Possible Spoilers and Notes for Tonight’s WWE Summerslam

Possible Spoilers and Notes for Tonight’s WWE Summerslam Pay-Per-View

Written on August 17, 2008

Winners Take All Tag Team Match

I am a fan of all four competitors in this match; Beth Phoenix and Mickie James really know how to get it done in the ring, which is saying a lot for women’s wrestling in the WWE, although admittedly it is getting better as a whole. Believe it or not, I found the Divas Olympic tag team match on last Friday’s SmackDown! to be enjoyable for what it was - short and sweet - with the action left down to the right people.

Kofi Kingston’s high-flying repertoire is thoroughly entertaining, as is the pure idiocy of Santino Marella’s character, which is great in itself, but also disappointing as he gets barely any time in the ring to showcase the talent that brought him to the WWE in the first place. I would expect this to be the proverbial comedy match, simply because that is all that Santino seems to be affiliated with. I must say that I have no idea what road his relationship with Phoenix is going down, but Michael Cole’s one-word description on RAW just about captures it. Bizarre.

I am not even entirely sure of the rules going into this match. Whoever gets the pinfall wins both the Intercontinental and Women’s Championships? Does the Diva get her title and the man get his? The WWE have not explained this clearly enough both on TV and online, but I sure know that I would love to see Marella as Women’s Champion, again, for the comedic value. I feel slightly shamed. I am going to go with Santino and Beth Phoenix getting the victory, as, not only would it be highly entertaining to see him as Women’s Champion, but as the Intercontinental title holder, it would open up a potential to finally see Santino show off his in-ring skills in some worthwhile defences.

Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Jeff Hardy

This is an incredibly weak feud. I can just about accept the rivalry spawning from MVP’s rant about how Jeff’s world is falling apart due to the risks that he takes, but as a whole, it just feels hollow and incomplete. What made me laugh was a couple of weeks ago on SmackDown! when Hardy told MVP, “If you ever mention my home, the fire, or my dog again, I’ll show you what kind of a man I am”. It really just sounded stupid. These two could have had a great feud if only it had began differently and had a far stronger base, such as the United States Championship for one. Nevertheless, this should still be a decent match, and I can only hope that they work together again in the future, but under greater circumstances.

Shawn Michaels’ Announcement

I cannot understand why Shawn is not competing at SummerSlam. I would love to see the conclusion of his feud with Chris Jericho this Sunday with one last match, back-and-forth excellence like at WrestleMania 19, without the Great American Bash ending, but that obviously is not the case. SummerSlam would definitely be the right stage to settle the score since it is one of the “big four” pay-per-view events in the WWE calendar, but again, it is not happening. I am quite positive that Jericho will show up and that their war will continue, with a final match being held in the near future, but the sheer magnitude of their rivalry deserves its SummerSlam spot. I also feel that these two could put on a great Iron Man match, with a thirty-minute time limit.

So who really believes that HBK will announce his retirement? I definitely do not, but whatever it is that is on his mind, we will find out Sunday.

ECW Championship: Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

This is the best booking that is possible on ECW right now. Matt Hardy is the most over Extremist on the roster and Mark Henry is the biggest heel. A perfect match, right? Well, it does not really make for much of a match when you take into account the size of Henry. Hardy is very much the underdog and I am sure that he would be squashed if he was still a SmackDown! midcarder, but after coming to ECW, he has had the same sudden burst of strength and endurance as CM Punk has had on RAW. I would like to see Matt become the ECW Champion, but not yet. I feel that Mark Henry’s reign has been too short and he has not been able to express himself enough as the top dog in Extreme Championship Wrestling. They could develop their feud further than Sunday and meet again at perhaps the next pay-per-view, and throw in Extreme Rules to keep things fresh. I am going with the World’s Strongest Man to win, in a relatively slow bout in which Matt Hardy comes close to scoring the victory.

John Cena vs. Batista

This really should not be happening at such short notice. This match deserves a long and winding build, months, not three weeks. No matter how many people on the Cena hate train are apparently dreading this match, it is an undisputedly epic clash and has great potential to be a classic. Both John and Batista broke into the WWE in 2002, and they both won the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship respectively almost simultaneously, at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. It would only be one-hundred percent fair if these two-squared off at WrestleMania 25 next year, and in my opinion and wish, that is exactly what is going to happen. With the short build-up I cannot imagine any performer getting a clean victory, and that is where I believe the Randy Orton factor comes into play. When I first read about his motorcycle crash on WWE.com, the first word that popped into my head was ‘swerve’. It is common knowledge that Orton was recently cleared to wrestle, and not only is being flung three-hundred feet from a bike and only damaging your collarbone a miracle, it is also extremely convenient. Therefore, I can see Randy interfering in their match and preventing a clean victor. If that does not happen however, I will be very disappointed. It is the first time that these two have competed against each other one-on-one, and with such little hype, it would just be wrong. I hope to see a feud involving Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton come from this Sunday, and a brand new rivalry between the SummerSlam competitors in 2009, with a build that explores the history of the Superstars and really writes a great story just begging for a brilliant climax.

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

I do not think that CM Punk’s reign as World Champion is going to last incredibly long overall, and I would give him until the next pay-per-view event, but I do think he will survive this Sunday against JBL. Excluding the RAW where he won the title, he has continually been made to look weak and like the paper champion that Bradshaw has been calling him recently. I do not have much to say about this one other than yes, I think that Punk is going to retain and get a clean win at last, thus proving himself as a viable and credible champion. His first title defence against JBL was sloppy and boring, and I cannot imagine their SummerSlam contest to be much better, it is too much of a clash of styles. I would have much preferred Chris Jericho coming out on top in that handicap match a couple of weeks ago, as Punk vs. Jericho has the potential be a great match, but I accept his loss through my prediction that he will be involved in Shawn Michaels’ announcement. If he is not, then what the hell?

WWE Championship: Triple H vs. The Great Khali

From what I believe The Great Khali is physically in bad shape with knee issues - so I understand why he has been booked in this WWE Championship match - so that the company can make the most of him whilst he is still around, which is fair enough, since professional wrestlers of his size, stature and sheer look are very few and far between. That does not stop it from being totally unexciting for me though, because that is what it is. The only part of it that I am interested in is the finish, which should be Triple H finally hitting the Pedigree on Khali after the unsuccessful attempts these last few Friday nights. That would be cool, but other than a Pedigree, I could not care less. I predict that it will be game over for the Punjabi Nightmare, but if Khali was to win? I would promptly be having WWE-free Fridays.

Hell In A Cell: The Undertaker vs. Edge

Definitely the only legitimate “blockbuster” on the card for SummerSlam. I cannot wait to see this match. The Undertaker, one of my favourite wrestlers of all time, returning is one thing, but Edge… Edge is a whole different kettle of fish. Ever since that phenomenal Mick Foley promo a few weeks ago, Edge has utterly transformed, morphed into a whole new Edge. Foley said to go back to his old self, but he has evolved rather than found an old identity. He is utterly sick and twisted, mentally unstable, and I love it. I thought his statement that he was going to take Vickie Guerrero down with him to hell was amazing, as were his words in a dazzling promo on this week’s SmackDown! that really set the mood for this Sunday’s event. Edge is playing the new dynamic of his character superbly and looks completely out of his mind, and I feel that it makes for an absolutely barbaric confrontation in the “Devil’s Playground” at SummerSlam. Of course, it will be awesome seeing The Undertaker return to competition, and what better way to do so than in his signature match? I expect to be completely absorbed by this Hell in a Cell bout and hope to God that they break out of the cage. I know that that does not make such a match, but the last time we saw it happen was at Judgment Day 2002 when Triple H defeated Chris Jericho, and it really does add a whole new level to an already dramatic fight. As for a victor, I am choosing The Undertaker. I cannot see him losing his return match as that would just kill his morale, but I would not rule out an Edge success story, as his character’s newfound rage has given him such momentum and a total unpredictability to what the Rated R Superstar can pull off in the cell.

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