Exciting Matches to Look Forward to at SummerSlam

On August 20th, the Biggest Fight/Party/Event of the Summer™ will grace our screens. The 30th annual Summerslam is almost upon us, and we have a lot to look forward to. Sure, we all said the same thing last year. And sure, last year’s event was a colossal disappointment. Still, we should try to be cautiously optimistic. We should keep our chins up.

For the past few weeks, WWE has put out some quality television. Storylines were advanced or created. Rivalries were formed. Seeds were sown. Come Summerslam, stories will end, and others will begin. So which matches are the ones to watch? Which matches should we look forward to?

Shinsuke Nakamura v. Jinder Mahal

This one may be a bit of a stretch, I know. It’s not exactly “must-see” or “exciting.” Jinder’s been champion for nearly 90 days now. He’s thwarted Randy Orton on multiple occasions, and he’s been cutting the same promo for nearly three months now. That’s all about to change.

I’d bet money that I don’t even have that Jinder is not walking out of Summerslam as the WWE Champion. WWE is clearly high on Nakamura, and they probably don’t want to squander his momentum. You don’t beat John Cena clean on TV and do nothing.

The build will also force Jinder to cut some new promos. Shinsuke Nakamura is not American. What will Jinder have to say about that? He’ll be forced to say some new things. We’ll see if he can hang on the microphone.

The match has potential to be a solid, physical bout, with both men beating the hell out of each other. It will be refreshing to see Jinder get his ass kicked. Even more exciting is the thought of the Singh Brothers on the receiving end of Kinsashas. What fun.

Randy Orton v. Rusev

At a glance, this match is nothing special. It is, for all intents and purposes, an exhibition match. It is worth noting, though, that these men have never faced each other in one on one action. Ever. There’s the occasional tag team match, the Royal Rumble, etc, but they’ve not yet squared off in a singles match. That changes at Summerslam.

Randy Orton is a tough wrestler to gel with. Even talented workers sometimes just don’t click with him. Cena, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, and others have failed to mesh with Orton. However, I feel that Rusev and Orton have the potential to put on one of the best matches of the night. Rusev just had a great match against Chad Gable, and he definitely wasn’t carried. Rusev can hang.

If they can click and find their chemistry, Rusev and Randy can steal the show.

Baron Corbin v. John Cena

I know a lot of people are lukewarm on Corbin right now. He’s left a lot to be desired in his last few matches. He’s failed to impress against Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura. Unfortunately for Corbin, his matches aren’t booked to his strengths. He’s more than held his own against AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, and many others. He’s had great matches against Kalisto and Jack Swagger. His best matches are the ones where he looks like a monster and dominates everyone else. In multi-man matches he really shines. He looked like a star in his street fight against Dean Ambrose.

I believe Corbin works best against “WWE Style” guys, such as Orton (they had a good match on Smackdown). John Cena is the epitome of ‘WWE Style.” This should be a physical fight.

If this match goes well, it will make Corbin. It will turn him into a superstar. Hopefully Cena and Corbin can cook up something that will cement Corbin as a big deal.

Roman Reigns. v. Samoa Joe v. Braun Strowman v. Brock Lesnar

All eyes will be on the Universal Championship come Summerslam. Brock Lesnar defends his title against 3 of the biggest names on Raw today. This is a star-studded match that will boost the image of the Universal title.

Joe and Lesnar waged war at Great Balls of Fire, and it was one to watch. Meanwhile, Reigns and Strowman continued their feud and showed off their excellent chemistry in the ring. Combine all of them in one match and it has so much potential to be great. This will be physical. It will be brutal.

This will be a war that we’ve never seen before. Anyone in this match could feasibly win, and the stakes have been raised with Lesnar’s threat of leaving should he be dethroned. Roman could win. Joe could win. Strowman could win. All of this added together means one thing: this war will be one to watch.