This will be the third time on the bounce that the Barclays Center host the show and they have announced just last week that the venue will also be hosting the 2018 installment.
This card is absolutely stacked with a total of twelve matches, two which take place on the pre-show and a total of eight Titles on the line. The show will pave the way for some major storylines and put an end to a number of other storylines across both RAW and SmackDown.
So without further ado sit back, relax and let our resident Wrestling expert Tony take you through what we expect to happen on Sunday night;
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WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Akira Tozawa (c) Vs Neville
I was hugely surprised that they decided to put the Title on Tozawa on the RAW go-home show this week which definitely didn't do the Cruiserweight any favours. I just can't understand why they didn't hold out for a few more days for the PPV and give Tozawa a really big win on a huge show.
It kind of ruins this match as well because surely they wouldn't take the Title back off him this quickly, because then why would they have put it on him in the first place. It was a truly baffling decision but has helped me make my prediction of Akira Tozawa walking out still as Champion. Tozawa is at 8/11 whereas Neville to reclaim is at evens.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
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The New Day Vs The Usos
It's disappointing that this one has been moved to the pre-show but I kind of understand the logic in the WWE trying to get as many eyes on the pre-show as possible. These two teams are really creating some great matches and their last one back at Battleground was one of their best outings.
Whilst it may be hard for them to top the last bout, I think that this match will be a great match to get the crowd rallied up and excited for the main show. I don't see the Titles changing hands so my prediction is that The New Day retain and this great feud continues. The New Day are the betting favourites at 4/7 with The Usos at 5/4.
Big Show Vs Big Cass
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Enzo Amore suspended above the ring in a shark cage
Ok not sure about everyone else but I am done with this feud and can't wait to see the end of it. What started as Enzo and Cass breaking up as a team has just become a bit of a joke and evolved into Enzo being suspended above the ring while Cass and Big Show have a match. The whole point of this match is surely to get Cass over as a monster heel and then let him go off and do his own thing so for me there can only be one winner and that is Big Cass.
Not much more to add to that folks which pretty much sums up my feelings on this match. Cass the heavy favourite with the bookies at 3/10 rightly so. The Big Show at 11/5.
Randy Orton Vs Rusev
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Another match which I am struggling to get fully behind based on how quickly this was thrown together. Poor Rusev firstly had to do the job for John Cena at Battleground and is now likely going to be the one who Orton snaps his PPV losing streak against.
Orton has not won at a PPV since WrestleMania (lost four in a row once to Bray Wyatt and three times to Jinder Mahal) and has been involved in some absolutely hideous gimmick matches (House of Horrors & Punjabi Prison Match). All of this for me gives the impression that Randy Orton will be getting the pinfall win over Rusev on Sunday night and leaves Rusev a bit lost on the SmackDown brand and in desperate need of a new direction. Rusev is the favourite in this one at 8/15 but Orton at 11/8 should be a good way to make some money.
WWE United States Championship
AJ Styles Vs Kevin Owens
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Shane McMahon special guest referee
The rumours are that Shane and Kevin Owens are leading up to some big match down the line and for that alone I am leading to an AJ Styles victory which includes some kind of miss-communication of Shane's part, costing Owens the win and then those two getting into a fight.
That said, there is a very good chance that Owens could win the Title at SummerSlam as this Belt has bounced back and forth between the pair for a while. I am not a huge fan of this feud and given just how incredible both performers are, probably expected a bit more from it.
But sometimes these things just don't gel. I suspect this match will be the blow off for the feud and like I said earlier am fully expecting AJ Styles to get his hand raised and Owens and Shane to feud for a while. Styles is set to retain based on the bookies odds at 1/4 whereas an Owens win is at 23/10.
John Cena Vs Baron Corbin
Another strange decision to have Corbin cash in on SmackDown unsuccessfully as I was pretty much banking on him turning up during the SmackDown Title match on Sunday. That said, I think that a win over Cena definitely gets Corbin back into the Title mix and I foresee that happening on Sunday night. Cena has always been great at helping talent get over and is able to remain strong even in defeat most of the time.
The WWE clearly see something in Baron Corbin and whilst the cash-in may have been a strange decision, think there is probably something behind it which will be discovered over the coming weeks. Cena is the favourite at 4/9 but I think there is money to be made on Corbin at 13/8.
Finn Balor Vs Bray Wyatt
This time last year we saw Finn Balor become the first ever WWE Universal Champion in a match with Seth Rollins but in that very same match, Balor suffered a shoulder injury which would see him drop the Title the very next night and be side-lined for 6 months.
So returning to SummerSlam will probably have very mixed views for Balor, but it's great to see him back on the main card in one of the biggest PPV's of the year. His choice of opponent has been criticised but I think that's largely due to the fact that Wyatt's feud with Randy Orton was such a dud. I think that these two will be able to pull off a very enjoyable match and their styles should gel, with the larger man in Wyatt chasing down the high flying aerial attacks of Balor.
Will we get to see the Demon return? Probably not is my guess. I am picking Finn Balor for a victory in this one but don't see this being the end of a feud which I think still has some legs to it if given the right direction. Not much return on a Balor win at 1/6 but the outsider Wyatt at 7/2 might be worth a few quid if you have it spare.
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
Naomi (c) Vs Natalya
I can't attest to being as attached to the SmackDown women's division as much as I am for the RAW side of things based purely on the amount of multi-person matches they have been running over the past few months on SmackDown. The Champion has largely been overlooked and there is clearly not as much direction for the women on the blue brand.
That said, I think we are going to get an upset on Sunday night with Natalya winning the Title at 6/5. That goes against the current odds of 8/13 for Naomi to retain but I just believe that things need to be spiced up a little to get some interest back into this Title.
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship
Sheamus & Cesaro (c) Vs Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose
Well it was on the cards for a while and this past week, Ambrose and Rollins finally put their past behind them and reunited to a huge ovation from the RAW crowd. Their first match back sees them take on current Tag Team Champions Sheamus & Cesaro who have had a great reign at the top of the Tag Team division but I just feel that this will be the end of their run.
Ambrose & Rollins were both at a stale point in their respective careers ahead of this reunion and I think putting the Tag Titles on them gives them a boost they both need and the crowd will absolutely eat it up. So I am predicting Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose to become the new Champions which is what the bookies are also predicting with odds of a Title change at 1/3 and 2/1 for Sheamus & Cesaro to retain.
WWE RAW Women's Championship
Alexa Bliss (c) Vs Sasha Banks
Looking forward to this match and think that the women certainly have a chance to steal the show in this match. Bliss and Banks are arguably two of the best performers on the roster and together they seem to gel very well. They last met at the Great Balls of Fire PPV which saw Bliss take the easy way out and get herself counted out.
This led to Banks attacking her and delivering a brutal double knees off the announcers table to her. Given a recent injury to Bayley this match has been put together at the last minute but I would argue it will probably be the better match anyway. As this feud hasn't had too long to develop I am going with Alexa Bliss retaining, but hoping these two get a decent programme together. Bliss is favourite at 8/11 with Banks at evens.
WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (c) Vs Shinsuke Nakamura
I like most people were absolutely shocked when Nakamura went over John Cena clean on SmackDown a couple of weeks back to set up a Title shot for Nakamura. Having been a fan of him pre-WWE it's a great opportunity for him to finally be put into a position he deserves to be in. I have actually quite enjoyed Jinder's Title reign and I think that more people are getting behind it.
Prior to SmackDown this week I was dead set on thinking that Corbin would be cashing in on this match but as he already did that and failed, its changed my thinking. I now think that Jinder Mahal will retain the Title only to drop it to Nakamura somewhere down the line. Nakamura is the betting favourite 4/11 but I just sense a Mahal win at 15/8 to happen on Sunday night.
WWE Universal Championship
Fatal 4 Way
Brock Lesnar (c) Vs Roman Reigns Vs Samoa Joe Vs Braun Strowman
What a main event this will be and I am praying that the four competitors are able to live up to the hype and build that the WWE have invested into this match. Paul Heyman recently announced that Brock Lesnar will leave the WWE if he suffers defeat in this one and then annoyingly the Barclays Center released a tweet to confirm that he would be on the RAW post the event.
Kind of gives away the result but regardless I am very much looking forward to this match. All four men have been built up strong and even though they have all suffered defeat, all have the ability to win this match which adds a great level of intrigue.
My bet is that Brock Lesnar retains the Title but stranger things have definitely happened and I personally wouldn't be surprised to see any of the four walk away with the Title. Lesnar is the bookies favourite at 4/11, followed closely by Samoa Joe at 5/2, Roman Reigns is at 6/1 and Strowman is the outsider at 10/1.
Words By: Tony Quant
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