2024-08-04 00:50:02
Roman Reigns has been absent from WWE since WrestleMania 40 in April. (Credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty … [+]
WWE SummerSlam 2024 is a blockbuster pay-per-view and not just in name only. It’s a stacked show featuring four world title bouts and the climaxes of several simmering rivalries.
The marquee matches inside Cleveland Browns Stadium are Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa for the WWE title, Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for the Women’s World Championship and Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk in what promises to be a heated encounter. SummerSlam is, on paper at least, one of the most star-studded SummerSlams in recent memory and a show that will have long-term ramifications across Raw and SmackDown.
Last year’s SummerSlam at Ford Field in Detroit was the “most-watched” event with the largest live gate in the show’s storied history. With WWE consistently booking a handful of red hot feuds, this year’s event could shatter those numbers once again. What’s more, the show should set the stage for a plethora of future storylines and matches that will carry WWE all the way into 2025.
Here are five smart booking decisions WWE must make at SummerSlam 2024.
Bron Breakker And LA Knight Pick Up First Singles Titles
WWE has a chance to give two red hot stars their first singles titles: Bron Breakker and LA Knight.
Breakker will challenge Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental title at his second straight pay-per-view after losing to Zayn at Money in the Bank last month. Meanwhile, LA Knight will finally get his hands on Logan Paul, not to mention a shot at capturing the Intercontinental title.
Given that Paul has had just two title defenses in a reign of nearly 300 days, it’s undoubtedly time for Paul to drop that title, and there’s no better choice than Knight. With Knight unlikely to figure into the world championship picture anytime soon—and he’s not happy about that—a huge victory over the easy-to-hate Paul is a nice consolation prize for one of WWE’s most popular stars.
But Knight shouldn’t be the only rising star to pick up his first singles title. Breakker reportedly lost to Zayn at Money in the Bank to save his first title win for a bigger stage, which is precisely what SummerSlam is. Ideally, Breakker will dominate and decimate Zayn and win the IC title, a wise move given that WWE reportedly has huge plans for Breakker in preparation for Raw’s big move to Netflix next year.
Rhea Ripley Loses To Liv Morgan
The enthralling rivalry between Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan seemingly set the stage for Ripley to finally get her revenge on Morgan, who stole her championship and is trying to steal her man. Not so fast, my friends.
A feud that’s equal parts controversial and compelling, Ripley vs. Morgan is the type of must-see rivalry that is likely going to extend many more months well into the fall. The X-factor here is someone who’s not even technically a participant in the match: Dominik Mysterio.
Ripley and Morgan have been engaged in a tug-of-war over both Mysterio and the Women’s World Championship, which Ripley never technically lost. It would be easy to give Ripley a “feel good” moment with a resounding win over Morgan at SummerSlam, but if that happens, where would WWE go from there?
No, the better option is for Morgan to retain, likely with help—whether purposely or inadvertently—from Mysterio, leading to at least two more matches between Ripley and Morgan down the road, with the ultimate destination of getting the title back on Ripley.
CM Punk Defeats Drew McIntyre, But McIntyre Stands Tall
WWE has quite the booking pickle at SummerSlam. Should CM Punk, in his first WWE singles match in more than a decade, beat Drew McIntyre, or does McIntyre get the win first?
There really isn’t a bad option here, but there is a better one: Punk winning. That’s largely because Punk shouldn’t lose his first bout in a decade and instead should pick up the victory in a way that propels this feud even further, which is where special guest referee Seth Rollins may factor into the equation. McIntyre vs. Punk has been arguably the best feud in all of pro wrestling this year, and in fact, has been so compelling that WWE is reportedly looking to give Punk a new contract as a reward of sorts for how big of a draw he’s been.
It’s incredibly rare to see a non-title feud like this built up so well that it arguably overshadows every other match at SummerSlam. Yet, that’s precisely what has happened. Much like Ripley vs. Morgan, however, this is a rivalry that is in its infant stages in terms of matches.
Punk vs. McIntyre won’t be a one-and-done. Instead, it will likely result in at least two or three more matches, perhaps with a blowoff bout at the aptly named Bad Blood event in October. To get there, however, Punk should win, perhaps even with an unlikely assist from Rollins—only to be attacked and brutally beat down following the match to lead to a rematch at Bash in Berlin later this month.
Gunther Wins The WWE World Heavyweight Championship As Judgment Day Begins To Implode
Labeled the best wrestler in the world by fellow WWE star Finn Balor, Gunther has been perhaps the most dominant star in the all of pro wrestling over the past few years.
Gunther has quickly recovered from losing the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40 and is back atop Raw as the red brand’s top heel. He’s been so good in that role, too, that he’s even helped propel his SummerSlam opponent Damian Priest to a better-than-expected babyface turn.
That’s a testament to the tremendous work of Gunther, a throwback heel who’s both easy to hate and incredibly good in the ring. Although Priest has outperformed expectations during his World Heavyweight Championship reign, Gunther is the right man to carry the red brand moving forward, especially with Priest having bigger issues with his own group The Judgment Day.
Given that WWE is headed to Berlin later this month and the fact that Gunther is synonymous with wrestling in Germany, this one is a no-brainer. WWE needs to put the WHC on Gunther at SummerSlam, build to a massive match at Bash in Berlin and push Gunther as an unstoppable world champion—just as he was as IC Champion.
With Priest having issues with most members of Judgment Day, especially Finn Balor, it would also make sense for Balor to cost Priest his title, leading to an implosion of the faction as we know it.
Cody Rhodes Retains As Roman Reigns Returns
Rhodes vs. Sikoa—a WWE title bout, mind you—is arguably the fourth or fifth biggest match at WWE SummerSlam, perhaps because it just feels like a placeholder rivalry for something bigger.
That something bigger? The expected return of Roman Reigns, who has been gone from WWE since WrestleMania 40 and has a ready-made rivalry waiting for him whenever he comes back. Ironically enough, that isn’t a renewed rivalry with his former foe “The American Nightmare” but rather a battle of control for The Bloodline with Sikoa.
As Sikoa has declared himself “The Tribal Chief” in Reigns’ absence and kicked both Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman out of The Bloodline, the story writes itself here. Especially with this match now being contested under “Bloodline Rules,” Rhodes should find a way to retain over Sikoa, leading to the return of Reigns and the true beginning of a feud between the new-look Bloodline and the original version.
Whether Reigns actually helps Rhodes win or returns after a Rhodes’ victory, the real Tribal Chief should make his presence felt at SummerSlam in just the latest twist in the Bloodline saga.
