WrestleSlam

WWE treats SummerSlam like their biggest PPV behind WrestleMania.  They go all-out in LA with a pre-Party, Axxess events, the whole 9 yards, but the fans see it differently.  WWE began to really brand SummerSlam as a big deal about three years ago (when they started holding it at the Staples Center), but since then we have yet to see an entire show that really blew everyone away.  The main events were always great (Undertaker/Edge HIAC, Punk/Hardy Ladder Match) but the show as a whole usually is just good.  Now good is obviously better than bad, but in order to solidify SummerSlam as a WrestleMania-caliber PPV, WWE has got to put on just one event that is amazing.  This is probably not going to be the year.  The card is alright, but is being carried by one match (Cena/Punk).  We've got a weak five match card (albeit, we'll probably see an impromptu match or two), but as of now we've got a weak five match card that is being carried by that one match.  Yes, that match has potential to be absolutely amazing, but in the end it's stil only one match and isn't going to make the whole show stand out as a great PPV.  On that note, I'll run down the card and give my thoughts on each match.

The first match we have is Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett.  This match would be an alright show opener, but it isn't something I'm looking forward to in the slighest.  Daniel Bryan is a great wrestler, but I just don't see this match being all that great, or even all that good.  As for who wins, I'd put my money on Daniel Bryan, as I would imagine WWE will want him to build up steam now that he is Mr. Money in the Bank.

Next on the card is Sheamus vs. Mark Henry.  Now, I'm a huge Sheamus fan, anyone who knows me will tell you that.  I'm also a Mark Henry fan, but most of his matches go the same way.  They are slow moving, with a few great spots.  There will be one spot, and then nothing for a minutes and a half, then another spot, then nothing for a minute and a half.  Because of that I question how good any match feature Mark Henry can be.  I'm not going to shoot this match down right away, as I think it can be an alright match, but it wouldn't shock me if this ends up being not that great.

The Divas match of the night is Kelly Kelly defending her Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix.  Now, I'm absolutely psyched to see Beth Phoenix in this match as she is one of the few divas who can actually wrestle, but I still have my doubts about this match.  While Beth is a great womens wrestler, Kelly Kelly is not.  Sure, she's improved since her debut (she's improved a lot, actually), but she isn't anywhere close to Beth Phoenix in terms of in-ring ability.  I now everyone is excited that this may be the first Divas match that is worth watching in quite some time, but in order for the match to be that good, both wrestlers need to posses enough in-ring ability.  Sure, Beth has it, but Kelly doesn't.  I'm expecting to see a match that Phoenix carries 100%, minus a flip move from Kelly Kelly once or twice.  I do think this will be an alright divas match, but before anyone gets too excited over it, it's worth noting that only one out of the two participants can actually wrestle.  As for who wins, I'm going with Beth Phoenix because she is CM Punk's girlfriend, and giving her the belt was probably an incentive to get Punk to sign back with WWE.

The Smackdown main event is Christian vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship.  I've show down almost every match on the card, so I'm not going to dismiss this one as a bad match yet.  I just have one thing to say about this No Holds Barred Match: use weapons!  Yes, use weapons.  It sounds goofy, especially because the best matches aren't contested with chairs and kendo sticks, but we've seen this match so many times before (at every PPV since April) that I just want to be entertained.  We've seen Orton wrestle Christain more times than I care to count, from PPV main events to Smackdown main events.  Bottom line: we've seen this match before, multiple times before, and I don't want to see the same thing again.  Enter the No Holds Barred stipulation.  In order to make this different from every other times we've seen this match, I think they should shake things up and make it a real "Extreme Rules-type" match.  Use chairs, break announce tables, go up the ramp and fight up there.  MIx it up, don't just stay in the ring and wrestle like every other time we've seen this match.  Can they put on a great wrestling match: yes, but it wouldn't be anything new.  As for who wins, I am going to ge with Christian here.

The main event of the night is a match that everyone has been looking forward to very, very much.  John Cena vs. CM Punk is a WWE Champion vs. WWE Champion match with Triple H as the guest ref.  The winner becomes the true WWE Champion.  This match I expect to carry the show, and I mean carry the show completely.  This match to be given 40 minutes, or at least a half hour.  The point is, it is going to carry the show.  It was a debatable move making Triple H the guest ref, but it should lead somewhere, so unless HHH costs CM Punk the Championship, I think it could be an OK move.  Bottom line: this match should be awesome.  As for who wins, I'm going with CM Punk.