Match predictions for WWE SummerSlam

With SummerSlam taking place Sunday, theScore is celebrating the WWE's biggest party of the summer throughout the week with an in-depth look.

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• Match predictions for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II

Carmella, Naomi, and Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and ????

*Eva Marie has been removed from the match due to a 30-day suspension for a wellness policy violation.

The only real point of interest here is if Eva Marie will be replaced, or if Alexa Bliss and Natalya will have to go it alone in a 2-on-3 handicap match.

It serves the purpose of getting the women of SmackDown Live onto the main card, but not much else. Ms. "All Red Everything" was the most interesting of the six competitors, constantly coming up with excuses to get out of wrestling to hide her deficiencies in the ring. Now, we're not even getting that.

Prediction: Carmella, Naomi, and Becky Lynch

Cesaro vs. Sheamus in Match No. 1 of a Best-of-7 Series

Someone should approach Monday Night Raw general manager Mick Foley and let him know that Cesaro has already defeated Sheamus twice in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam.

It's highly doubtful we're going to get a clean sweep, so brace yourselves for seven straight matches between two Europeans sluggers who have seemingly faced each other 1,000 times over the past year. "The Celtic Warrior" should get on the board first, considering he hasn't won a televised match in over a month.

Prediction: Sheamus

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens

In what will likely be the opener, the certified G's of Enzo Amore and Big Cass will get the event off to a hot start with their usual shtick on the mic in front of 15,000 hometown Brooklynites.

Jeri-KO are hilarious together, and should be kept as a tandem a little while longer to milk their exceptional chemistry, before inevitably breaking off to possibly square off against one another. The pop for an Amore-Cass win is too enticing to pass up, and will be a cool moment for the bonafide studs in their SummerSlam debuts.

Prediction: Enzo Amore and Big Cass

WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Apollo Crews

Just when you think the WWE Intercontinental Championship is regaining credibility, it all comes tumbling back down once again, leaving you wondering if what was once the second-most important title in all of wrestling can ever have value again.

Apollo Crews (or Creed, as Daniel Bryan so eloquently called him) is a physical specimen with a humdrum persona. The Miz is oozing with charisma, and has really hit his stride with his real-life wife, Maryse, by his side. The former NXT star will have his time in the spotlight, but it won't come on Sunday night.

Prediction: The Miz

WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

All good things must come to an end, and that includes The New Day's epic run as WWE Tag Team champions, for what will be exactly one year should they beat the two Club members.

Not having the powerhouse Big E on the apron due to a kayface testicular injury, with the Freebird rule allowing for Xavier Woods to defend on his behalf, gives the titleholders an out in a potential loss. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are treading water without "The Phenomenal One" by their side, and could use a long, prosperous run with the gold to keep them relevant.

Prediction: Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows

WWE Women's Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte

Having "The Boss" Sasha Banks defeat Charlotte for her first reign as Women's Champion on the first Raw following the brand-extension draft was debatable booking at the time, considering how spectacular it would have been to see at the Barclays Center - a building where she put on a match-of-the-year candidate with Bayley in 2015.

Banks and Charlotte are the two top female performers in WWE today, and are really all Raw has in that department until Nia Jax is ready to contend for the belt. The two are incapable of having a bad performance, and could steal the show if given ample time.

Prediction: Sasha Banks

WWE United States Championship: Rusev (c) vs. Roman Reigns

This encounter was given away for free on the Aug. 15 edition of Raw - a fairly unnecessary tactic on WWE's behalf. What reason does anyone have to be excited about a match they just saw not too long ago which ended in a clean, decisive finish?

Roman Reigns was once highly protected by management during his ascension to the top, but a recent wellness policy violation has left him rather vulnerable. Winning the United States Championship can prolong his program with the Bulgarian Brute, while not burying him to the point where he can't be brought back up to a main-event level in the not-too-distant future.

Prediction: Roman Reigns

John Cena vs. A.J. Styles

No superstar since CM Punk in 2011 has defeated John Cena twice in a singles match on pay-per-view in a calendar year. A.J. Styles already has a victory over the 15-time World Heavyweight Champion at Money in the Bank, so history isn't on his side when the two meet again at SummerSlam.

Kevin Owens, Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, and Bray Wyatt have all met the same fate in past feuds with Cena. Styles will be no different, unfortunately, even though he could use the win more as arguably SmackDown's top heel.

Prediction: John Cena

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

It's kind of amazing that we've even reached this point with Ziggler, who had just recently been toiling away on pre-shows, in a never-ending feud with Baron Corbin, before suddenly being thrust back into title contention.

The best-case scenario for Ziggler here is that he has a memorable showing against "The Lunatic Fringe," leading to the WWE Universe taking him more seriously down the road as a main-eventer. Winning the championship would be one of the biggest shocks in recent memory, which isn't meant to be a slight, but considering how far Ziggler's stock had fallen, it's sensible to feel that way.

Prediction: Dean Ambrose

WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Less than a month after Finn Balor first appeared on WWE programming, the "Demon King" will be challenging for his first world championship on a major pay-per-view, albeit a championship that is just coming into existence and that no one has actually seen.

You can't assume that every star from the NXT brand will make the transition to the main roster so flawlessly, but so far, Balor has done a commendable job. If management is gung-ho on embracing its new era, then the Irish-born sensation is the right choice here. The chase can be just as rewarding, though, and factoring in Seth Rollins' niche for making history when it comes to titles, Balor may need to wait just a little while longer before his moment comes.

Prediction: Seth Rollins

Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton

The pairing of Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton came out of nowhere like Orton's signature RKO finisher, which he so aptly delivered to "The Beast Incarnate" on Aug. 1.

The last time Lesnar was pinned in a losing effort was at WrestleMania 29, and that was forever and a half ago. Even though he's on rather thin ice following his failed drug tests for his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt, Lesnar is still WWE's biggest box-office attraction by a mile.

Orton is a regular who will appear on television well after SummerSlam, but even so, Lesnar's first legitimate loss needs to come on the grand stage of WrestleMania, where he ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak two years ago. The Viper doesn't need the distinction of being the one to beat the 1 in 21-1, nor should he have it.

Prediction: Brock Lesnar