WrestleMania 36 is in the books, and the next big event we hope to see from WWE is SummerSlam 2020. Here’s a look at how that card might shape up.
WrestleMania 36 wasn’t exactly a normal WWE production, but it was still a spectacularly entertaining show that saw several shifts in the landscape of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. While no one is quite sure how our world will look by August 23, 2020, we can all hope to see WWE SummerSlam 2020 live from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Regardless of how the next few months look, either in storylines or style of presentation, there are some clear lanes for things to follow heading into SummerSlam 2020. Let’s take a look at how the full match card for SummerSlam 2020 might turn out.
Asuka vs. Io Shirai
At WrestleMania 36, Asuka walked in with Kairi Sane at her side and The Kabuki Warriors were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. By the time the match was over, the titles had been taken from them by Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
As much as I’ve enjoyed The Kabuki Warriors, it’s time for Asuka to go back to the singles dominance she once showed us. Before she finds her way to a championship opportunity again, it would instead be perfect to see an absolute dream match take place at SummerSlam 2020.
Io Shirai has been lighting things up in NXT, especially since turning heel and recreating the image of her character. Asuka did something similar when she started using the green mist, but that luck seems to have run out.
We should see Asuka return to her in-ring dominance and lose those tactics, instead challenging herself by bringing another joshi legend to WWE Raw in the form of Io Shirai. Even if they only had 15 minutes, these two women could deliver a 5-Star classic, but it would be one I’d actually expect Shirai to be on the winning end of.
Prediction: Io Shirai def. Asuka
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) vs. The IIconics
After capturing the titles at Hell in a Cell 2019, The Kabuki Warriors continued to hold onto them for 181 days before losing to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at WrestleMania 36. This victory made Bliss and Cross the only 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions in history.
As for The Kabuki Warriors, I’ve already explained that I don’t see their partnership lasting much longer. That leaves a void for another team to fill by challenging Bliss Cross Applesauce, and who better than former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics?
After getting drafted to WWE Raw back in October, The IIconics have been relatively unseen. We haven’t seen reports of either being injured, so it seems WWE may just be looking for the right time to bring them back.
With Bliss and Cross as fan favorite champions and The Kabuki Warriors out of the picture, it’s time for The IIconics to return to competition and look to also become 2-time champions. At SummerSlam 2020, they should take this opportunity and make it IIconic by leaving Boston with the gold.
Prediction: The IIconics def. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions
United States Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Andrade (c) vs. Aleister Black vs. Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton
Events like this tend to see at least one match turn into some version of a multi-man car crash, and this seems as good a candidate as any. While Andrade may have at one time been penciled in to defend his title at WrestleMania 36 against Rey Mysterio, lots of things kept changing plans and Andrade wasn’t even able to compete at the event.
Should his injury be minor enough to see “El Idolo” back in action soon, he would have plenty of potential opponents moving forward. Kevin Owens is fresh off a violent defeat of Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36, and will surely be looking for some new success far away from “The Monday Night Messiah.”
Aleister Black found his own WrestleMania moment by facing Bobby Lashley and definitively destroying him The Black Mass to secure a victory. Randy Orton, on the other hand, was defeated by Edge in a brutal Last Man Standing Match.
Of course, Orton is no stranger to finding his way back to opportunity after a crushing loss. All three of these men seem like ideal challengers, so why not just put all three of them in the match? It would stack the odds, but I’d still expect Andrade to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Andrade def. Aleister Black, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton to retain the United States Championship
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Miz & John Morrison (c) vs. Heavy Machinery
WrestleMania 36 certainly seemed like it was going to be a lot of things when it came to the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, and the final product was nothing like what any of those early iterations seemed to be. However, after an amazing three-man Triple Threat Ladder Match for the titles, it was John Morrison who squeezed out of WrestleMania for himself and The Miz with the gold.
The New Day and The Usos will certainly remain in the mix moving forward, but it wouldn’t harm either team to take a backseat at SummerSlam 2020 to someone else. Heavy Machinery have been really pushing themselves in 2020, including an unforgettable performance inside the Elimination Chamber.
However, that wasn’t their night and they failed to capture the titles. In the following weeks, we saw the potential romance between Otis and Mandy Rose go through a bit of a rollercoaster, but WrestleMania 36 saw them finally come together and embrace each other.
Now that Otis has resolved that situation in a way that truly warmed the hearts of fans, it’s time for Heavy Machinery to follow it up with championship gold. SummerSlam 2020 should see Heavy Machinery, with Mandy Rose at ringside, topple The Miz and John Morrison to capture tag team gold for the first time.
Prediction: Heavy Machinery def. The Miz and John Morrison to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Unholy Violence Match: Seth Rollins vs. Shawn Michaels
We saw two unique cinematic experiences at WrestleMania 36, and for the first time WWE has cracked the code on that formula. With the precedent established, they’ve got plenty of options to do that moving forward.
While many will look to names like Sting, The Fiend, or The Undertaker to participate in those matches in the future, I’m instead looking to an unlikely option for SummerSlam 2020. In recent months, we’ve seen Seth Rollins take on a new persona as “The Monday Night Messiah.”
The imagery has only been cranked up the longer that’s gone on, and Rollins did his best to truly embody “Crossfit Jesus” at WrestleMania 36. Shawn Michaels is a well-known devout Christian, and it wouldn’t take much storytelling to explain why Rollins’ character could bother Michaels.
While it’s possible Michaels could still perform in his previous form even to this day, there’s also the option of pitting these two against one another in a unique cinematic experience that would even take place on church grounds. These two certainly have the tools to deliver something unforgettable, and we might just see Seth Rollins standing tall over Shawn Michaels on hallowed ground.
Prediction: Seth Rollins def. Shawn Michaels
Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
Despite the best efforts of Daniel Bryan and his alliance with Drew Gulak, we still saw Sami Zayn escape from WrestleMania 36 with the Intercontinental Championship. Of course, an assist still goes to Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro.
Elsewhere on SmackDown, mysterious messages that “The Truth Will Be Heard” have infiltrated WWE programming and led to a wonderful moment at WrestleMania 36 where the lies faded away and we saw the embrace between Otis and Mandy Rose. Where might this mysterious figure put his attention next?
Ever since forming his alliance with Shinsuke Nakamura and eventually bringing Cesaro into the fold, Sami Zayn has been talking to anyone within earshot about injustice and liberation. He’s positioned himself as the great savior trying to right the wrongs, but there seems to be someone else actually doing that on SmackDown.
Based on the altruism in his actions, and the familiar round image in his glitches, that man looks to be Mustafa Ali. After turning his attention to the injustices perpetrated by Sami Zayn and his allies, we should finally see Mustafa Ali step from the shadows to reveal himself and take the Intercontinental Championship from Sami Zayn at SummerSlam 2020.
Prediction: Mustafa Ali def. Sami Zayn to become the new Intercontinental Champion
Raw Tag Team Championship Match: Street Profits (c) vs. AOP
Street Profits defended their Raw Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 36 against as ragtag a team as you could possibly find. They were initially scheduled to face Andrade and Angel Garza, but an untimely injury to Andrade allowed Austin Theory to somehow end up replacing him.
All four men did their best to make the match work, and Street Profits retained their titles as most fans expected. Unfortunately, the tag team division isn’t exactly deep on WWE Raw right now, but there’s a team that has been wasted in the background who would be a true threat to the reigning champions.
AOP, or Authors of Pain depending on who you ask, are currently the excess muscle behind “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins. They even had to stand behind Rollins when he formed a ragtag team with Murphy to capture the Raw Tag Team Titles back in January.
Now, it’s finally time for AOP to push their way through the shadows and become the dominant force NXT viewers have known they’re capable of being. The delightfully fun reign of Street Profits will come crashing down at SummerSlam 2020 as AOP emerges as the new champions.
Prediction: AOP def. Street Profits to become the new Raw Tag Team Champions
WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. AJ Styles
In the main event of night two of WrestleMania 36, Drew McIntyre used the opportunity he’d earned by winning the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble to take on Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. After surviving multiple F5s and delivering multiple Claymores, it was McIntyre who left closed the night as the new WWE Champion.
Looking forward, he will be the anchor for the main event scene on WWE Raw. McIntyre has played various roles in his career, but now truly feels like a hard-working competitor who fought for the fans and won the title for us all.
The perfect foil for that is someone who “died” at WrestleMania 36. At the end of the Boneyard Match, only the hand of AJ Styles stuck through the dirt as he was literally buried by The Undertaker. Of course, nothing is permanent in WWE, including death.
However WWE chooses to explain his eventual return, AJ Styles will likely find his way back to the main event in short order, and could very well be facing Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2020. Of course, in the end he’ll just eat a Claymore and another loss as Drew McIntyre remains WWE Champion.
Prediction: Drew McIntyre def. AJ Styles to retain the WWE Championship
Firefly Fun House Match: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan
If WWE is smart, they’ll realize just how well-received the two cinematic matches at WrestleMania 36 were and keep that rolling in the future. Bray Wyatt certainly gave us something unforgettable against John Cena, and there’s no reason he can’t bring that concept back against someone else.
Of course, this would be another competitor Wyatt has extensive history with. While their paths have crossed in much different ways than Wyatt and Cena’s had, they also tangoed much more recently.
Back at Royal Rumble 2020, Daniel Bryan challenged “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship in a brutal Strap Match, but wasn’t able to emerge victorious. Here, we could see the unraveling of Daniel Bryan reach a whole new boiling point inside of wrestling’s most unstable environment.
Much the way the first Firefly Fun House Match did, this would see Bray Wyatt dragging Daniel Bryan through a plethora of mindgames and experiences. Ultimately, it would see “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt destroy Daniel Bryan in the way he’d hoped to at this year’s Royal Rumble.
Prediction: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt def. Daniel Bryan
Raw Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Bianca Belair
While “The Queen of Spades” was looking to destroy the mystique of “The Man” at WrestleMania 36, but she couldn’t get the job done. No amount of mixed martial arts acumen saved her from a good ol’ fashioned wrestling move.
Now, Becky Lynch continues her reign as Raw Women’s Champion, but who could possibly dethrone her? With all the names she’s gone through, it seems like it would have to be someone completely new, and the prime candidate is “The EST of NXT” Bianca Belair.
We even saw the opening established at WrestleMania 36. After Street Profits successfully defended their Raw Tag Team Titles, Zelina Vega was part of the three-person post-match beatdown until Bianca Belair came out and demolished Vega with the KOD.
After finishing things with Vega on a future episode of Raw, all Bianca Belair has to do is turn her attention to Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and chart her course to becoming “The EST of WWE.” Belair should be leaving SummerSlam 2020 with gold around her waist.
Prediction: Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch to become the new Raw Women’s Champion
Universal Championship Match: Braun Strowman (c) vs. Roman Reigns
It took truly unexpected circumstances to bring us to this moment, but it’s still where we’ve come. Few would’ve been surprised by this match a few years ago, but it seemed like a far away memory just a few weeks ago.
After Roman Reigns chose to pull out of WrestleMania 36 to mitigate his risk of exposure to COVID-19 due to his compromised immune system, there was a void to be filled against Universal Champion Goldberg. WWE chose Braun Strowman to replace Reigns, and after four powerslams it was Strowman who was the Universal Champion.
It’s not exactly farfetched to believe that, had WrestleMania 36 gone on as originally intended, Roman Reigns would’ve left Raymond James Stadium as Universal Champion. As a result, it’s only right that he should be coming for Braun Strowman once WWE things are safer and relatively back to normal.
Strowman got his moment, one way or another, but he doesn’t need to hold the title any longer than it takes for Roman Reigns to face him for it. SummerSlam 2020 needs to see Roman Reigns emerge as the new Universal Champion.
Prediction: Roman Reigns def. Braun Strowman to become the new Universal Champion
Main Event for the SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks
When SummerSlam 2020 arrives, there’s absolutely no question about what should be the night’s main event. With over five years of build to this moment, we need the rematch of the greatest contest in NXT history to close out SummerSlam weekend.
WrestleMania 36 saw plenty of great matches, but one of the highlights was the Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Reigning champion Bayley had the odds stacked against her while facing Sasha Banks, Naomi, Lacey Evans, and Tamina.
There were clear questions going into the night about the ability of Banks and Bayley to work together in that environment, and those were only exacerbated by small notes of tension between the two in the months leading into WrestleMania 36. The rivalry turned friendship turned rivalry turned friendship was still intact as that night came to a close, but it’s on thin ice and is about to bloom back into the greatest rivalry of the summer.
Ever since Sasha Banks made her shocking return to WWE and Bayley made an equally shocking turn to the dark side, things have looked very different for these two. They’ve been together on SmackDown since October, but things haven’t seemed perfectly stable along the way.
SummerSlam 2020 is the perfect stage to bring this to a boiling point once again, but with the roles reversed and a desperate Bayley having turned on “The Boss” to keep her title at all costs. Sasha Banks should be walking out of Boston as the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Prediction: Sasha Banks def. Bayley to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion