News on WWE’s original SummerSlam lineup | Exclusive
Dave Meltzer addressed WWE’s planned SummerSlam card in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer wrote that Rhea Ripley had been expected to wrestle either Alexa Bliss or Jacy Jayne on the show prior to Ripley’s injury. Other planned matches included Gunther vs. Royce Keys, Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill, and Paige & Brie Bella vs. Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid.
Meltzer wrote:
“What we do know is that the planned SummerSlam card, and this was before the injury to Rhea Ripley, was Rhodes vs CM Punk for the WWE title, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the World title, Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky for the world women’s title (so Ripley’s injury did not change this scenario and beating Morgan for Queen to set up the title shot was always planned) Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar Hell in a Cell, Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill, Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes for the US title, Gunther vs Royce Keys and Paige & Brie Bella vs. Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid for the women’s tag team titles. The plan for Ripley’s match before the injury was to be either Alexa Bliss or Jacy Jayne.”
He also noted that when this version of the card was planned, current WWE Champion Sami Zayn was not factored into a key match. Meltzer wrote that the people who make the nameplates for WWE Championship belts had not made one for Zayn because they are normally told ahead of time, and in this case, they were not given advance notice.
Zayn is set to defend the title against Cody Rhodes on Monday’s edition of WWE Raw.
“If Rhodes wins it back Monday, it is possible the Zayn thing was just planned to give people a feel good moment, but to those fans who invested in it and liked it, they will hate Rhodes making him a nine-day champion,” Meltzer continued.
As for the officially announced WWE SummerSlam card, three matches are official. Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins, Oba Femi has postponed receiving a world title shot in order to face Brock Lesnar in Hell in a Cell, and Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan will defend against Queen of the Ring winner IYO SKY.
The full edition of the July 6, 2026 Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.
WWE SummerSlam announced lineup for August 1 & 2:
- World Heavyweight title: Roman Reigns defends against Seth Rollins
- Hell in a Cell: Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
- Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.