Jim Ross Predicts Tonight’s WWE SummerSlam Pay-Per-View

SummerSlam

– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog to give his WWE SummerSlam predictions. Here are a few highlights:

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker:

“A brawl is the only way to go for these two. What a great story it would be if both guys try to make their opponent submit. Think of what it would mean for a victory if both men were working for a submission–if the Undertaker continued to go for his gogoplata chokehold, and Lesnar was trying to get the kimura, which is a double wrist lock. Getting your opponent to tap out is the most macho of all the ways to win, and I can see that story woven in there by the announcers.”

“It’s imminent that ‘Taker’s days are numbered wrestling in the ring. The obvious decision is to have the Undertaker go over, so it’s one win a piece for ‘Taker and Lesnar, and you can have the rubber match at WrestleMania, but I don’t think that happens. Lesnar will go over. The Undertaker could then take his normal sabbatical, and return with some vignettes announcing his retirement match at WrestleMania 32 in Texas. That would be his last match–win, lose, or draw–and the only opponent he’d want to fight is Brock Lesnar. Then you have Undertaker go over in the last match of his career, and that is an emotional story. We’d have to see vignettes of the Undertaker investing so much of his mind, time, and body training for his final match. He’d become even more of a mythical, legendary character than before.”

Seth Rollins vs. John Cena:

“It’s obvious Cena doesn’t need the title to be a star. But Rollins needs that title to maintain his growth and his build. So for the long haul, the WWE needs to keep the title on Rollins. I could also see the Authority getting involved, and Cena doing something with Triple H. But I sincerely hope there are no plans, somewhere down the road, to turn Rollins babyface. He’s still learning how to be a great heel, and it’s doing a damn good job with it. He’s a student of the game, works hard, and every week he adds another nuance of being a heel. He’s a major block in the foundation, so Cena beating him at SummerSlam is not the right thing to do. Rollins needs to retain the title, even if it’s with the help of plenty of outside interference.”

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper:

“The babyfaces will go over, and Harper takes the loss. It will be a very busy match, which can be good or bad.”

The Divas Revolution match:

“The Divas feuds are lacking structure and a reason to care. The emotional investment is not there yet in this rivalry. Who goes over with nine of them fighting? And how much time do they have? They need two good finishes in this match, and then you need to have Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Paige win. But I don’t know where they’re going with this–they haven’t established any real rivalries yet. They’re on the roster, getting some exposure, but it’s inevitable that some of them are going to have to take out some of their repertoire in a match with nine people.”

Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens:

“Owens and Cesaro will be the sleeper match of the night. Cesaro needs to win. It will be a very competitive, very good match, but Cesaro needs to win it. He’s ready to go to the next level. He’s one of the best hands on the roster, and I would pay to see a Cesaro-Brock Lesnar match. Cesaro is everything you’d want–he’s experienced, he can work with anybody, he makes everyone he works with better, and he’s not a drug or alcohol guy. He’s always in great shape, he’s well-spoken, he does have a personality, and he’s just exquisite in the ring. He can be a heel or a great babyface, and he’s got that one hold–the giant swing–that everybody thinks is the greatest thing since sliced bread. What’s old is new again, because that giant swing used to be a staple in every territory. So I like Cesaro to beat Owens in a show-stealer, as long as they’re given the time to tell a story.”

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