411’s WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night 2 Preview

Hello folx! We are at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the 39th annual SummerSlam! Last night was a stacked card, and tonight looks to be no different!

Dominik Mysterio is looking to beat respect into Danhausen! Finn Bálor will take on Sami Zayn to determine the number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship! Baron Corbin takes on Trick Williams for the United States Championship! Chad Gable looks to win his first WWE singles championship as he takes on the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Penta!

Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, and ??? will compete in a Five-Way Ladder match for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship! And in our main event, Roman Reigns looks to finally beat Seth Rollins in a big-time match, as he defends his WWE World Heavyweight Championship!

Human Monie$ on a Pole
Danhausen vs Dominik Mysterio

Image Credit: WWE

I’ve read a lot of people who think this is a demotion for Dom, and honestly, I disagree. Danhausen has been on a roll (misfire from Raw notwithstanding) and is getting mainstream attention. That can easily be translated to Dom if they play it right. Also, it doesn’t hurt a more serious wrestler to work with a comedy guy, as long as the serious wrestler comes out looking good in the end.

Just look at how Sami Zayn looked in the Johnny Knoxville match. Even if Dom loses here, he isn’t going to be hurt. He is a heat magnet and will bounce back quickly. I actually have him as a dark-horse winner for the Money in the Bank this year. He would be perfect as the Edge-style ultimate opportunist. Just waiting for the right moment to cash in to guarantee victory.

As far as how the match will be? Ehh, it’s not going to be Match of the Night, but it should be fun. Dom is great at being the sleazy heel, and he will pull out all the stops to get a win, but in the end, the Danhausen curse will stop him. JD is a factor, but Danhausen has Joe Hendry to help balance the numbers. I could see a path that has Dom win, and then JD and Dom beat down Danhausen until he promises to lift the curse. But I think we are getting the feel-good win here.

Winner: Danhausen

Five-Way Ladder Match for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Lash Legend

Image Credit: WWE

I was going to go with Giulia if she made it into the match. But we are getting Legend instead. And no shade on Legend; she is doing well and has the size to be a good base for most of the other women to bump off of. I just think this was a great place to finally get behind Giulia. It would give her something to do, and a built-in feud with Ripley when she returns.

Alas, this will not be the case, and honestly, if they weren’t planning on having her win the match, it might be better that she isn’t here. As far as who is here? I’m rooting for Green. Stratton is United States Champion and will probably be taken out by Blake Monroe.

Legend is doing well, but isn’t quite there yet. And I think Cargill and Flair will cancel each other out. That leaves us with Chelsea Green, and now is the perfect time to give her a shot. It’s the Interim Championship, so she can give them an idea of how she will do without giving her the actual title. And a feud with Ripley would be pretty great. Green can use classic heel tactics to hold off Ripley as long as possible, before finally losing the unification match.

Green has also more than earned this shot; she turns everything she touches into gold. And it will go a long way in showing the company actually has some faith in her.

Winner and new Interim WWE Women’s Champion: Chelsea Green

Number One Contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship
Finn Bálor vs. Sami Zayn

Image Credit: WWE

This is one of those where the fans are the real winners. Finn and Zayn are both really good at that wrestling thing, and I expect a possible Match of the Night contender from them. I could honestly see this going either way. Finn has been on a roll since his matches with Punk, and Zayn is now a former Undisputed WWE Champion.

I could also see this ending in a draw, and we get a Triple-Threat out of it. But that is a lot less likely. I could see Zayn losing here so that he can ultimately win the belt back at the Saudi WrestleMania. Finn could also lose and then win Money in the Bank, or lose in a way that gives him ground to want to be next in line. It really depends on what they think will sell more tickets for Money in the Bank or Saturday Night’s Main Event, and who they want to take on a longer ride to the top.

I’m going to go with what I think the better long-term story would be. Finn gets the win here; he needs more wins to keep his momentum going. And honestly, I’m down for him getting a short run before it goes back to Cody, Punk, or Gunther. Actually, yes, Gunther vs Finn is something I’m on board with. And it would be poetic for Zayn to get another big title win from Gunther at WrestleMania.

Winner and new Number One Contender: Finn Bálor

WWE United States Championship
Baron Corbin vs Trick Williams

Image Credit: WWE

The only reason Corbin should win here is if Williams is about to be fast-tracked into the Undisputed WWE Championship scene. Williams has been on fire since his debut, and he has earned a long run. Also, while I’m by no means a Corbin hater, he shouldn’t be in this match, at least not as a singles match. Hayes has done more than enough to earn a spot on a show like this, as have others like Ilja Dragunov.

That really is the only issue with Williams rocketing up the card; it’s left others behind, and caused them to fade into the background. But on the other hand, there is a level of responsibility on them to maximize what they are given, and prove they belong. I’d say it’s 80/20 on the creative team to give guys like Dragunov and Hayes more screen time. Or have Gargano actually start wrestling again.

Rant aside, this is the match we are being given. And like I said, I don’t see a path where a Corbin win makes any sense. Williams can hold the belt until at least Survivor Series before dropping it to someone who has been built up to dethrone him. Let’s have more Number One Contender matches or tournaments to find a new challenger for Williams.

As far as the match quality, it isn’t going to be Match of the Night. But Corbin is underrated, and I’m curious to see how his time in MLW and his BJJ training have improved his in-ring abilities. And while Williams isn’t the best in-ring worker ever, he is more than serviceable and seems to understand how to work the crowd.

Winner and still WWE United States Champion: Trick Williams

WWE Intercontinental Championship
Chad Gable vs. Penta

Image Credit: WWE

As much as I love Penta, it is time for Gable to finally win his first singles championship. We are in his home state, and the other hometown boy is losing and retiring. So, let’s give Gable a huge moment that can be replayed for years to come. Penta can stay in contention, move up to the World Heavyweight division, or be freed up to do more with AAA.

Gable as Intercontinental Champion just fits; he is the classic technical wrestler, and while he has all the ring skills and the charisma, he may never get a World Championship. It’s like he is an Intercontinental Champion from the 1980s, when it was the workhorse belt, and holding it meant you could headline the B leg of House Shows, but not the main markets.

And that isn’t a knock on Gable or any Intercontinental Champion; it’s a mark of high praise from the company, and many wrestlers grew up wanting to be Intercontinental Champion.

I think this will be another possible Match of the Night. Both Penta and Gable are excellent in-ring workers, and they work well together. The face/face dynamic shouldn’t be a huge issue, and with how popular Gable is going to be tonight, I expect Penta to work heel a bit. We might get a more vicious Penta (like his Lucha Underground days) to counteract the technical skills of Gable. And I’m here for it.

But at the end of the day, Gable picks up the win and gets the big firework display as he fulfills a dream.

Winner and new WWE Intercontinental Champion: Chad Gable

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns

Image Credit: WWE

I honestly went back and forth on this one. I can see a path forward for both men as the champion. Rollins could easily rekindle his feud with Breakker. And we would be building to Bron vs Rollins at WrestleMania, which was the plan for this year, I think. With Roman, we have Oba Femi and the eventual turn of Fatu (I still think he is just biding his time, while he drives a wedge between the Usos and Reigns).

Both have pros and cons, but I ultimately landed on Reigns. It feels like this Bloodline Reborn storyline is just heating up, and Roman needs the belt to maintain his position as Head of the Table. And Reigns will have two ready-made challengers in Femi and Breakker, and then eventually Fatu. Whether he loses the belt before the Fatu turn or not is up in the air. There is also the LA Knight problem, because if I was right and his team won last night, then Knight is coming for Roman next.

The way I see it working is Knight at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Breakker at Money in the Bank, and Femi at the Rumble. Femi beats Reigns at the Rumble, and then we pivot to Fatu vs Roman at WrestleMania.

As for the match itself? Both men know how to bring it for a Big Fight feel. I expect the Usos and Fatu to show up. We could see the Street Profits show up to help Rollins even the odds here. But in the end, Reigns will finally slay the Rollins dragon. Rollins can take some time off if needed, and then start building to a final match with Breakker.

Winner and still WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Roman Reigns