The Biggest Party of the Summer is tonight and it looks like it is poised to be a really good show. The card has 8 matches and it has been firmly set to 8 matches. There are some matches that didn’t make the cut, in particular, Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus. It doesnt quite make sense to me that two of the most prominent women in WWE history didn’t make the cut, but I don’t book the matches. There is a lot of room for big moments and I think we will see at least a couple surprises tonight. Hopefully the show lives up to the hype. Below, I will break down the 8 matches and give my predictions for each. Let’s dive in.

*Predicted Winners are bolded

- Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal

WINNER: LA Knight

I have no idea about how this match will go. Considering it is a 25-man Battle Royal and the fact that there are 8 more slots available, we could see a couple unannounced returns here. One guy that I am keeping my eye on is Randy Orton. There have been mixed reports if he is ready to return or not. He has been on the shelf since his back injury in May of 2022. If he returns, I think a feud with he and LA Knight would be ideal. You don’t want to waste the momentum of LA Knight and if nothing really shocking happens here, I expect him to be the winner. YEAH!.

- MMA Rules Match

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

This match will be interesting. I don’t know how it will be enforced, but it appears that it will be an actual fight or at least it appears it will be portrayed as such. A lot of fans were hoping for the fight pit to be brought back for this feud, but it doesn’t appear that will be the case. They could go down that route in the future if the feud continues, but who knows if it will. Shayna is actually considered to be the favorite by quite a large margin. Shayna’s odds sit at -800, while Ronda is +425. I don’t know why there is such a margin, but I will go with my gut and say that Ronda will be the winner. Ronda at those odds are a steal.

- Men’s Singles Match

Ricochet vs. Logan Paul

The Paul brothers are both on big cards tonight. Jake Paul is headlining a boxing PPV on ESPN+ and Logan finally gets his match with Ricochet. Hopefully they won’t kill each other tonight because I expect there to be some crazy spots in this contest. They both seemingly have good chemistry and their styles should complement one another. Paul is favored at -600 at the moment and I could see it going either way, but I will lean towards Paul in this match.

- Women’s Triple Threat: WWE Women’s Championship

Asuka (C) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

I feel like it is a given that if Charlotte Flair enters a title match without a belt, she more than likely will win. With that being said, I don’t know if that will be the case. Asuka’s current reign has only been 70 days, but I could see them going with a change here. No matter what happens, I think Iyo Sky will cash in tonight, so the winner of this match feels like it won’t matter as much. I think most people want to see that Asuka and Iyo Sky feud, so they have a chance to capitalize on that. Asuka is favored at -150, Charlotte sits at +150, while Bianca is at +500. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if any of these ladies walk out of Detroit as champ.

- Men’s Singles Match: Intercontinental Championship

Gunther (C) vs. Drew McIntyre

I think Drew McIntyre is probably the guy that will take Gunther down in his historic IC title reign, but I don’t think it will be tonight. At this point, it would surprise me if Gunther doesn’t break the Honky Tonk Man’s record. This is the match that I personally am most excited to see. These guys tear it up each time that they share the ring and this time it should be no different. This will be their first meeting in a singles match ever, which doesn’t feel like that should be the case, but it is true. Gunther currently is at 417 days, so I expect him to retain tonight. Oddsmakers seem to think so as well. Gunther is favored at -850.

- Men’s Singles Match: World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins (C) vs. Finn Balor

Rollins is favored, but ever so slightly. I think Balor will steal one tonight. Aside from that, I think fans are somewhat expecting a cash-in tonight. Either from this match or the women’s match. I seriously doubt that Damian Priest will attempt to cash in on Roman because they haven’t led us to believe that. I don’t think it will happen with the men’s match tonight, but I do think there will be a cash-in from either Iyo Sky or Priest, but not both. 70 days doesn't seem like a long inaugural reign for the WH Championship, but I don’t think that is a big deal because, it is viewed as just another belt anyways. The real belt is Roman’s. Not much would shock me with this match. I could see Rollins retaining or Balor winning. The most shocking outcome would probably be if Priest cashes in successfully or unsuccessfully.

- Men’s Singles Match

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

Lesnar/Rhodes III will take place tonight and I think this is likely the last we’ll see of these two together. The feud has been great and despite the thoughts fans had about Cody’s WrestleMania loss to Roman Reigns, Rhodes needed this feud with Brock. He needed to conquer The Beast. I would be shocked if he doesn’t do that tonight. Oddsmakers seem like they would be shocked also if Rhodes doesn’t get the victory tonight. He sits at -1000 as opposed to Lesnar’s +500 underdog status. I think it will likely be pretty brutal by WWE’s standards, that is what I am expecting anyways. Also, there are rumors of the return of The Fiend to be the next person to feud with Rhodes. We could see a surprise appearance tonight.

- Tribal Combat: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (C) vs. Jey Uso

I don’t know exactly what a Tribal Combat match is going to be like, but I guess we shall find out tonight. There is no chance that Jey Uso is going to win tonight. Right? Well, they have made it seem like he has a shot. After all, he is the first guy to pin Roman since 2019. I don’t think he will because if he does, it would signify the end of the feud or at least it seems like it would and I don’t think it is ready to be over. There is still a lot more meat on the bone, if you will. Roman has been absolutely dominant for the last 3 years and he will surpass the 3-year mark at the end of the month for the Universal Championship. I feel like something crazy will happen tonight. The craziest thing would likely be if The Rock showed up, but I obviously don’t expect that to happen, but who knows. With the continuation of the Fast and Furious franchise and The Rock returning in the last film (spoiler alert), and the fact that this PPV has been muscle car themed in Detroit, it seems like it could be a sign. I don’t know, maybe not. I would say don’t expect it, but don’t rule it out either. Either way, I think Roman will retain.

Yacs

SummerSlam (2023) Predictions