WWE SummerSlam 2021 Foolproof Match Card Predictions
By Mark Justice
Sheamus (c) vs. Damian Priest [United States Title]
As mentioned earlier, Damian Priest will win the battle royal to earn a shot at Sheamus’ U.S. Title on the main show. When Sheamus won the U.S. Title from Riddle at WrestleMania 37, it was expected that he would use his veteran status and impeccable in-ring prowess to elevate the mid card and bring back prestige to the U.S. Title. His show-stealing matches with Riddle, Keith Lee, and Drew McIntyre would easily substantiate that expectation. However, the complete opposite happened due to his unexpected nose fracture and unnecessary non-title open challenges.
As for the winner of this match, Sheamus should win to allow Priest to develop his character some more and connect on a deeper level with the crowd before winning the gold. A solid rub would do the trick here. On the other hand, now that Sheamus has recovered from his nose fracture, he should get a second chance to turn things around with his reign. There are many mid carders, such as Ricochet, Mustafa Ali, Mansoor, Cedric Alexander, and John Morrison, whom Sheamus can mix it up with to truly bring back relevance to this forgotten mid card division on Raw.
Foolproof Prediction: Sheamus
Apollo Crews (c) vs. Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin vs. Kingsuke Nakamura [Intercontinental Title: 6-Pack Challenge]
As can be surmised from the mid card division on Raw, it is quite clear that the WWE has a proclivity to neglect the mid card division as a whole. The same has been done with the Intercontinental Title on SmackDown because it has not been on PPV since WrestleMania 37 in April. Apollo Crews, the Nigerian Prince, has defended his title against Big E, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens for the past few months on solely weekly episodes of SmackDown for free even though he has one of the most creative gimmicks and established characters on the main roster.
Apollo’s IC Title needs to be recognized at the biggest event of the summer in a six-pack challenge with all of the mid carders on SmackDown. The three babyfaces will be Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Kingsuke Nakamura while the three heels will be Apollo Crews, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin. Any of these superstars would be deserving of the IC Title, but the superstar who needs it most is Cesaro not only because it would be his first IC Title in what would be a highlighted career milestone but he also needs a consolation prize for failing in his pursuit of the Universal Title.
Foolproof Prediction: Cesaro