesnar to win.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper are banned from ringside)

Chris Jericho came back because he wanted to work with Bray. Will he be happy with the programme so far? Not yet. Will he be happy with the first match? He shouldn’t be. Jericho hasn’t been at his peak in a match since about 2009 by my reckoning. He can still go but he just doesn’t have (or hasn’t been given the opportunity to show) that something extra. There’s no reason why Jericho should win here. Wyatt wins the rubber match to set up a potential third at the next ppv.

We’re told that this will go 15 minutes and will go on second. I’d say that that’s a good move. Bray was tremendous at WrestleMania but I would argue hasn’t been since. Time to step up.

Winner: Bray Wyatt

Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon

Where are they going with this? Monday’s weird angle means that she’s trying to turn Brie on her husband, perhaps play mind games with him. If they go with the two men in each of their corners, that would make this far more exciting. I’m just not that into this programme, despite Steph being so good of late.

Reports are that they have been training hard and want to have a good match but, let’s be honest, Brie is OK and Steph was never up to much in the ring and isn’t going to start be at her age after having had kids and not having worked in about a decade.

What do they gain by having Brie win? Why have an active roster Diva lose to a one-timer? I don’t think they even know here. Nikki will probably turn on Brie and so I’ll go Steph.

Winner: Stephanie McMahon

Jack Swagger vs. Rusev in a Flag match

I’ve loved this programme. This is easily the best thing that they’ve done with Swagger to date and it’s sad that it has to end. Zeb Colter has made this worth watching in much the same way that Paul Heyman makes things worthy of your time. What’s a shame, however, is the stipulation.

Perhaps more interesting than the result is where they go next. Swagger and Zeb as a babyface team aren’t much unless they’re fighting foreigners. Rusev is another big guy who can’t really carry a long match (this is slated to go 12 minutes) and much like Umaga, Khali and Vladimir Kozlov before him, will probably not amount to much as a ‘monster’ with a streak.

Why don’t they just book Swagger like they used to Kurt Angle?

Winner: Rusev

AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige for the WWE Divas Championship

I really don’t like Paige very much. I hate her awful mid-Atlantic accent, her look, her work. I’m in a minority here, I’m sure. I often fast-forward through her segments or interviews simply because I can’t abide her voice which grates on me like fingers down a chalk board.

AJ Lee, I like. She’s a better worker but can be just as irritating. She seems to have come back post-marriage with an annoying new ‘way’ of talking. I think her and Punk geek out together and it leads to them both saying things like “I’m super excited about” this or that. Hateful.

Anyway, last time out the match sucked despite how long it went. It ought to be much better this time. If it isn’t I don’t think they’ll get too many other opportunities on a big ppv with time to show off. They’re really high on Paige.

Winner: AJ Lee

Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns

I really want this to be a good match. I actually think it will end up being rather dull. Orton has that ability to look great on paper but so often can be a part of forgettable matches.

Reigns still has a way to go. When he was in The Shield he was hidden more for the big spots. His three moves are really all he has, so unless he has the smoke and mirrors of a hardcore match – ladders, tables, chairs, kendo sticks, announce tables etc – he’s exposed as being a fairly limited wrestler for the time being.

I hope I’m proven wrong. If they give Reigns the win as expected, I wonder what they do next with Randy Orton.

Winner: Roman Reigns

The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Should be a good match. Miz in Hollywood and Dolph in LA where he often does Improv. The plan is for them to open the show; I don’t know if that means the pre-show or if that means the ppv proper.

I’d never like to predict that Dolph gets anything because they never seem to give him much anymore. Miz via some kind of heelish shenanigans.

Winner: The Miz

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins in a Lumberjack Match

The match that never happened at Battleground. And how pissed we all were. So, I’ll predict it again: match of the night.

Both can work. Both are hungry and on the up. Win or lose both can still feud. Rollins can lose and cash in. Rollins can win and Ambrose can block every attempt he tries to cash in.

The Lumberjack aspect gets more of the roster at least on the show. I don’t see that it adds much to the match, though. I’d assume that The Authority get involved (Kane – doesn’t have a role as yet on Sunday) and help him to win again.

Looking forward to this one.

Winner: Seth Rollins