WWE is back with their latest special: Summerslam. This feels like a star-studded show that could result in one of the best Summerslam’s if done correctly. Let’s get started with the first match.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match: Gunther (c) vs. CM Punk
I still don’t think Gunther is going to be world champion for long. But I also don’t think CM Punk will walk out as champion either. Do I see Punk winning a world title in his current run? Honestly, I don’t know. WWE is clearly building towards the future and while CM Punk is a valuable commodity, I just don’t see him holding the world title anytime soon. But I can see him beating Gunther. However, the caveat with that is Seth Rollins will come out and cash in his Money in the Bank contract. I don’t buy that Seth is injured. Of course, I could be completely wrong, but I see a Seth cash in here.
Despite feuding all year, the Punk/Rollins feud is far from over. I can see WWE adding the world title as the extra wrinkle to their rivalry.
WWE has teased Gunther vs. Rollins in the past, but I don’t see it right now unless the former is turning babyface. This is genuinely a hard decision. But I can’t rule out the notion that Seth doesn’t cash in.
There’s more juice in a CM Punk reign than Gunther. The latter has already fought all of the top babyfaces on RAW whereas there’s fresh opponents if Punk leaves Summerslam as the champion. The title is definitely going to Rollins, but the more I think about it, the more Punk winning just makes sense. Well I’ll be damned…
Winner: CM Punk
WWE Women’s Championship match: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Jade Cargill
Jade Cargill. Tiffany held the belt for a good portion of the year so it’s time. Plus, WWE has been grooming Cargill for this moment. The only way this match doesn’t end with Cargill winning is if her performance is so bad that they call an audible and let Tiffany retain.
I suppose there’s the slim possibility of Tiffany turning heel and she wins in a nefarious manner. The story between these two has been virtually non-existent, but it would be great if WWE could properly build this feud that helps both Tiffany and Jade. But, Survivor Series will have WarGames and I don’t think WWE is waiting to crown Jade at WrestleMania 42.
Winner: Jade Cargill
Roman Reigns and Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
If WWE really wants fans to be excited about Bron Breakker vs. Roman Reigns (which I suspect will happen at WrestleMania 42) then Breakker should get the win here. However, Roman hasn’t had a major win in 2025. I don’t think another loss would harm him because he’s teflon don at this point, but Triple H may think that giving Reigns a win here is best for business.
Honestly, Roman doesn’t need the win. Neither does Jey since he isn’t challenging for any major titles soon. I feel WWE may actually pull the trigger here, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Reigns got the pin on Reed.
Winner: Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
Jelly Roll and Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre (?) and Logan Paul
What a bizarre match. This makes me feel that Orton will turn heel and join Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul in some faction because he’s been acting against his character for the past month or so.
Sadly, going through all these hoops just for an Orton turn doesn’t make sense, so Jelly Roll and Orton are likely taking the win here. Celebrities rarely lose their matches, though given all of his recent losses, it sucks that McIntyre is taking another loss. If he makes it to Summerslam.
Please WWE, give McIntyre something he can sink his teeth into after this. The guy was so good in his feud with Punk that it’s disappointing that he hasn’t done anything of note since.
Winner: Jelly Rolly and Randy Orton
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match: Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair
WWE loves their oddball tag teams and Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are getting over. Now this could go a couple of ways: Bliss can turn on Flair and FINALLY join the Wyatt Sicks. Granted, I don’t know why she would need to jump through all these hoops just to turn on Flair, but I’m keeping my options open.
Bliss and Flair can lose and Alexa beats her to a bloody pulp out of frustration. Or Bliss and Charlotte Flair win the titles. These two will have a match against one another. But I think WWE is going to milk this odd couple run for a few months before pulling the trigger. It’s not impossible to think that Raquel and Roxanne can win here.
The whole story is about how much better Roxanne is for Judgment Day. But Roxanne and Raquel don’t have any other challengers left to face. They beat the Kabuki Warriors and it’s doubtful that they’re heading down to NXT to defend those belts. I sense a title change.
Winner: Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
I don’t know where the future lies for both Sami and Karrion, but this feud will signal if WWE is interested in actually trying to give Kross some kind of push. I guess Sami can go after Dom for the I.C title, but that’s really the only other thing I can see him doing right now. Sami should be fine if he takes the loss as there’s more value in Kross’ character at the moment.
Winner: Karrion Kross
Street Fight for the WWE Undisputed Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Is it time for John Cena to drop the WWE Undisputed Championship? Let’s be honest, his heel run has been a dud and that isn’t Cena’s fault. He has such a rich character, but unfortunately, WWE doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. There’s still plenty for Cena to do as a heel, but given the creative direction, I just don’t have faith that WWE has something compelling for him beyond Summerslam. I would love to be proven wrong though.
Nevertheless, everyone feels that Summerslam will be the place for a double turn and my question is, why? Cody does not need to turn heel. In order for Cody’s heel turn to work then there has to be a purpose. John Cena being an asshole is not enough of a purpose. Kevin Owens did ten times worse than what John has done and Cody didn’t turn. There’s just no motivation for the turn here.
Down the line, it would be great to see Cody turn, but the story needs to be told better. One of my favorite slow burn heel turns was CM Punk’s in 2009. That heel turn was simply perfect because the logic was simple and Punk’s slow descent into a villain was a joy to watch. I hope Cody gets that when he first turns heel. He showed signs at Night of Champions against Randy Orton and hopefully they come back to that.
But here, Cody doesn’t need to turn heel. He just needs to beat Cena clean to end this saga. Cena’s redemption arc can start after Summerslam.
There is a possibility that Cena could win. Cody is a made man so he doesn’t need this win. Someone else beating John Cena can instantly create another babyface. Plus, Cena still hasn’t revisited his feuds against Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. I don’t think Cody needs the belt right now. But I also don’t think Cena’s run is working. Let’s not forget the Street Fight stipulation. Will someone come out and help John Cena? That’s an intriguing mystery. I'm not going to go against the grain on this one. Cody is the present and I imagine WWE wants Cena to pass the torch to him before he hangs up the boots for good.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Triple Threat match for the WWE Women’s World Championship: Naomi (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
Naomi. Iyo and Stephanie still have unresolved issues as none of their matches have had a divisive ending. The prospect of Rhea vs. Stephanie Vaquer is very intriguing. But there’s just no reason to give Iyo or Rhea the belt back. I guess they could make for transitional champions for Stephanie Vaquer, but I don’t see the purpose of burying Naomi in the process. Naomi is the ONLY heel that’s credible on the RAW side.
There’s Becky Lynch, but she just needs to stay away from the main event right now. Becky is doing great as a heel, but there’s nothing particularly fresh about her holding the top belt again. The same goes for Rhea and Iyo. This should be a great match, but I would be stunned if the title changed hands here. I can see Naomi keeping it until Mania. Her character is hot right now, so she deserves to be at the forefront of the division.
Winner: Naomi
Intercontinental Championship match: Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. AJ Styles
I am not betting against Dom until Finn finally turns on him. It would be fun to see AJ as I.C. Champion because he’s an amazing workhorse, but the story is still with Dom and Finn, even if WWE has slowed down that story for the time being.
Winner: Dominik Mysterio
No Disqualification match for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria (Valkyria can’t challenge for the title again while Lynch is champion if she loses)
Valkyria doesn’t have any challengers left, whereas Becky has plenty of fun options. Perhaps she can rekindle her feud with Rhea Ripley? Becky Lynch vs. Iyo Sky can be fun too. The thing about Becky is that she has the character and mic work down to a tee, so she’ll be able to elevate the belt in ways that Valkyria couldn’t. I can see WWE either shipping her off to Smackdown or feuding with Naomi for a bit.
Then again, that strange tag team match with Bayley signals that those two will be feuding next. That should be fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bayley is the reason Lyra loses this match as WWE may feel the need to protect her. Either way, Lyra is NOT walking out a two time champion.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Steel cage match for the U.S. Championship: Solo Sikoa (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
The Steel Cage stipulation means nothing in 2025, so I expect tons of interference. The question is, will that interference cost Jacob Fatu the match? This feels way too early for Jacob to win back this belt. But there’s also a danger of dragging out this feud for too long. Both Solo and Jacob need to move onto fresh opponents, but I just don’t see this being the end. Somebody is going to cost Fatu the match and he’ll likely get the belt back at Clash at the Castle show.
Winner: Solo Sikoa
TLC match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy (c) vs. “Motor City Machine Guns” Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin vs. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins vs. “DIY” Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Andrade and Rey Fenix vs. “Fraxiom” Axiom and Nathan Frazer
Good for the Smackdown teams for getting on the Summerslam card as this is much deserved. This is going to be a wild match. Guns, Profits, and DIY are out of the running for these titles. They’ve dominated the division for a good part of the year so there’s no point in giving either team the belt since they’ve faced everyone on the Smackdown side.
Andrade and Rey Fenix are here to do cool stuff. They’ll likely break up once this match is over. I feel that Fraxiom will be the next WWE Tag Team Champions. I just don’t think it will start at Summerslam. Beating The Wyatt Sicks will be more impactful when the duo can pin either Gacy or Lumis in a simple tag team match. Long story short, those tag team belts are not going nowhere.
Winner: Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy