WWE SummerSlam 2019: Match Card Predictions After WrestleMania 35
By Bryan Heaton
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev (c) vs. Kevin Owens & The Miz (Kickoff Show)
Okay, so there’s a couple of leaps of faith we need to take here for this match to come to fruition. The first one is a pretty safe bet: Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins will be dropping the titles soon. I don’t see that reign lasting too long, so four months from now things will be very different in the tag division.
Second, Nakamura and Rusev will not only need to continue teaming together, but both will need to be “shaken up” to Raw. It’s not that far fetched, really — it’s expected that come October, SmackDown will be the “A” show thanks to the television deal with Fox. Most of the top stars in WWE will probably be joining the blue team, which means some talent has to shift to Mondays.
As much as I love Nakamura and Rusev, I get the feeling WWE doesn’t see them as upper-level superstars. That could be the kiss of doom that ships them to Raw, although they could instantly be the best tag team on the show if another move happens (more on that in a bit).
But what about Owens and The Miz teaming up together? Why would that happen? Well, why not? Maybe it’s a common enemy in Shane McMahon. Perhaps it’s nothing more than a case of “you guys are both really good, but we have nothing for you individually.” But I think Miz heads to Raw because his reality show is on USA, and it’s easier for cross-promotion. Owens is also in the middle of a “family-first” gimmick, which matches Miz as of now. Plus, they’ve teamed together before, in 2016.
However we get there, it’s a decent way to open a show, even if most of the talent involved could be seen as way too established for a pre-show. To that, I say, I just saw Jushin Liger, The Great Muta, and Minoru Suzuki compete in a pre-show battle royal, so anyone can be booked on a pre-show.