Summerslam 2014 Preview and Predictions

Summerslam. On the WWE Network. Insert overdone $9.99 joke.

Giving their thoughts and predictions on what to expect from the PPV are members of the site @JoeySplashwater, @TimWelcomed and @TomBlargh.

Cesaro vs. Rob Van Dam (pre-show match)

Joey:

RVD and Jericho should just form a tag team of old guys fans love who aren’t as good as they used to be. Put them against the Uso’s and Cesaro against Wyatt. I just saved Summerslam. Boom.

Interest Level: 1/10
Prediction: RVD wins because Cesaro has to lose.

Tim:

Well… at least Cesaro has a match? They’re sure making that Andre The Giant trophy cry.

Interest Level: 0/10
Prediction: Cesaro wins.

Tom:

Welcome to the Attitude Era, Cesaro, YAH BASTARD!!!

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Robert Van Daminator wins with one of his spectacular moves from 1999.

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship

Joey:

I can’t get into this feud but Ziggler has been on a roll lately. Miz is still the lamest. Ziggler’s in ring talent will probably help the match over-deliver but I don’t have any excitement or interest in this one.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: The Miz wins.

Tim:

Not invested in this one at all. I’m sure Dolph Ziggler will make this a little better of a match. Not really much else to say about it besides that Miz still isn’t doing anything for me. I’m sure he’s going to retain the title. That’s what is best for Dolph anyway.

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: The Miz wins.

Tom:

Man, fuck this show. I’m not looking forward to this match. Are you? If so, why? Is it because you still like seeing Ziggler bounce around and do stuff? Is it because Miz is wearing sunglasses now? Please let me know ASAP.

Interest Level: 1/10
Prediction: The Miz wins.

AJ Lee vs. Paige for the WWE Divas Championship

Joey:

The feud for this has been quite interesting with Paige turning heel. Their match last month was very disappointing so hopefully a storyline and character development can add to it this time around. I got Paige winning with The Mustard Hook submission thing she does.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Paige wins.

Tim:

I have been into this feud. I’m glad they are giving Paige some character, even though it seems like they don’t know exactly what that character is at times. It’s nice that they are actually building up a Diva’s match pretty decently. These two could have a great match I feel. Last month’s one-on-one was a disappointment. Maybe this one can be what I hoped for. I think Paige needs to win here but as long as it is a good match I’ll be fine with it. Aggressive Paige is the best Paige.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Paige wins.

Tom:

I skipped large chunks of Raw on Monday because GOOD LORD, did you see that show? As a result, I think I missed the final build for this, which sucks because it was one of the feuds that I had some interest in. I think Paige (from Norwich [home of The Mustard Shop]) has been pretty solid since her turn and while their last PPV match was pretty messy, I still have fairly high hopes for this.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: AJ wins.

Jack Swagger vs. Rusev in a Flag Match

Joey:

The blind patriotism of wrestling fans had me interested in their match last month and they stunk up the joint. Add in a silly flag gimmick and I just don’t foresee it delivering. Jack Swagger is a jinx who harms other wrestlers momentum and I’m expecting that to happen to Rusev after this eventually ends. As for a prediction, many feel the stipulation is to give Swagger the win without pinning Rusev but I still lean towards Rusev winning. It would be silly to have him lose a match in any form to someone like Swagger.

Interest Level: 4/10
Prediction: Rusev wins.

Tim:

Jack Swagger is still not anything but awkward. The feud is disgusting. It panders to the lowest common denominator and makes all wrestling fans look bad by extension of the crowd reactions, especially the US fans. Pretty embarrassing. No thanks. Hopefully Rusev can move on soon.

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Rusev wins.

Tom:

Fuck Swagger! Fuck flags! Fuck this match!

Interest Level: 2/10
Prediction: Rusev wins, Swagger uses classic American sore loser tactics to beat him up after and wave his stupid flag around.

Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt

Joey:

Despite how predictably lackluster this feud has been, I just have a weird feeling they may steal the undercard due to a lot of circumstance. Don’t get me wrong – The feud has sucked and there’s no logic to my thinking other than a hunch but hopefully they do as this could be a make or break match for the PPV.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.

Tim:

I’m still not sure what this feud is about. At this point Bray Wyatt is just a really repetitive character with no growth or real goal. It’s pitiful that a character with such promise is where he is at. This feud has been pretty boring and their last math was a great time to fall asleep. I don’t see this one clicking either but I sure hope it does.

Interest Level: 5/10
Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.

Tom:

Maybe it’ll be okay. MAYBE. Their last PPV match was astonishingly dull though and nothing about this feud is really clicking. Did you hear Bray Wyatt call in to Jericho’s podcast though? Man, that was NOT in the script!!!

Interest Level: 5/10
Prediction: Bray Wyatt wins.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose in a Lumberjack Match

Joey:

The last few weeks have been mind blowing here. The lumberjack match is perhaps the worst stipulation in wrestling and a sure fire way to kill a potentially great match. I’m sure it will be tolerable as both guys are extremely talented but do we really need Adam Rose and R-Truth outside the ring to tell the story? Oof.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Dean Ambrose wins.

Tim:

There was zero reason to make this a lumberjack match. I can almost see this match being anything else but that. No logic was involved in that decision at all. I was pretty excited about this match. Two months of solid hype and a few zany situations that these two made the best of and here we are with a lumberjack match that I don’t care about at all. It’s pretty amazing.

Dean Ambrose needs the win here but Seth Rollins will beat him again because WWE doesn’t aim to please me. They’ll make the best of this match I’m sure but the stipulation really hurts it for me.

Interest Level: 6/10
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.

Tom:

God damn, this show. I’m still hoping they overcome the lamest stip in the world to have something great but… I mean, it’s a tall order. Having said that though, I don’t think either guy has disappointed on a PPV yet and I feel like they’ll do all they can to make this work. If Ambrose is psychotic enough and they keep things fast and messy, the dolts hanging around outside the ring might not be too much of an issue.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.

Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns

Joey:

Rumored to go 20 minutes. Seriously?

My thoughts on this match:

Interest Level: 0/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Tim:

This won’t be good and don’t you try to act like it will be, bub.

Interest Level: 0/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Tom:

All their interactions have been dull and Roman Reigns is cementing himself as a pretty unlikeable guy who isn’t fun to watch for long stretches. I think he’ll especially flounder in a match that’s lead by Orton and my prediction is there WILL be ‘boring’ chants in Los Angeles’ spectacular Staples Centre.

Interest Level: 3/10
Prediction: Roman Reigns wins.

Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella

Joey:

I’ve enjoyed the story between these two up until the last RAW where it got Claire Lynch’d and way too silly. I’m still interested to see how it plays out. Stephanie McMahon is an excellent performer and Brie has done a decent job at playing the female version of Bryan despite her flaws in acting. Either Bryan returns and helps Brie win or Nikki Bella turns heel on Brie. Probably the latter. Brie will do three dives in a row and JR will throw a fit.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Stephanie McMahon wins.

Tim:

You know what? I’m kind of a fan of Brie Bella. She hasn’t been great by any means on the mic but she seems to be trying really hard and Stephanie’s incredible work has elevated their interactions in my eyes. I’ve been into this whole deal a surprising amount. Last week was a pretty intense flub in the storyline and decreased my hype a bit but I have faith this match will deliver in some fashion.

Interest Level: 7/10
Prediction: Brie Bella wins.

Tom:

I thought the final angle on Raw to lead into this was INCREDIBLY weak, but I’m still hoping this will be fun. Brie is kinda boring but Stephanie is still probably the most consistently strong and fun performer the WWE has, and there aren’t too many high profile matches featuring a McMahon that have disappointed. Say what you like about that awful family but they know how to put a pretend fight together.

Interest Level: 8/10
Prediction: Stephanie McMahon wins.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Championship

Joey:

Their match at Extreme Rules 2014 was one of my favorites in wrestling history. On the go home show to Raw, the segments involving these two were the only ones I had any interest in. I am expecting this to be a classic and quite frankly, I am predicting this to be the “Match of the Year.” One match has me invested in Summerslam and here’s to hoping it follows through.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.

Tim:

Their Extreme Rules match was one of the few matches where they believably made it look like John Cena overcame the odds. It was very well done and I have high hopes for this one. If the wrestling gods would smile on me and give me Lesnar vs Cesaro inbetween now and Wrestlemania, I’ll be just fine… Or better yet, just replace anything in your booking plans for Reigns with “Cesaro” or “if Daniel Bryan can return by this tome.” Thanks, WWE!

Sorry. I think a got a little sidetracked. Anyway, this should be the match of the night and I’m looking forward to it.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.

Tom:

FINALLY, HERE WE ARE. God, I hope this is great. Count me as another one who won’t stop harping on about how incredible their Extreme Rules 2012 match was, which really hasn’t been topped since. THIS MIGHT SOUND SUPER PONCEY but I think the first minute or so is going to be critical – fuck your pacing and your technical nonsense, I want to see them just smash into each other like a kid playing with action figures.

Interest Level: 10/10
Prediction: Brock Lesnar wins.