wrestling / Columns
411’s WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night 1 Preview
Image Credit: WWE
Hello folx! We are at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the 39th annual SummerSlam! And as always, I am here to give you the full preview of both nights! Last year was the first two-night SummerSlam, and night one had my personal WWE Match of the Year (Gunther vs CM Punk). And night 2 had the fantastic Rhea Ripley vs IYO SKY vs Naomi Triple Threat (which I just ranked as the greatest SummerSlam opener)
So, the question now is who will step up this year? Will SummerSlam 2026 give us another Match of the Year? The card is pretty stacked for both nights, so there is a pretty good chance that it might.
Speaking of the card, tonight we have two Six-Person Tag Team matches; the first will see The returning Nikki Belle team with her sister, Brie, and Paige to take on Fatal Influence! The second will see The Bloodline take on LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Solo Sikoa! Gunther has blamed Nick Aldis for all of his recent issues, and tonight, he will have the chance to pay him back! Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar look to settle their score inside Hell in a Cell!
And to cap things off, we have IYO SKY looking to win her third World Championship as she takes on Liv Morgan! And in our main event, CM Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against former champion Cody Rhodes!
The Bella Twins (Nikki Bella & Brie Bella) and Paige vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jane, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid)
Image Credit: WWE
Henley and Reid beat Paige and Brie for the Women’s Tag Team Championships at Saturday Night’s Main Event. And instead of defending the titles, we are getting a Six-Person Tag Team match, because reasons! I get it, this is Nikki’s return from injury, and it at least gets the champs on the show. I would have much preferred the Bellas taking on Henley and Reid, and Paige and Jane could have been in the Ladder match.
But this is where we are, and I fully expect this to be short and hopefully not a train wreck. Brie and Nikki haven’t really set the world on fire since their return, and this isn’t going to be any different. Paige has also struggled to find her footing with the current generation of talent. And for someone like Paige, who helped get women the spots they deserve, it must be bittersweet. On the one hand, you can take pride in seeing how far women have come in such a short time. On the other hand, you see that you’ve been passed by.
While I’d love Fatal Influence to get the win here, I think the Bellas and Paige pick up the win, to set up a rematch for the Tag Team titles. If they do lose, it will be because the Bellas turn on Paige. But I think that comes later. So, a win for the faces, so the Bellas can get a title shot at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Winners: The Bella Twins and Paige
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis
Image Credit: WWE
Man, from Match of the Year to facing Nick Aldis, that’s got to sting a bit. And that isn’t a knock on Aldis, who is a former TNA and NWA World Champion. But in WWE, he is only known as the GM of SmackDown. And while wrestler vs authority isn’t new. Usually, the authority in question is the heel finally getting shut down. And with Aldis resigning as GM to do the match, a loss here would only make sense if he is moving on completely.
Gunther has lost a bit of steam since moving to SmackDown. (And isn’t that almost a pattern?) Having gone from a dominant World Champion, the man who ended Goldberg and John Cena’s careers, and forced AJ Styles to retire. Has now lost several WWE Championship matches and is blaming it all on Aldis. I get it, the business goes in cycles, and you have to move people up and down the card to keep them fresh. And it also feels like Gunther’s momentum has been wasted since WrestleMania.
It’s been several years since Aldis stepped into the ring, so I hope he has been working off the rust in preparation for this match. It’s his chance to show the world what kind of wrestler he is, and from the in-ring perspective, Gunther is a great first match back. I’m hoping we get another old-school NWA-style match from Gunther. He knows how to work at that slower pace and build to something big. Which is what Aldis needs.
I struggle to see Aldis winning without some sort of shenanigans. But again, the question is, where does he go from there? Is he going to be a full-time wrestler? I wouldn’t be opposed to that, even if he never rises past the United States Championship level. It would still be fun to see him back as a wrestler. And Gunther needs a win more right now. He hasn’t looked like the dominant monster lately and needs to recapture some of that tonight.
Winner: Gunther
LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Solo Sikoa vs The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and Jacob Fatu)
Image Credit: WWE
I think the best part of this feud has been allowing Solo to be himself. When that guy is allowed to be his sarcastic self, it’s gold. I loved how he came out on Raw and basically acted like the cool guy to his dorky brothers. Let that man go as a face, and he could be a big star. Knight is his usual self, and no matter what gets thrown at him, he stays over with the fans. And Keys has finally been given something to really sink his teeth into.
Fatu continues to stand out even in the Bloodline. He just has IT, and it is even more apparent when he is working with the Usos. Which isn’t a knock on them, it just shows how great Fatu is. His matches with Reigns showed he can hang in the main event, and his time is coming soon, hopefully. Meanwhile, Jey seems to have diminished from last year. It’s like once he got shuffled back down the card, he hasn’t done anything to prove he should have stayed in the main event. Even Jimmy is looking better than him.
I expect the match to be a fun and chaotic brawl. All six men are good at this wrestling thing and know how to work multi-man matches like this. I am thinking the faces get the win here. Solo and Keys need big wins, and as long as Fatu isn’t eating the pin, it won’t hurt him either. I could see Keys and Fatu brawling on the outside, while Sikoa pins either Jimmy or Jey, while Knight holds the other off. Fatu and Keys will continue their feud, while Solo and Knight can take on the Usos at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Winners: LA Knight, Royce Keys, and Solo Sikoa
Women’s World Championship
IYO SKY vs. Liv Morgan
Image Credit: WWE
Morgan learned from Jade Cargill. You can’t lose the belt if you never defend it! Jokes aside, it’s been 100+ days, and Morgan hasn’t had a single defense. She has at least been on screen (unlike SKY’s run last year post-WrestleMania). And I know the injuries to Stephanie Vaquer probably put a lot of plans on hold. But there is no reason Morgan couldn’t have had some throw-away defenses in that time. She could have had a match against Sol Ruca, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, or Maxxine. (Wow, I didn’t realize how few women were on Raw right now.)
But here we are, and I honestly think it would work to have someone like Liv lose her title on the first defense. It fits her character so well. The greatest champion of alllllllllllllllllllllll time can only keep the title when she isn’t defending it. But I thought of another interesting way this could go. Have Liv win, only to be reminded that, traditionally, the Intercontinental Champion is a de facto Number One Contender.
The split between Raquel and Liv has been brewing for a long time, and it’s time to pull the trigger. SKY can bounce back from a loss easily, and the bigger story here is Raquel finally being done with Liv’s crap. SKY can beat Raquel for the Intercontinental Championship in the build-up or win Money in the Bank this year. So, I am going with a Liv Morgan win here, and Raquel being the one to finally take the title off her.
Winner and still WWE Women’s World Champion: Liv Morgan
Hell in a Cell
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
Image Credit: WWE
Oba Femi wins. Do I really need to write more? Oh, I do? Okay. Oba needs to win this; he dominated Lesnar at WrestleMania. He only lost to Lesnar at Clash in Italy due to Lesnar’s sneak attack. And he got up right after. Femi has carried this feud and stood his own in promos with Heyman. The guy isn’t the future; he is the now.
With this being Hell in a Cell, I think this will be longer than both of their previous two matches. They will hopefully live up to the CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre match, because that reset the bar on what a great Hell in a Cell can be. I expect a lot of brutality and violence in this one, and in the end, Femi will end Lesnar’s career, and the Ruler and King of the Ring will be on a trajectory with either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins.
Lesnar, for his many faults, knows how to do business, and I expect him to give his all to put Femi over in this match. And I expect Femi to show what he is really made of. Withstanding whatever Lesnar throws at him. He will demolish Suplex City and be set up as the new monster of the WWE. I am here for his match, not only to see Lesnar be fully humbled, but to see the rise of Oba Femi. (Have I mentioned I really don’t like Brock Lesnar?)
Winner: Oba Femi
Undisputed WWE Championship
Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk
Image Credit: WWE
This match has been brewing for a long time, and after Cody letting Punk know he was always game to put the title on the line, we knew it would happen soon. We all thought Rhodes would be the champion going in. But for the second straight SummerSlam, Rhodes is going in as the challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
And I don’t think he is walking out with the belt. With either Sami or Balor as the next challenger, I think Cody should take a break from the WWE Championship scene. And maybe he needs a move to Raw. He could rekindle his feuds with Reigns or Rollins and have some fresher matchups on Raw. Punk can carry SmackDown and also has fresher match opportunities.
Yes, Zayn and Balor both have had recent matches with Punk. But outside of them, we have guys like Damien Priest, Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, Ricky Saints, Royce Keys, and Randy Orton. I could also see Punk pushing for guys like Dragunov to get a bigger push.
Both men know how to put together a big match, and this will be no exception to that. Punk is in the best shape of his life, and Rhodes has continued to be one of the most consistent wrestlers on the roster. My only question is, will Punk be in the Match of the Year again this year? I can see this one playing on a similar vibe to his match with Gunther, that slower old-school NWA type match. With plenty of callbacks from both men’s pasts. And like last year, Punk will win, except this year he will actually walk out with the belt.
