The WWE's "biggest party of the summer", WWE SummerSlam 2023, is live from Ford Field in Detroit on Peacock this Saturday night (August 5). Here are my predictions for every match on the show. There are currently eight announced matches on the show:
- Roman Reigns (C) vs. “Main Event” Jey Uso Tribal Combat for the WWE Universal Title
- Seth “Freakin’ Rollins (C) vs. Finn Balor for the WWE World Heavyweight Title
- Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
- Asuka (C) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Biana Belair for the WWE Women’s Championship
- GUNTHER (C) vs. Drew McIntyre for the Intercontinental Championship
- Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
- Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
- The SummerSlam Battle Royal presented by Slim Jim
Earlier this year, I made a list of matches that had to happen at the show. I only got one and a half of them correct: GUNTHER vs. Drew McIntyre and the Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair match, which has Auska added to make it a Triple Threat Match. In my defense, the Unified Tag Title match I predicted was rumored to happen. However, injuries to Kevin Owens and Johnny Gargano caused the match to be pulled from the card.
The WWE has been firing on all cylinders for their Premium Live Events (PLE) this year, and that is expected to continue with WWE SummerSlam 2023. Even though the predictions for the match card I made didn't exactly pan out how I expected, I feel really confident in my WWE SummerSlam match predictions, which are below.
Get more info on WWE SummerSlam on WWE.com.
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (C) vs. "Main Event" Jey Uso (Tribal Combat)
It's been almost three years since Roman Reigns started his reign as WWE Universal Champion. When he started that reign, his first challenger was his cousin Jey Uso. What followed for the next three years is one of the best stories the company has ever told. That story will continue after this weekend, as I still believe that Cody Rhodes is the person to end Roman's reign. I have Roman retaining Saturday night.
Get the summary of the Bloodline storyline below:
WWE World Heayweight Championship Match: Seth "Freakin" Rollins (C) vs. Finn Balor
We can play along with the WWE on this match that's "seven years in the making." Finn Balor and Seth Rolling have a history at SummerSlam. Seven years ago, the two met at the event to crown the first-ever WWE Universal Champion. Balor won that match but was injured in it. There are a lot of factors at play in the match. Finn's Judgement Day partner, Damien Priest, has the Money in the Bank contract, which means a better story could happen if Balor wins. I predict that Finn Balor will walk out of Ford Field as the new champion unless Damien Priest cashes in that contract.
Check out the match between Finn and Seth from SummerSlam 2016:
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
After Cody Rhodes lost to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39, he attempted to get a rematch for the title, but got detoured running into Brock Lesnar. The two have had two matches, and each have one win, so this is the rubber match. Like I stated above, I believe that Rhodes is the person to win the Universal Title from Roman, so he has to close the book and beat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam.
WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match: Asuka (C) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair
Many people expect Bianca Belair to be in one of the Women's Title matches at WrestleMania 40 next April in Philadelphia, but I don't see it that way. I see Bianca vs. Rhea Ripley being one of the main events on that night. With that being said, I see the two of them spinning off after this match into their own issue. They've been the focus of the build to this match, so I see Asuka sneaking a win to allow Flair and Belair to step out of the title picture for a while.
WWE Intercontinental Title Match: "The Ring General" GUNTHER (C) vs. Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre returned from injury a few weeks back for the first time after his WrestleMania Triple Threat Match with GUNTHER and Sheamus. He immediately set his sights on the IC Title and got his match in Detroit. I think that Drew is the right person to dethrone GUNTHER, but this is not the right time. On the night of SummerSlam, GUNTHER will be 33 days away from breaking The Honkey Tonk Man's record for the longest single reign with the title. I do think Drew will win the title, but not on Saturday night.
This match will definitely be hard-hitting. Check out highlights from their WrestleMania triple threat:
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
Logan Paul has only had seven matches since signing with WWE in early 2022, but he has taken to the world of WWE like a fish to water. He's outperformed everyone's expectations. This will only be his third singles match, but Ricochet is a great dance partner for him. The two crossed paths with possibly the biggest moments during this year's Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank matches. Paul's last singles win was over The Miz at SummerSlam last year. He's due for one and will get one at Ford Field.
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
The rumor mill is turning, and it's being reported that Ronda Rousey will be taking time off or leaving WWE shortly after this Saturday night's PLE. While I believe this is true, late last year it was rumored that Rhea Ripley would be facing Rousey at this year's WrestleMania. That match did not happen, and I believe that match will happen before Rousey's time is up. In order for that to happen, she has to win at SummerSlam, and I think she will.
The SummerSlam Battle Royal Presented by Slim Jim
The typical "let's get a bunch of people on the card" match that WWE does at big shows. This was announced last Friday on SmackDown. There are only two men announced for the match; LA Knight and Sheamus. The fans are behind LA Knight so much that they may riot if he doesn't win. I see this as a happy moment for the crowd on Saturday night, with LA Knight going over.
