Seth Rollins and Natalya became the challengers for the Universal Championship and Raw Women’s Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2019, but what are their chances of main eventing the second-biggest Pay Per View of the year?
Brock Lesnar turned the road to WWE SummerSlam 2019 on its head when he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins to close Extreme Rules, taking the Universal Championship home with him. We’ve seen the “absentee champion” gimmick played out with Lesnar, and we’ve also already seen him feud with Rollins, so fans will be hoping for a different direction in the build to SummerSlam.
There’s a great chance Lesnar vs. Rollins main events SummerSlam, but it’s far from the only match that could potentially close the show. With Bayley, Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston as singles champions, there’s no shortage of elite talent capable of main event a show as big as SummerSlam.
So here’s an early look at five possible main event matches for this year’s edition of SummerSlam. As tempted as I was to promote a possible Sasha Banks vs. Bayley match, I’ll leave Banks in peace as she takes some understandable time away from the machine that is known as WWE.
Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair
Sasha Banks isn’t the only key WWE superstar in the women’s division who could make a return this summer, as Charlotte Flair has also been missed from television. She should be back and as good as ever in time for SummerSlam, which didn’t feel the same in 2017 when she was unable to compete. (Though Naomi and Natalya did lessen the blow with an excellent match of their own.)
Bayley is in the midst of a delightful run with the SmackDown Women’s Championship, and she might be producing the best work of her illustrious career right now. The Hugger has already exorcised past demons, defeating Alexa Bliss at Stomping Grounds before defeating Bliss and her new best friend Nikki Cross in a two-on-one match.
There is one more top wrestler left to beat from her past. Charlotte Flair was Bayley’s first rival for the Raw Women’s Championship, as she defeated The Queen in her hometown to win her first main roster championship. She then broke Charlotte’s vaunted undefeated PPV streak, then successfully defended the title in a Fatal Four-Way match at WrestleMania.
But like Bayley, Charlotte has reached new heights in the years since then, making this a marquee matchup that could conceivably main event over a Brock Lesnar match. Charlotte and Bayley have great chemistry in the ring, have never been better than they are right now, and have two incredibly passionate fan bases.
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
I wouldn’t put it past WWE to make this match a Triple Threat so as to avoid a second straight big PPV match between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar, but they did have Lesnar and Roman Reigns battle it out at WrestleMania and SummerSlam in the same year in 2018. Lesnar won at WrestleMania, and Reigns conquered “The Conquerer” at SummerSlam.
Here, the reverse is possible. Rollins upset Lesnar at WrestleMania, but Lesnar could retain the championship and head into WWE’s deal with FOX as the Universal Champion after cashing in on Rollins at Extreme Rules.
Assuming this match main events, this could be a big test of Paul Heyman’s creativity with supposedly bland title matches. Heyman has injected new excitement into the WWE product, but he’s also made some worrisome missteps that could become glaring holes. All eyes will be on Rollins vs. Lesnar, despite the fact that most fans wanted to see something a little bit different. Rollins and Lesnar can put on a program for the ages, but the creative team have to get their proverbial ducks in a row in order for that to happen.
Oh, and a motivated Lesnar wouldn’t hurt either. Seeing as how he’s had quality matches over the past couple of years, aside from that asinine WrestleMania 34 match that showed the worst of Vince McMahon, Lesnar might actually care.
Kofi Kingston vs. Ali
Kofi Kingston successfully retained the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules, defeating Samoa Joe to solidify his status as one of wrestling’s greatest champions. He needs to have a huge match at WWE SummerSlam 2019, and he’s as good of a candidate as anyone to main event the show. A great opponent for Kofi would lead to a far more compelling match than Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins, as the argument can be made that Kingston is the best wrestler in the company right now.
Though there are a number of great options for Kofi’s opponent at SummerSlam, perhaps nobody jumps off the page more than former 205 Live superstar Ali. The man has been a revelation since debuting on SmackDown Live in December to face Daniel Bryan, immediately establishing himself as a potential main event player for the WWE Championship.
Ali’s injury before the Elimination Chamber opened the door for Kingston to show the world why he’s one of WWE’s best, and the rest is history. Kingston’s rise has been nothing short of wonderful to watch, and his title reign has definitively shown that he is even more than just championship material.
No, Ali isn’t going to turn heel. That’s not going to happen. What should happen is a mind-blowing match between two of WWE’s best wrestlers and most inspirational human beings. This will be about two friends who have mutual respect for each other, and part of that respect involves not holding back in the ring. These men will test each other like nobody else ever has, and it will lead to an instant classic at SummerSlam.
The Undertaker vs. Drew McIntyre
This may come as a shock, but The Undertaker actually looked good at Extreme Rules in his tag match with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre. Unlike some of his past matches, Taker did not look weak and hobbled. He participated in some crazy spots, executed his power moves without any mistakes, and looked a little bit more like his old self when moving around the ring.
And based on the words Michael Cole spoke after The Undertaker’s match when he basked in the glow of pinning Shane off a Tombstone, it sounds like The Phenom has one final run left in him. Or, maybe, one final match in him, and that final match could occur at SummerSlam instead of WrestleMania.
There are a few good candidates for a match with The Undertaker, such as Aleister Black and Bray Wyatt, but Drew McIntyre looks like the most likely option. He nearly had Taker beat at Extreme Rules, lining up for a Claymore while Taker did his taunt, but he was intercepted by a Roman Reigns spear before he could hit his finisher.
McIntyre’s booking has been, uh, strange this year, and he lost by a victory roll to rising star Cedric Alexander on the Raw after Extreme Rules. He needs a big win in the near future, and there may not be a bigger possible win than against The Undertaker.
But if he loses to Taker, at least he lost to an actual icon in the main event of a huge PPV. Not many wrestlers can say they main evented a show with The Dead Man.
Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
This may be the least compelling of the possible main event matches on this list, but Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton have plenty of history. It was Orton who purportedly ended Kingston’s main event push years ago with an act of outright unprofessionalism and arrogance. In a Gauntlet Match on the Road to WrestleMania 35, WWE revisited this old rivalry, in which Kofi destroyed Orton’s car in a memorable segment, by having Kofi get some revenge.
But a Gauntlet Match win isn’t enough to constitute vengeance. No, Kofi Kingston needs to embarrass Orton and make the sadistic “Viper” pay dearly for costing Kingston all those years ago. Outside of kayfabe, Orton has, hopefully, grown up from pushing down others with backstage politicking, and it does seem that superstars like Jinder Mahal and Bray Wyatt have benefited from Orton being more giving as a veteran wrestler.
Kingston is a current WWE Champion who can benefit from a win over Orton, who has returned from a reportedly minor neck injury. Orton came inches away from earning another SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar for a shot at revenge on The Beast Incarnate, but it seems that Orton could be a victim of sweet vengeance at SummerSlam.
Ali is obviously the more interesting opponent for Kingston and has an incredible amount of fan support. But Orton is also the bigger name, so an Orton vs. Kingston match would technically have a higher chance of main eventing. Plus, there’s still a rich history between these two performers, which could turn into an instant classic.
Orton is one of the best wrestlers in WWE when motivated, which means the match has to make sense and has to be against a performer on his level. This match would have so many emotions involved, and Kingston has clearly shown he’s on an elite level. The Apex Predator of WWE would care, and it could lead to a splendid title match at WWE SummerSlam 2019.