RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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SummerSlam is feeling more like WrestleMania by the year. For the second time, SummerSlam takes place over two nights in August. WWE doubles down on the spectacle with some of its biggest stars in marquee matches.
CM Punk and Roman Reigns headlined Night 2 of WrestleMania 42. Four months later, they are both world champions. Punk and Reigns will headline SummerSlam Saturday and Sunday, respectively, defending their titles against men with whom they share serious history. Punk and Cody Rhodes' friendship spans multiple professional wrestling promotions, but they must prioritize competition over compassion with the undisputed WWE title hanging in the balance.
Check out the complete 2026 WWE SummerSlam results with grades and winners from Night 1 .
Reigns and Seth Rollins have a much more complicated past. The future Hall of Famers cut their teeth together in The Shield. But ever since Rollins betrayed his Shield brethren, they've almost exclusively been at odds with each other. Reigns hopes Minneapolis will host the ritual for which he'll finally exorcise himself of Rollins.
Some of SummerSlam's most compelling matches are non-title bouts. Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar settled their trilogy inside Hell in a Cell. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis made his long-awaited in-ring debut against Gunther. Plus, Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn and Penta vs. Chad Gable lead the pack for "match of the weekend" candidates, both occurring during Night 2.
With 12 matches set between Saturday and Sunday, let's take a look at some expert picks to have their hands raised at SummerSlam, and here's how you can watch both nights of 2026 WWE SummerSlam .
World Heavyweight Championship -- Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins: WWE's creative direction feels risk-averse. There's no better example than yet another Reigns vs. Rollins title match. Rollins feels like a convenient way to add star power to SummerSlam. The match will probably be great, and there will certainly be close calls, but the outcome feels inevitable. The Bloodline is dominating Raw with no signs of slowing down. Short of a major swerve involving Fatu, Reigns should get the job done. Pick: Reigns retains the title
Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn (No. 1 contender's match): Meet the top candidate for match of the weekend. Zayn might be a victim of overexposure, but there's no denying his talent in the ring. The same is true for Balor, 45, who is indulging fans with his best singles run in years. Balor is the more inspired choice to win, but I'm unsure if WWE wants to run back the Punk feud so soon after Elimination Chamber. Punk and Zayn have unfinished business. There's time to revisit an undisputed WWE title program with Balor down the line. Pick: Zayn wins
Interim WWE Women's Championship -- Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Charlotte Flair vs. TBA (Ladder match): For the first time in WWE history, the company will crown a main roster interim champion. The only other time they've flirted with an interim title was when Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin (JD McDonagh) unified NXT cruiserweight titles. Whoever retrieves the interim WWE women's title suspended from the rafters will later unify titles with the injured WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley. Let's assess the field using the process of elimination: Cargill and Flair are feuding, Stratton is the women's United States champion and decision-makers don't see Green as main event material. I'll call an audible here and side with the final entrant, who was Lash Legend. A title match between her and Ripley should produce fireworks and elevate Legend, even in defeat. Pick: Legend wins the title
Intercontinental Championship -- Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable: It's now or never for Gable. WWE has repeatedly snipped Gable's wings when fans were most behind him. But his loss to Ludwig Kaiser's El Grande Americano in a mask vs. mask match, a legitimate main event and world-class caliber match in AAA, endeared him to fans more than ever. WWE will get a better opportunity to push Gable. What started as slapstick comedy has defied expectations, evolving into a nuanced and natural story. Once lucha libre's biggest detractor, collegiate wrestler Gable now has profound respect for the art. No longer ignorant, Gable, 40, is better equipped than ever to win the intercontinental title that's long eluded him. If WWE doesn't pull the trigger, it's a serious blow to fan confidence in the product. Pick: Gable wins the title
Danhausen vs. Dominik Mysterio (Human Monies on a Pole match): Is Danhausen really going to get a win over the reigning AAA Mega champion, the Mexican promotion's top titleholder? Maybe. Danhausen has been a money-printing machine for WWE, and the company shows no signs of easing off the gas. However, Mysterio must be considered a cornerstone future star for the promotion, even if he's cooled off since losing the intercontinental title. Danhausen does not need to win this match, but I fear his immediate monetary value takes priority over Mysterio's long-term potential. Pick: Danhausen wins
United States Championship -- Trick Williams (c) vs. Baron Corbin: No one expected Corbin to re-sign with WWE at the start of 2026, let alone be featured in a title match in the second biggest show of the year. I'm happy for Corbin, who still wields one of the best finishers in pro wrestling today. But having him defeat Williams, who has been tremendously popular since making his NXT debut, would be absolutely deflating. It simply shouldn't happen. Pick: Trick Williams retains the title
Undisputed WWE Championship -- CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes: Rhodes' run at the top had gotten stale. I think Rhodes would agree. WWE made a safe choice by shuttling the title to Punk through Zayn; there's no reason to suspect they'll go back on their decision. Punk is set for a fresh run as SmackDown's top dog with a workhorse title reign against a talented crop of challengers. A successful title defense at SummerSlam...
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