This weekend in Brooklyn, the WWE will hold the “Biggest Event of the Summer” when it brings SummerSlam to you live on Sunday (only on pay-per-view and the WWE Network-and did you hear…it’s free for new subscribers).
Saturday may be an even bigger event for the hardcore “professional wrestling” fans- as NXT presents TakeOver Brooklyn- IV. The TakeOver shows in Brooklyn have created some unforgettable moments over the years, and this year looks to be just as promising.
So how do they stack up against one another?
Let’s start with the cards.
The NXT TakeOver event will check in with 5 matches with a 30-minute preshow.
- Velveteen Dream vs EC3
- Adam Cole (BAY-BAY) vs Ricochet for the NXT North American Title
- Undisputed Era (Roddy Strong & Kyle O’Reilly) vs Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Pete Dunne) for the NXT Tag Team Championships
- Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane for the NXT Women’s Title
- Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano (Last Man Standing match for the NXT Championship.
SummerSlam right now has 12 matches (could get as high as 14) and a 2 Hour pre-show
- The Miz vs Daniel Bryan
- Baron Corbin vs Finn Balor
- Rusev & Lana vs Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega
- The Bludgeon Brothers vs The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Titles)
- Cedrick Alexander vs Drew Gulak (Cruiserweight Championship)
- Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins (Intercontinental Championship)
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy (US Championship)
- Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens- Money in the Bank contract is at stake
- Carmella vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair Triple Threat Match (Smackdown Women’s Championship)
- Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey (Raw Women’s Championship)
- AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (WWE Championship)
- Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Universal Championship)
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bobby Lashley vs Elias and some sort of Sasha/Bayley match (either as a team or one on one) added to the card.
Most Interesting NXT Matches- From Worst to First
(Disclaimer- this is incredibly difficult for the most part
5. EC3 vs Velveteen Dream– Little to no build…and it seems like EC3 is just killing time here…until maybe Monday?- Winner- Velveteen Dream
1D. Undisputed Era vs Moustache Mountain– Love the Roddy Strong story- a totally unexpected heel turn. Winner- Undisputed Era
1C. Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane– Queen of Spades will rule here. Can’t wait for she and Ronda to headline a PPV within the next couple of years. Winner- Shayna Baszler
1B. Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano– No more words can be said about one of the most personal and best slow burn stories since the Mega Powers collapsing. Winner- Tomasso Ciampa
1A. Adam Cole vs Ricochet– This is going to be the best match of the entire weekend. Period.- Winner- Adam Cole BAY-BAY
Most Interesting SummerSlam Matches- From Worst to First
12. Baron Corbin vs Finn Balor– I couldn’t feel worse for anyone than I do for Finn, and Corbin just does nothing to move the needle for me. Winner- Finn Balor
11. The Bludgeon Brothers vs The New Day– This is either going to be a squash, or a heel turn from The New Day (Woods?) Winner- Bludgeon Brothers
10. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy– Randy Orton (if he still has a job) is going to run in and destroy this match that 2017 me would have been pretty excited to see. Winner- Shinsuke Nakamura
9. Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak– Love Cedric, but just don’t get into Gulak’s character (or 205 Live for that matter). Winner- Cedric Alexander
8. Alexa Bliss vs Ronda Rousey– Don’t like the build to this. Don’t like rewarding Rousey coming off a suspension. I’m fearful one of them is going to get injured. Winner- Alexa Bliss
7. Carmella vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair– I’m tired of triple threats. Can we go back and do some three-way dances? Winner- Charlotte Flair
6. Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens– I don’t like the thought of the MITB winner losing it. It’s why putting the briefcase on a monster was so problematic to begin with. Winner- Kevin Owens
5. Rusev & Lana vs Almas & Vega– The impending interference and subsequent feud with Rusev & English doesn’t exactly seem like much of a gift on Rusev Day. Winner- Almas y Vega
1D. Dolph Ziggler vs Seth Rollins– The addition of Dean Ambrose at ringside certainly raises the old swerve antenna. Winner- Dolph Ziggler
1C. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns– They could do lots of interesting scenarios by taking the title off Brock and putting it on Roman here. Will they? Winner- Roman Reigns
1B. AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe– This needs to be last, because these two are going to tear the house down. A storied history between two of the very best makes this even better. Winner- AJ Styles
1A. The Miz vs Daniel Bryan– This has been coming for years- and we will see what the future holds for Daniel Bryan (as it relates to his future with WWE) after this one. Winner- The Miz
NXT Best and Worst:
- Must Watch: Gargano vs Ciampa
- Bathroom/Food Break: EC3 vs Velveteen Dream
- Most predictable outcome: Baszler keeps the Women’s title.
- Surprise Prediction: Candice LeRae turns on her husband (Johnny Wrestling)
SummerSlam Best and Worst:
- Must Watch: AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
- Bathroom/Food Break: Corbin vs Balor
- Most predictable outcome: Reigns wins the title
- Surprise prediction: Kevin Owens gets Strowman counted out earlier in the night, then successfully cashes in on Reigns in the main event.
So there you have it, my guide to one of the biggest weekends on the professional wrestling calendar.
