SummerSlam Preview #2

It’s that time of month again. Tha O Show’s Andrew Gray, Christopher Casur and D.J.B. are previewing SummerSlam in the only way they know how: triple-team-alaz.

Click on the link below for our run-down and predictions for the entire show. And don't forget to check out "Extras" for some classic matches from SummerSlam past.

Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge

Andrew Gray says: I have to commend the fed for taking what was a dead, drawn-out feud 3 months ago, and turning it into the most anticipated match of the night. Even though it’s seemingly happened dozens of times in his career, Undertaker’s hiatuses effectively keep his character fresh. As for the match itself, it should be the best of the night. You’ve got two of the best workers in the business inside the Hell in a Cell - it’s a win-win situation (perhaps even a win-win-win situation, as Michael Scott would say).

Winner: Undertaker

Christopher Casur says: I can't decide with this one. On one hand, it's Undertaker's glorious return and it's in a match that he made famous (sorry, HBK), and it's at the second biggest pay-per-view of the year. On the other hand, Edge is being positioned again as a vicious loner, and having him lose his first match after that is a way to make him lose some serious steam. I say Edge goes over en route to an extended feud with Triple H.

Winner: Edge

D.J.B. says: Undertaker's return has hardly ever been spoiled, and his WrestleMania streak has never been blemished, so one of the two of them will happen at SummerSlam and since SummerSlam isn't WrestleMania guess which one happens? Edge needs to win this match. Edge is rocketing through the ranks as THE heel, and this is the way to solidify that.

Winner: Edge

John Cena vs. Batista

Andrew Gray says: I don’t know if you heard this, but this is the first time ever that these two have faced off one-on-one. And in case you skipped over the previous sentence, I’ll repeat it again here: at SummerSlam, Cena and Batista are wrestling for the FIRST TIME ever!

In trying to make up for the fact that there wasn’t much time to build toward this match, they over-sold the whole “first time” thing- and I think that’s turned fans off to this match even more than they were before. As such, I expect the crowd to boo both wrestlers throughout the match. Hopefully, the FIRST TIME they meet is also the LAST TIME.

Winner: John Cena

Christopher Casur says: This will probably be the main event. And that's pretty gay. Who is Suicide?

Winner: John Cena

D.J.B. says: This match is really a triple threat but "refills, bathroom break and more food" is a damn good competitor for this match. This could be one of the worst matches on WWE PPV in forever, and I'm serious about that. Some people may be interested in this one, but I most certainly am not. Cena will win the match but the loser is what is most important.

Loser: Every human being who has to sit through this.

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk vs. JBL

Andrew Gray says: To me, Randy Orton’s motorcycle accident sounds like a work. On wwe.com, they reported that Orton was thrown 300 feet off his bike, yet the only damage done was re-injurying his collarbone. I expect this is a way to swerve fans who heard about Orton’s return at SummerSlam, and to create more heat for his character. Orton will get involved in this match, and somehow Punk will come out on top, leading to a feud between the two.

Winner: CM Punk

Christopher Casur says: I want to see JBL win. "Raw" has tried to position Punk as an underdog champion to get him over, and all I can do in response is put my head in my hands and yell "You're doing it wrong!"

With Orton gone for another three months, "Raw" needs a top heel that they can hitch their wagon to. JBL is just such a heel, meaning that not only do I want him to win, but putting the belt on him is the smartest thing they can do. With all disrespect to Cena, JBL's time is now. You can't see him. His time is now.

Winner: JBL

D.J.B. says: In all seriousness JBL should win this match, but he won't. Somewhere someone really thinks what they're doing with CM Punk is the right thing to do. I'm more than happy with him as champion, I just wish they'd book him in a way that makes sense. This doesn't, but it'll also continue. He'll be the babyface that drops the belt to another babyface, whoever wins the Cena/Batista match.

Winner: CM Punk

WWE Championship: Triple H vs. Great Khali

Andrew Gray says: I believe the only reason they are putting Khali in this spot is to get what they can out of him before his knees explode. I don’t expect Khali to be around much longer, in fact.

It seems like Triple H has been on cruise-control since being drafted to “SmackDown!” but I’m guessing his next feud will be a much more significant one. Still, if he manages to pull even a half-decent match out of Khali, he’ll prove that he’s still one of the best workers in the company.

Winner: Triple H

Christopher Casur says: I have a hard time wrapping my hands around this one, and have ever since it was announced. There's nothing to gain from having this match. Triple H has credibility to spare, and has beaten Big Show countless times, so he doesn't need to defeat a giant to gain any shine. And Khali as the champion would be an epic clusterfuck. *sigh* At the second biggest pay-per-view of the year, the belt with lineage is in a throwaway match. As such, Trips goes over.

Winner: Triple H

D.J.B. says: Why? Because Triple H wants to beat a giant, that's why.

Winner: Triple H

ECW Championship: Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Andrew Gray says: Ratings are up on “ECW” and the interest is always created by the babyface chase for the title. Seeing as how Matt Hardy is the only credible babyface challenger to Henry’s title on “ECW” (besides Finlay, perhaps), I see Atlas getting involved and costing Hardy the match.

Winner: Mark Henry

Christopher Casur says: I know that Hardy is going to touch that belt sooner or later, but they did not spend all that money on a belt extender just to immediately take the belt off of Mark. This feud will develop into an old-school chase for the belt, with Hardy ultimately winning the belt, but for now, Henry retains to spark the chase.

Winner: Mark Henry

D.J.B. says: Other than Hell in a Cell this match has the most main event feel to it. Maybe it's just the slight rumble of the arena when either Hardy pokes his head out of the curtain, but this match, even with Henry's weak points should be in the top three of the night. Matt Hardy won't win because as I've said over the past few weeks, he's the king of the title chase so this will drag out, maybe even to Survivor Series.

Winner: Mark Henry

Winners Take All: Kofi Kingston and Mickie James vs. Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix for the Intercontinental and Women's Championships

Andrew Gray says: Here’s what I’d like to see: Santino making the pin and then believing that he gets both titles. It’d be great to have the belt back on Beth (where it belongs) and for Santino to have a run with the I-C strap as a heel this time around. Sadly, I don’t think they’ll put the belt on him.

Winner: Kofi Kingston and Mickie James

Christopher Casur says: Santino is as entertaining as they come. Beth is one of the best female workers on the roster. No Goddamn butterfly for her. I think that Santino gets the pin and does what Dan and Donnie have been wondering about for the past few weeks in that he'll keep both belts for himself. That will be gold.

Winner: Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix

D.J.B. says: Santino is the most entertaining thing on TV right now. Here's hoping that Beth Phoenix wins him the match and he does his celebratory dance around the ring, but the thing I hope the most is that he does it with the "wrong" belt. I think Santino Marella as Women's Champion would be hilarious, but he'll be the Intercontinental Champion. Hopefully he'll beg her to let him hold the belt while she wrestles. This could be one of the most awesome things in a long time.

Winner: Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

Andrew Gray says: After the last few weeks of television, it seems like it would make more sense to have Hardy and Benjamin face each other for the U.S. title at SummerSlam. Still, this match should be a good one too, and I see a Triple Threat match set up for next month’s PPV.

Winner: MVP

Christopher Casur says: I picked a lot of heels, so I'm going with a face here. This match could steal the show.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

D.J.B. says: Show stealer. Decent backstory, and hopefully this leads to a solid feud that gives both MVP and Jeff Hardy something to do while Edge dominates, and Triple H works the mid-card with the WWE straps.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

Shawn Michaels Announcement

Andrew Gray says: Hopefully HBK is not “retiring,” either legitimately or in a storyline-sense. Between Flair and Taker, there’s been too much of it to make a significant impact anymore. Michaels will eventually return to finish his feud with Jericho after “The Artist Formerly Known as Y2J” provokes him on Sunday night.

Christopher Casur says: There's a lot of different ways they could go here. I say Michaels comes out, begins to talk about how his career looks dim, Jericho comes out, gets kicked, and Michaels announces that he is recovered. Just my guess.

D.J.B. says: We'll get an appearance from Chris Jericho most likely. I figure though Shawn will come to the ring in a suit. Strip off the jacket and shirt, elbow drop them and scream that he'll never retire. Wait, that was Ric Flair's gimmick. Though the E has never been shy about using the same gimmick over and over. We may get an impromptu match out of this, a brawl or nothing at all. I don't know what to think and to be completely honest this sadly isn't on my priority list at all.

Extras

1. Ultimate Warrior makes quick work of Honky Tonk Man to win the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 88.

2. From the same event: The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage) vs. The Mega Bucks (Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant)

3. The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) take on The Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 89.

4. A re-match from the 1989 show: Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship.

5. The late, great Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect) and Bret Hart put on a classic at SummerSlam 91.

6. Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 92 in London, England (Part 1; Part 2)

7. From an otherwise lackluster SummerSlam 93 card: Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Championship.

8. More from Bret Hart as he faces his late brother Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship in 1994(Part 1; Part 2; Part 3).

9. A re-match from WrestleMania X: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon for the (what else) I-C title in a Ladder Match from SummerSlam 95. (Part 1; Part 2)

10. The Rock and Triple H go one-on-one in a Ladder Match for the I-C title at SummerSlam 98 - both men’s careers were taking off at this point (Part 1; Part 2).

11. From the “I forgot this ever happened” file: Undertaker and Kane vs. Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon for the WWF and WCW tag team titles in 2001 (Part 1; Part 2).

12. From a stacked SummerSlam 2002 card: The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.

13. Randy Orton becomes the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history by defeating Chris Benoit at the 2004 show (Part 1; Part 2).

14. Chris Jericho gives John Cena arguably his best match of Cena’s career at SummerSlam 2005.

15. Hulk Hogan looks for revenge against Randy Orton after Orton hit on his daughter, Brooke.

16. Triple H makes his anticipated return in a “Battle of the Kings” against King Booker in 2007. Booker left the company shortly after this match.

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