WWE SummerSlam preview & predictions: John Cena’s heel turn comes to a poetic end
There is something almost poetic about John Cena’s heel turn unfolding the way it has during the final year of his career.
At WWE Night of Champions against CM Punk, Cena teased turning back babyface as Michael Cole noted on commentary that fans have been cheering for him despite his heelish ways and promos. At SummerSlam on Sunday, he might not fully turn, but he will do something that lets fans know the old Cena is back.
Cena’s heel turn coming to an early end in this manner is a bit of a full circle, or at least a mildly symmetrical oval. A large portion of the fanbase used to reject him as a babyface. Now, fans are rejecting him as a heel. Many of them are the same fans, too, possibly a little older, wiser, and better able to appreciate what Cena has done for the industry.
During his peak when everyone was asking, “What would happen if John Cena turned heel?” nobody would have predicted that it would not work because the fans would insist on cheering him. When you think about it, this is actually better than spending a whole year giving Cena his flowers. Fans refusing to boo him, after so many years refusing to cheer him, is the perfect sendoff. Happy accidents seem to make up a large proportion of wrestling’s great angles these days, and I am all for it.
Below are previews and predictions for each match at WWE SummerSlam on both Saturday and Sunday from East Rutherford, New Jersey (Peacock in the U.S. and Netflix most everywhere internationally).
Night 1 | Saturday
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss
They might not be friends, but Bliss and Flair are -500 favorites to win the titles.
There is a mathematical case to be made that turning Flair babyface recently was the most difficult turn in all of wrestling. Let me explain. There was a study that came out last month which looked at the percentage of negative comments an athlete received online over a one-year period. Of the over 350 athletes profiled, nobody had a higher percentage of hateful comments than Flair. She was not just the hardest babyface turn in wrestling; she was the hardest babyface turn in all of sports. But this angle, combined with the Players Tribune article, has done it.
This thing with Bliss is working, people like it, and they see Flair as human now. Putting the belts on them will keep the story going.
Prediction: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair win the titles
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther defends against CM Punk
This is basically a pick ’em for wrestling odds with Punk currently listed as a -175 favorite.
The most likely winner of this match is actually Seth Rollins. I am not sure if Punk will beat Gunther for the title before Rollins cashes in, if Rollins cashes in on Gunther, or if this becomes a three-way, though.
The worked Rollins injury from Saturday Night’s Main Event is an interesting way to get to the expected finish here. The Triple H era of WWE is big into lying which is not necessarily a bad thing. Their new version of kayfabe is to pull back the curtain, but then treat what is behind it like another stage. We are in the meta kayfabe era now.
I think Rollins wins the title on a cash-in, but there is a chance Punk wins it before that happens, so I am going to predict Punk here.
Prediction: CM Punk wins the title
Randy Orton & Jelly Roll vs. Drew McIntyre & Logan Paul
Orton and Jelly are -700 favorites and I am not going to bet against that.
This will be a feel-good match for a celebrity who has worked hard to earn the opportunity. Mr. Roll has lost a lot of weight and has reportedly been at the Performance Center every day, taking this run seriously in a way that Travis Scott evidently did not. He is going to be rewarded with a win.
Prediction: Randy Orton and Jelly Roll
Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed
Reigns and Uso are listed as -500 favorites which sounds right.
I can see the thinking that you have to get The Bron Brons over, but not at the expense of pinning either Roman or Jey. Reigns will likely get the pin on Reed. There have already been teases of Breakker splitting from the group, which seemed to happen pretty much immediately. Perhaps some dissension between he and Reed will lead to the loss.
Prediction: Roman Reigns and Jey Uso
WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Jade Cargill
Cargill is only a -210 favorite to win, but I would give her far greater odds.
This run of Tiffy Time is about up, but there will be plenty more in the future. It will not hurt Stratton to lose here. Everyone knows she is a star who will always be in the mix for world titles. The job here is to make Cargill feel unstoppable.
While Tiffy can just be Tiffy to get over, Cargill is getting the Goldberg push. That does not mean her promos get cut off or that she breaks ribs with spears; it just means she wins. She’s not going to lose for a while.
Prediction: Jade Cargill wins the title
Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
Zayn is a -265 favorite, but I am picking the underdog.
Zayn was always going to get the win against Kross at Night of Champions because he is a huge babyface there. This scenario is different and depends on how into Kross WWE is right now.
If Kross loses, there’s a chance that’s it for him in WWE as reports from Fightful say his and Scarlett’s deals are up in August. WWE will put wrestlers in big angles before cutting ties as with R-Truth earlier this year. One thought is that Kross could lose again to Zayn and then disappear before his contract quietly expires. I do not think that is what is happening, but I also didn’t think that was what was happening with R-Truth, so I’m unsure.
If I have to make a pick, and for the purposes of this article I do, I think Kross wins and stays. He can’t be that expensive to keep, and Triple H has been invested in the guy previously.
Prediction: Karrion Kross
Night 2 | Sunday
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio defends against AJ Styles
Mysterio is a -350 favorite to retain, and I will not bet against that.
Dominik’s WWE career is quite the story. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes him so entertaining, but storylines involving him have been successful for years now.
Throughout his run with Judgment Day, he has not been portrayed as a strong wrestler in terms of actually being able to win wrestling matches. This Intercontinental title run could be where that changes.
I think Dominik will emulate his father more going forward. (His biological father, Eddie Guerrero, that is.) The opportunity exists for Dom to lie, cheat, and steal his way into a babyface spot and this could be the start of that.
Prediction: Dominik Mysterio retains
WWE United States Champion Solo Sikoa defends against Jacob Fatu in a steel cage match
Fatu is only a -140 favorite, but I would give him much higher odds.
To old school fans, Fatu only being a mild favorite in a cage match against a guy who only wins through interference shows how much this stipulation has fallen. The only chance Sikoa has is if yet another new Bloodline member debuts or Tama Tonga returns, but Sikoa just won the title with Tala Tonga’s debut. It feels too soon for another new member.
I think Fatu wins cleanly and takes back the title. WWE knows they have something with him. Sikoa has done well here, though.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu wins the title
WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Lyra Valkyria in a no DQ match where if Lynch retains, Valkyria cannot challenge again while Lynch is champion
Valkyria is only a -130 favorite, but I would list her as much higher.
I am worried wrestling is about to lose Lynch to Hollywood. She will be in the new Star Trek show next year and if she gets over in that franchise, that could be a game-changer for her acting career.
Lynch is at the stage of her career where she only wants to do what she wants and right now, she wants to help get Valkyria over. It is probably why she wants to be a heel so badly, too.
This is the rubber match, the blowoff, and the purpose of this feud has been to get Valkyria over, not Lynch who could take time off after this as well.
Prediction: Lyra Valkyria wins the title
WWE Women’s World Champion Naomi defends against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match
Naomi is a -3000 favorite to retain, by far the biggest of the weekend, and I am not betting against that.
The only thing that makes me believe anyone else has a chance is that WWE has done a lot of stolen pins in triple threats recently, and Triple H sometimes likes to change things up. Even so, I cannot see Naomi dropping the title here.
Naomi’s “Proceed with Caution” run has been great and it would feel like a lost opportunity to end it now. Neither Ripley nor SKY need the belt, and Naomi is thriving in the role.
Prediction: Naomi retains
Six-Way TLC Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Wyatt Sicks vs. Street Profits vs Fraxiom vs. MCMG vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix vs. DIY
The odds are pretty close here, but Andrade & Fenix are currently the favorites at +140.
I hesitate to take the easy way out and pick the favorites, but I really do think Andrade and Fenix make the most sense. It sets them up to have really fun tag matches with the other good working teams in the division.
The Wyatt Sicks have the second highest odds at +145. It just feels like they are about spectacle while the rest of this division is about great matches, though. I’m not sure about them having a long run with the belts.
Fraxiom has +250 odds, and they could win, but I don’t see it. DIY is at +800, The Street Profits at +900, and MCMG at +1100. So, the oddsmakers not giving former champions much chance.
Prediction: Rey Fenix and Andrade win the titles
Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena defends against Cody Rhodes in a street fight
Rhodes is a -275 favorite to beat Cena and I am not betting against that.
It is interesting that Rhodes is the favorite considering that when Cena’s heel turn started, most people expected he would hold the title until his last match in December. That was the story laid out in promos following his WrestleMania win. Now, few believe he will still be champion after this weekend.
Cena is going to lose the title the same way Rhodes did. Remember when Rhodes would not hit Cena with the belt at Mania? This was like when Roddy Piper could not hit Bret Hart with the belt at WrestleMania 8. Cena teased doing something similar at Night of Champions, but at SummerSlam, it will not be a tease. Cena will go to do something dastardly, not be able to do it, lose the title, share a hug with Rhodes, and let the fans shower him with the adoration he has earned until he retires.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes wins the title
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.