Chris King’s WWE SummerSlam 2026 Predictions

Chris King predicts every WWE SummerSlam 2026 match, including CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins and Lesnar vs. Oba Femi.

This weekend is WWE’s annual two-day SummerSlam event with a stacked lineup with two blockbuster main events: CM Punk defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns defending his World Heavyweight Championship against his arch-nemesis Seth Rollins. Chris King is here giving his predictions for this year’s matches. 

United States Championship — Trick Williams (c) vs. Baron Corbin: 

Baron Corbin shocked the world when he made his return a few weeks ago on SmackDown, taking out both Carmelo Hayes and the United States Champion Trick Williams. Hayes should be added to this match, but it hasn’t been confirmed. Unless the company is planning on pushing Trick Willy into the main event title scene, I don’t see him losing the US title just yet. 

Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, and Paige vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid): 

At Saturday Night’s Main Event, Fatal Influence defeated Brie Bella and Paige to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Nikki Bella made her return after a four-month injury and challenged the trio to a six-woman tag team match at SummerSlam. I see Fatal Influence walking out with the dub, as I’m predicting a slow-burn heel turn for The Bellas. I think Paige unintentionally does something to cost her team. 

Interim WWE Women’s Championship — Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Charlotte Flair vs. TBA (Ladder match): 

Rhea Ripley is suffering from a torn meniscus, and WWE is still unsure of her timetable for a return, so they are set to crown an interim women’s champion. I think Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill will take each other out with their hatred for one another. Blake Monroe is targeting Tiffany Stratton and her Women’s US Championship, so that eliminates her. We’re still not sure who the final participant will be, but I see Chelsea Green becoming the new temporary champion.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Danhausen: (Human Monies on a Pole Match) 

DanHausen is a human money-making machine for the WWE since his debut back in February at the Elimination Chamber. Dirty Dom has been cursed for months and has been utilizing The Judgment Day to take care of his enemy. JD McDonaugh was unable to get the job done at SNME. I think since this isn’t a traditional match, I see the AAA Mega Champion winning by hook or by crook from JD or his new alliance with Omos in AAA. 

The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso) vs. LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Solo Sikoa: 

I want to start off by saying I’m so happy that LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys made it onto the SummerSlam card. All three superstars have been a breath of fresh air with their ongoing feud with The Bloodline. The Usos and Jacob Fatu have been running roughshod over the babyfaces for weeks now, and Knight and company are ready to stomp them out. I see The Bloodline getting the win here, either by a new member or just by nefarious means. 

Intercontinental Championship — Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable: 

Ever since Chad Gable was unmasked as El Grande Americano, he’s been on a huge redemption arc. He’s been making amends for his heinous actions in the past against all of the luchadors. Penta has been a fantastic intercontinental champion, but it’s time for him to drop the title. 

WWE has a chance to accomplish two things here: Gable can win the prestigious title that he’s been gunning for years, and the reunion of the Lucha Bros can reignite the Raw tag team division. 

Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn (No. 1 contender’s match): 

It’s time; it’s damn sure Finn Balor’s time to climb back to the mountain of the WWE Championship picture. How apropos it is that ten years ago Balor became the inaugural universal champion and was forced to vacate the title; he has a chance to rewrite his history. Sami Zayn will have his time in the sun, and I believe his nine-day WWE championship reign and all his struggles are building to a huge 2027 for Zayn. 

Gunther vs. Nick Aldis: 

From the moment Gunther was brought over to SmackDown, he’s had a huge problem with then-general manager Nick Aldis. After The Career Killer was unsuccessful at winning the WWE championship, he’s now taken out all his frustrations on Aldis. The GM hasn’t laced his boots since 2023, and I think he’s ready to show the world what he’s capable of. My money is on Gunther, though, as I feel like this rivalry is only getting started. 

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

I don’t have anything nice to say about the so-called best Women’s world champion of all time…because she hasn’t defended her title once since winning it at WrestleMania 42. Unfortunately, due to Stephanie Vaquer’s injury, WWE didn’t book Morgan to defend her title at all. Iyo Sky won the Queen of the Ring and immediately challenged Morgan for the women’s championship. 

My prediction is two-fold. I want Iyo to win the world championship, but I see Morgan regaining it at some time within the next year to make the next star, her longtime Judgement Day sister Raquel Rodriguez. 

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Hell in a Cell match): 

The Ruler gave The Beast Incarnate a humbling loss at WrestleMania 42, where Brock Lesnar seemed to retire on the grandest stage of them all. Lesnar shocked the world when he returned in the middle of an Oba open challenge. The Beast evened the score at Clash in Italy. The Ruler went on to become the King of the Ring and was prepared to announce which champion he would face at SummerSlam.

Lesnar challenged The Ruler to one final match, and he upped the stakes with Hell in the Cell. The Beast is about to retire in front of his hometown of Minnesota and make Oba Femi look like a million bucks at the same time. 

Undisputed WWE Championship — CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes: 

On the Raw after WrestleMania 42, WWE teased the pending championship match between CM Punk and Cody Rhodes. This is a match that they’ve been teasing for years going all the way back to the 2024 Royal Rumble PLE when Rhodes eliminated Punk. Punk was then injured, and he was in the ring celebrating Rhodes ending Roman Reigns’ undefeated 1316 title reign at WrestleMania 40. 

The American Nightmare and The Best in the World have been throwing barbs at each other for weeks now, and tempers are running high. This would be the second time that Rhodes has lost the undisputed title and won it back at SummerSlam. Punk just made his move over to SmackDown a few weeks ago. 

I am choosing Punk, but I am also predicting a heel turn for him. Punk is the last person in the ring at 40 that hasn’t turned on Rhodes yet. There’s also a lot of speculation that The American Nightmare could turn heel on his friend and now rival. I just believe that SmackDown looks brighter with Punk retaining and reigniting his feud with Finn Balor coming off a huge win. 

World Heavyweight Championship — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins: 

Seth Rollins is the joker to Roman Reigns’s Batman. Since 2014, both ex-Shield mates have been at each other’s throats trying to prove who the true #1 superstar in WWE is. At 2016 Money in the Bank PLE, Rollins defeated his rival to reclaim his WWE World Heavyweight Championship after his knee injury. 

Roman Reigns had every single superstar’s number since his emergence as The Tribal Chief back in 2020, except for Seth Rollins. At the 2022 Royal Rumble, Reigns retained his Universal Championship due to disqualification, so technically The Visionary won the match. Rollins was the single reason for Cody Rhodes defeating Reigns at

WrestleMania 40. The Architect once again outsmarted his former Shield mate at 41 when he stole his wiseman. 

This match is a culmination of their storied history together as partners and rivals. Both superstars need to win for their own personal reasons. My prediction is The OTC defeats Rollins all by himself to silence his doubters and vanquish his former Shield brother. Perhaps they shake hands after the match and possibly do the Shield fist bump one final time. 

Final thoughts: 

I am very excited for this year’s SummerSlam. There are several matches that, if given the proper amount of time, could easily steal the show. What are your thoughts and predictions for the huge event?