WWE Summerslam 2012 Preview

Check after the jump for my predictions for tonight's show:

Youtube Pre Show

WWE United States Championship match: Santino Marella(c) vs. Antonio Cesaro

I haven't watched the Youtube Pre Show since Wrestlemania, but this match may change that.  Antonio Cesaro has been on quite the roll as of late and I'm fully on board with him taking that belt off of Marella.  It's no secret that I think Santino has damn near destroyed what was left of the legendary title's prestige and I've been campaigning for someone to dethrone him for months now.  I can't think of a better candidate than Cesaro right now.  After his recent match with Christian, Antonio gave us a glimpse of what was to come should he wear the gold around his waist.  Hopefully, he capitalizes on his recent momentum and gives us what we've all been waiting for.


Winner and NEW US Champion: Antonio Cesaro

Main Card

Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

This match is my pick for the sleeper hit of the night.  Daniel Bryan has brought the absolute best out of everyone he's been in the ring with this year and perhaps no one benefited from battling The American Dragon more than Kane.  It's a tough call, but I think Bryan needs to pick up the win here to earn some more credibility after his recent string of losses.  With all the hoopla surrounding Chris Jericho, many have neglected to realize that Daniel Bryan has not won a major match since Elimination Chamber and I think it's because he's so damn good that win or lose, the people still invest in Bryan due to his consistency.  Still, I think he has to win this one to re-establish himself as a major threat and I'm guessing he's picking up the win here after some shenanigans.


Winner: Daniel Bryan

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has had the upper hand in what has been arguably, the best built match on the entire card, but I'm still 50/50 on this one.  Sure, it's easy to think that given his reputation, Jericho would have no problem bowing out to Ziggs, but I think with the build of the feud being centred around Jericho's losing streak, he now has more incentive than ever before.  With Punk, it was about proving he was the best in the world and getting inside the champ's head.  With Sheamus, Orton and Del Rio, there was no real motivation other than the world title.  And that brings us to Dolph Ziggler, who has perhaps become the first man to get under Jericho's skin and out-Jericho Chris Jericho.  Never before has a victory for Jericho been just about pride and not about proving something.  As Jericho said, he has nothing to prove to anyone, but he DOES have an ego.  An ego that has been damaged throughout 2012.  That is the story that is going to be told in this match.  It's truly brilliant and without a doubt this should be the best match on the card from an in-ring standpoint.  It's Jericho's damaged pride vs. Dolph's eager intensity and hunger to prove himself.  It's a hard choice for anyone to predict with everything that's on the line, but I'm going with Ziggler here.  Jericho may be a legend, but the over-confident Ziggler is light years ahead of him in the momentum department at this point.


Winner: Dolph Ziggler

WWE Tag Team Championship match: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth(c) vs. The Primetime Players

It's great to see the tag belts get some shine on a big time PPV and the division still has the promise it did at the start of the year, but this match may be a make or break for the titles and division as a whole.  The WWE needs this match to work.  This feud has been built for over two months and both teams have more momentum than any teams of recent memory.  This match HAS to be good.  There really is no other option.  That being said, Young and O'neil have much more to prove and I think they are a much better fit for the belts right now given their natural chemistry.  I don't think any other team on the roster actually seems to enjoy being a part of a tag team.  That's the vibe I get from the Primetime Players and I think they are just what the doctor ordered for the tag team championship.


Winners and NEW Tag Team Champions: The Primetime Players

Intercontinental Championship match: The Miz(c) vs. Rey Mysterio

If this match is any where near as good as their previous encounter from 2011, than this match has the potential to be a show stealer.  Do I think they can get there?  Yes and No.  The match has no real build and was pretty much a prime example of "creative has nothing for you", but Mysterio can have a solid match with pretty much everyone and given both men's ability to work a crowd, they should be able to turn in something noteworthy here.  Still, don't be surprised at the result.  Miz is pretty much a lock to retain the IC title.


Winner and STILL IC Champion: The Miz

World Heavyweight Championship match: Sheamus(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

The buildup for this one has been solid, but I'm still not too big a fan of their matches together at this point.  There is just something off about their chemistry to me.  I don't think this match will stink the joint out by any means, but don't expect a five star classic here.  The predictability of Sheamus winning is also pretty evident and I say Del Rio's odds of walking out world champion are about 5 to 1.  He has a shot, but I'm going with the Great White continuing his 140+ day run at the top.


Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman

This match is easily the biggest matchup on the card and I have no doubt in my mind that these two will deliver.  What I personally want from this match is the type of all out brawl that both men have become famous for.  There will be plenty of rasslin' tonight and I think this match could serve to give us the over the top drama that is usually reserved for Wrestlemania.  I have been waiting for this one for nearly a decade and I'm shelling out my $50 for this match alone.  The go home episode of Raw was solidly built around this match and they did a fantastic job with it.  Look for this one to be the match of the night (maybe even a MOTY contender).  As far as who will walk out the victor.  I'm going with Lesnar.  I don't think The Game is in the right frame of mind with everything Lesnar and Heyman have done to physically and mentally manipulate him.  He has the motivation sure, but not the focus necessary to weather the storm that is Brock Lesnar. 


Winner: Brock Lesnar

WWE Championship match: CM Punk(c) vs. Big Show vs. John Cena

I'm thinking this match will be the main event. It's a real toss up with the Lesnar/HHH match, but I think that the WWE title match is strong enough to close the show and it would only serve to further CM Punk's new persona of wanting the spotlight on him come show's end.  I have a shaky feeling that The Rock may play a part in the finish of this match, but that's a long shot.  What's not a long shot is the fact that CM Punk has been champion for nearly a year (over 270 days) and has conquered every obstacle that has been thrown at him.  That includes John Cena.  Things have truly come full circle with Cena and Punk again in the main event at Summerslam the second year in a row.  However, the difference maker this time around is Big Show.  How he will play into the match remains to be seen, but I'm still putting my money on Punk.  The champ has done a fantastic job and has made the WWE title the workhorse title of the modern era.  I don't think Show or Cena have anything to gain from winning here, but Punk has everything to lose.  I believe that will be motivation enough for the Second City Saint to stay on top.


Winner and STILL WWE Champion: CM Punk

The Verdict

In my opinion, Summerslam has often been promoted as "Wrestlemania at the beach".  The WWE has gone out of their way to stack the card with as many Mania worthy matches as they possibly could and with HHH/Lesnar, Punk/Cena/Show and Jericho/Ziggler, I believe they've done a fine job.  The tag match has also been surprisingly well built and should provide a noteworthy matchup.  Add in the sleeper potential of the rest of the card and this could be the best WWE event since Extreme Rules.  Still, if the matches themselves aren't enough to sell you, than trust in the fact that from an in-ring standpoint, the WWE has yet to deliver a lackluster PPV thus far in 2012.  That's truly something they have not been given enough credit for as of late. 


Verdict: Buy




Thanks for reading and be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of WWE Summerslam 2012!!