WWE SummerSlam 2023 preview & predictions: Tribal Combat in Detroit

WWE will be looking to continue its trend of well-reviewed big shows at tonight’s SummerSlam.

This is a notable time for WWE PLEs/PPVs. We seem to have entered an era where every big monthly event on the schedule feels special and unique. SummerSlam from Detroit’s Ford Field will likely be no different.

Over the last year, WWE has either run stadium shows for top-tier events (WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble), or a show from an underserved market (Backlash, Money in the Bank, etc.). They are events with either huge crowds of 40,000+ people or the rabid audiences of under 15,000 we’ve seen in Puerto Rico, Montreal, and recently, London.

The events from Saudi Arabia have also begun to feel less like spectacle one-off shows and more integrated into WWE’s long-term storytelling. 

All of that is to say that if recent trends continue, SummerSlam (8 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) is going to be an important and entertaining show.

However, one reason tonight might feel a touch bigger and more important than Backlash, Night of Champions or Money in the Bank is that Roman Reigns will be defending the WWE Universal Championship on the show. Not counting recent house shows in Mexico City and Cincinnati, it will be his first title defense since defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. Going four months between championship defenses on WWE programming is an excellent way to make every title match feel important.

Below are previews and predictions for each match at WWE SummerSlam 2023.

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jey Uso in a Tribal Combat match

Reigns is a -5000 favorite to retain.

The betting world is not giving Uso much of a chance to dethrone his cousin at SummerSlam. However, stranger things and bigger upsets have happened before.

While much of The Bloodline angle’s success has come from the drama within the group and Uso’s conflicted facial expressions, the entertainment value of Reigns’ title reign cannot be understated either. I don’t think it’s coming to an end just yet.

He has defended his title five times since becoming a double champion by beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam last year. WWE successfully built up the belief that Reigns could have lost three or four of those matches as well. Many thought Drew McIntyre would win the title at Clash at the Castle last year, quite a few fans then believed Sami Zayn could beat him in Montreal, and still more fans were left flabbergasted when Rhodes didn’t walk away from WrestleMania as the champion. 

The game plan might be to keep building fans up into thinking they will finally see the fall of Reigns, only to yank it away from them after a series of intense near falls.

The most likely endgame for his title run is another clash with Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. However, I’m not even certain he’ll lose the belt there. Maybe Rhodes’ story is that he tries and fails multiple times before finally winning the title when he’s 50.

Jey Uso isn’t going to win this match, but the story told should be excellent. It’s SummerSlam so expect a big “happening,” including the possibility of a new Bloodline member debuting.

Prediction: Reigns retains

Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III

Rhodes is a -1500 favorite to win.

Rhodes’ story continues at SummerSlam as his program with Lesnar, which started the night after WrestleMania, likely concludes in Detroit.

Lesnar is 46 and in a perpetual state of near retirement. At this stage in his career, it’s about him making others look strong. He spent a year doing that for Reigns and now he’s spent the last four months doing the same for Rhodes. After this, Lesnar will probably take a vacation until the Royal Rumble.

Rhodes, the true babyface, will overcome his injured arm, Lesnar’s size advantage, and likely several other factors as well to come out the winner. I’m expecting this result to be more definitive than his win at Backlash, too.

I do believe the story is eventually to get back to Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania again. Rhodes’ story might be similar to that of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito or others who lost in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom before finally winning the biggest match of their life. The idea is the fans see the protagonist fail at first, but then they train harder, find something deep within themselves, and come back even stronger the next year. The message of the morality play is to never give up, even when you are seemingly outmatched. If done well, it could be the best WrestleMania to WrestleMania story WWE has ever done.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Paul is currently a -700 favorite to win.

As of this writing, there is currently some “funny business” going on with the betting odds here. Multiple sites have different odds listed and BetOnline has Paul at a -700 favorite and has locked bets being placed on Ricochet. What any of that means, if anything, is unclear.

While the strange odds fluctuations are interesting, I don’t see why WWE would have Ricochet go over Paul here. Dave Meltzer reported that the idea was for Paul to have an “in-ring showcase” match at SummerSlam, so the idea here is to create viral moments and highlights that will spread on social media to an audience not necessarily familiar with WWE.

Paul really needs a win. He hasn’t gotten one since defeating The Miz at SummerSlam last year. In the year since, Paul has failed to get his hand raised against Reigns in Saudi Arabia, in the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, or against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. At some point, he’s going to need to start winning matches.

Prediction: Logan Paul

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler in an MMA rules match

Editor’s note: This preview was written before the rules were fully explained on SmackDown.

Baszler is a -1000 favorite to win.

With Rousey rumored to be leaving WWE, at least for the time being, it looks like it’s going to be her longtime friend and training partner who she puts over on her way out.

The videos airing on Raw detailing the history between the two friends have been excellent. They actually contain some very interesting philosophies on life and friendship.

Baszler feels like Rousey used her, only letting her live with her for free so she would have a training partner available 24/7. Baszler’s motivation to attack and challenge her former friend is that Rousey didn’t reciprocate the help she gave her. Rousey, on the other hand, explained her feelings by reciting a fable that may or may not actually exist (I searched and couldn’t find it).

In the former UFC star’s tale, a king is saved by a stable boy. The king is grateful so he gives the boy anything he wants to repay him. The king made sure that the boy had all the best accommodations, much like she gave to Baszler, the best food, got him jobs, and more, all similar to Ronda’s relationship with Shayna. The fable continues that one day, the stable boy began to feel entitled to the gifts and decides to overthrow the king and take everything from him. Rousey/the king is crushed because she thought the stable boy/Baszler was loyal to her.

“I wanted to be Shayna’s friend so badly, I gave her everything to the point that she hated me for it,” Rousey said in the promo.

“The thing is, I’ve given Ronda everything a friend should give and she’s never given it back,” Baszler stated.

This match might not be that great because neither is a perfect wrestler, but it will be special to both of them and will tell a deep story, likely with a few Easter eggs and callbacks to previous moments from their careers. 

Prediction: Shayna Baszler

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor

Currently, both wrestlers are listed at -120 to win.

The betting world doesn’t know if Balor or Rollins is going to walk away from SummerSlam with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I do, though: Rollins.

The success of The Judgment Day has revitalized Balor, but he’s not going to beat Rollins for the title. The drama with Balor right now is the growing tension between him and Money in the Bank winner Damian Priest.

Balor was distracted by Priest’s presence at ringside with the briefcase when he wrestled Rollins at Money in the Bank, so I’d be surprised if they repeat the same finish. Perhaps this time, Balor does something to prevent Priest from cashing in. Dom Dom and Mami will be crushed.

It should be a great match, but I have little doubt Rollins will still be champion when it’s over.

Prediction: Seth Rollins retains

WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Drew McIntyre

Gunther is a -600 favorite to retain.

What happens here depends on what’s going on between McIntyre and WWE as of late. The most recent reports regarding his status with the company have his deal up in early-2024. Unless he’s signed an extension or a new deal that nobody knows about, I wouldn’t expect him to beat a guy like Gunther right now.

Gunther is less than two months away from breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest single reign with the Intercontinental Championship. He’s not going to lose it until he breaks that record or if HTM makes a shocking return, hits Gunther with a guitar, and performs a full version of ​​”Hunka Hunka Honky Love,” costing the champion his title in the process.

Prediction: Gunther retains

WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a triple threat

Asuka is a -140 favorite to win. Flair is listed at +175 and Belair is at +350.

This title is eventually going to find its way back to Flair; it’s just not certain when exactly that will happen. It will be soon, though, and I think most likely, it happens tonight. The triple threat rules allow Asuka to retain while keeping the other two strong, but that’s not necessarily what they will do.

Asuka could retain and then drop it to Flair in the coming months, but SummerSlam is the big show and it makes sense for Flair to win it on a big stage.

Prediction: Charlotte Flair wins the title

25-man battle royal presented by Slim Jim

No odds are currently available, but I think we can all agree LA Knight is a top pick to win.

As of Friday night, Santos Escobar, Butch, Ridge Holland, Grayson Waller, The Miz, AJ Styles, Karrion Kross, Luke Gallows, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tommaso Ciampa, Chad Gable, Otis, Matt Riddle and LA Knight were the announced participants.

How WWE moves forward with Knight should be very interesting. It’s hard to deny how much live crowds love the guy, but what really matters is how much confidence Vince McMahon has in him. If someone isn’t Vince’s chosen guy, it’s going to be quicker to pull the rug out from under him.

Although, with WWE’s Executive Chairman having undergone spinal surgery recently, it’s not really clear who is in charge of Knight’s professional life at the moment.

Assuming WWE does recognize fans want Knight in a bigger role, he should win this match. If Knight then went on to recreate all the famous Randy Savage Slim Jim commercials from the 90s as well, few would complain.

Prediction: Knight