WWE SummerSlam 2026 Preview And Predictions For Saturday

CM Punk will look Cody Rhodes for the first clip during his existent WWE run. (Credit: Melina Pizano/WWE via Getty Images)

WWE via Getty Images

WWE SummerSlam 2026 is simply a chance for WWE to get backmost connected way aft it’s gone a spot disconnected the rails.

Gone is the roar play that carried WWE done the past fewer years. Overall liking successful the WWE merchandise is intelligibly not wherever it was conscionable a twelvemonth aliases 2 ago. Raw viewership is down significantly arsenic SmackDown’s viewership has plummeted by about 15 percent complete the past year. Meanwhile, SummerSlam’s lackluster summons sales forced the institution to massively discount summons prices, an evident parameter of WWE’s struggling product.

The bully news for WWE is that, connected paper, SummerSlam 2026 has a beardown paper complete pinch a fistful of blockbuster matches. The action kicks disconnected Saturday nighttime wrong U.S. Bank Stadium pinch six matches connected Night One, including a highly anticipated dream lucifer for the WWE Championship.

ForbesWWE Confirms SummerSlam 2026 Match Cards For Saturday And SundayBy Blake Oestriecher

WWE SummerSlam 2026 Preview For Saturday (Night One)

Here is the afloat lucifer paper for Night One (Saturday) of WWE SummerSlam 2026:

• WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
• Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Iyo Sky
• Hell successful a Cell Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
• Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
• The Bloodline vs. LA Knight, Royce Keys and Solo Sikoa
• The Bella Twins and Paige vs. Fatal Influence

WWE SummerSlam 2026 Streaming Info For Saturday

Date: Saturday, Aug. 1

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis)

Start Time: 6 p.m. EST/5 p.m. CST (3 p.m. PST)

Streaming Info: ESPN Unlimited (United States), Netflix (internationally)

WWE SummerSlam 2026 Predictions For Saturday

WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) Vs. Cody Rhodes

WWE took a batch of twists and turns to get to a marquee WWE title lucifer betwixt CM Punk and Cody Rhodes that could person been saved for WrestleMania 43.

Punk vs. Rhodes is, rather clearly, 1 of the biggest matches WWE tin do correct now, particularly astatine a non-WrestleMania PLE. It does put WWE successful a spot of a booking pickle, though. Rhodes doesn’t suffer very often and yet conscionable mislaid the title astatine Night of Champions successful June while Punk precocious returned aft a lengthy layoff to extremity Sami Zayn’s WWE title reign aft only 9 days.

For that reason, Punk seems improbable to suffer astatine WWE SummerSlam, though a wholly cleanable triumph complete Rhodes shouldn’t beryllium expected either. Something to support an oculus connected here: Randy Orton and Kevin Owens are reportedly some nearing a return, truthful don’t beryllium shocked if 1 aliases some gets progressive successful the Saturday main event.

Prediction: Punk

Women’s World Championship: Liv Morgan (c) Vs. Iyo Sky

Liv Morgan vs. Iyo Sky is 1 of the biggest tossups astatine WWE SummerSlam 2026, pinch a lawsuit to beryllium made for either prima winning.

Sky is yet getting a large push arsenic a singles prima again and should beryllium a champion successful the adjacent future. However, WWE has continuously teased that The Judgment Day is breaking up soon, truthful that mightiness entail Morgan losing the Women’s World Championship to either Raquel Rodriguez aliases Roxanne Perez down the road.

On the flip side, that mightiness fresh amended arsenic a non-title feud, truthful that could mean that astatine WWE SummerSlam, either Rodriguez aliases Perez inadvertently, aliases possibly purposely, costs Morgan the title. It could spell either way, but because this is Morgan’s first televised title defense successful much than 3 months arsenic champion, she’s astir apt going to clasp onto the title a small longer.

Prediction: Morgan

Hell successful a Cell Match: Brock Lesnar Vs. Oba Femi

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar III is the astir predictable lucifer connected the SummerSlam card.

After Lesnar’s faux status astatine WrestleMania 42, “The Beast” evened the people astatine Clash successful Italy to group up this monolithic rubber match. One could reason that Lesnar vs. Femi is the champion WWE feud of 2026 truthful far, and yet, the biggest and champion infinitesimal of the rivalry could still beryllium to come.

At SummerSlam 2026, Femi should hit Lesnar handily, sending Lesnar into morganatic status successful his adopted hometown successful the process. Worth noting, though: Lesnar may not beryllium done aft SummerSlam, aft all.

Prediction: Femi

The Bloodline Vs. LA Knight, Royce Keys And Solo Sikoa

The bizarre dynamics of The Bloodline person dominated WWE Raw and SmackDown successful caller weeks. Yet, the mobility remains: are they heels aliases babyfaces? One study says it’s the former.

But correct now, the Usos and Jacob Fatu look to beryllium playing much of a tweener domiciled arsenic Solo Sikoa, a erstwhile personnel of the group, looks to beryllium transitioning to a full-fledged babyface role. Although WWE tends to push The Bloodline astatine each costs, Sikoa’s caller role, Keys’ position arsenic a newcomer and Knight’s longtime feud pinch the faction should lead to a triumph for the babyfaces.

There are truthful galore different layers to this rivalry that it’s destined to proceed past WWE SummerSlam successful immoderate capacity, but it should commencement pinch a triumph for the bully guys arsenic The Bloodline continues to reestablish itself.

Prediction: Knight, Keys and Sikoa

Gunther vs. Nick Aldis

When SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis steps backmost successful the ringing astatine SummerSlam, 1 study says it is not portion of a semipermanent scheme to modulation him to a full-time wrestling role. Quite the opposite, successful fact.

WWE has done a stellar occupation of utilizing this rivalry to some make Aldis a much sympathetic characteristic and proceed Gunther’s stellar bottommost run. Yet, that’s each this should be. Gunther is the astir ascendant prima successful WWE, a man who retired Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles.

There’s nary logic whatsoever for him to mislaid to an authority fig astatine WWE SummerSlam.

Prediction: Gunther

The Bella Twins And Paige Vs. Fatal Influence

Fatal Influence has been a immense deed since debuting connected SmackDown earlier this year, and they should hit the trio of the Paige and the Bella Twins astatine SummerSlam. Key word: should.

The problem is, Nikki Bella conscionable returned to WWE aft missing a fewer months of action, truthful it’s improbable she’s coming backmost astatine SummerSlam conscionable to lose. In fact, it will apt beryllium Nikki who wins this lucifer for the babyface broadside astatine SummerSlam to thief her rebuild immoderate momentum.

Lainey Reid seems to beryllium the debased female connected the Fatal Influence totem pole, making her a beardown campaigner to return the pin astatine WWE SummerSlam.

Prediction: The Bella Twins and Paige