WWE SummerSlam 2019 Match Card Predictions after Extreme Rules

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Finn Balor for the Intercontinental Championship

Shinsuke Nakamura shocked WWE fans when he defeated Finn Balor on the Extreme Rules pre-show, taking WWE’s Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career.

The match itself was good and a highlight of a strong kick-off show, making up for the fact that WWE announced it as a late addition. Some fans didn’t take kindly to the IC Title being on the pre-show, but, well, what else could have been cut on the main show? Nothing.

We’ve seen Finn Balor enter as The Demon at consecutive SummerSlams, as the Pay Per View has been kind to one of WWE’s biggest stars. Balor became the first Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016, defeated Bray Wyatt with ease in 2017, and absolutely squashed the loathsome Baron Corbin in 2018.

At WWE SummerSlam 2019, Finn Balor could win back the Intercontinental Champion as “The Demon” in a hard-fought match with Shinsuke Nakamura, who could join AJ Styles and Seth Rollins as among the select few stars to take The Demon to its limit.

Balor could be one of the main beneficiaries from a Paul Heyman-booked Raw and an Eric Bischoff-booked SmackDown Live, even if a reunion with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson as a part of the powerful “Club” faction isn’t in order. And one step in the direction towards Balor reassuming a position of prominence would be a major SummerSlam victory over Nakamura.

Because let’s face it, nobody cares about beating Corbin or 2017, post-WWE Title reign Wyatt.