WWE is on the road to SummerSlam this weekend. This is major 2-night event that will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 1 and 2, 2026. These are the Night 1 Predictions, which will feature six matches. Will Oba Femi steal Paul Heyman from Brock Lesnar? Will Nikki Bella betray Paige for stealing her moment and winning the tag titles with her sister? Will Stephanie Vaquer return to help Iyo Sky dethrone Liv Morgan? Will Randy Orton return to punt Cody Rhodes again? The answers to these questions and so much more will be answered right here. Without further ado, here are the WWE SummerSlam 2026 Night 1 Predictions.
King Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar – Hell in a Cell
Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar have run this feud into the ground. This should not have been a trilogy, but it is definitely the ideal time to end Lesnar’s career and send him packing back to his farm in Saskatchewan to milk his cows and shoot up some fruit salad medley. The Hell in a Cell stipulation should keep the in-ring work exciting and separate it from the prior two matches that were mostly filled with spammed finishes. To make it even more interesting, a creative angle to execute in the closing moments of the match would be for Paul Heyman to screw Lesnar, leading to Femi decisively slaying the Beast and officially becoming a Paul Heyman Guy.
The lack of investment from Paul Heyman as an advocate for Brock Lesnar has been evident lately, especially after he left The Vision high and dry when Maxxine Dupri replaced him. Now that Lesnar is on his way out the door, it would be the perfect time for Heyman to find a new client in Oba Femi, who would benefit greatly from his wisdom as the “next big thing.” Femi is not just going to slay the Beast, like he did at WrestleMania. If WWE wants to make this match feel different, they need to turn it up a notch. After eating that loss at Clash in Italy, Femi is going to take everything away from Lesnar: his career, his advocate, and his dignity.
Prediction: Oba Femi
Paige & Bella Twins vs. Fatal Influence – Six-Woman Tag Match
While Oba Femi unfortunately forwent his KOTR Championship opportunity to battle Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, it looks like Paige and Brie Bella forewent their tag title rematch that they are owed after losing the tag titles to Fatal Influence at Saturday Night Main Event two weeks ago. They forewent that tag title opportunity to cater to Nikki Bella’s return, which is actually a blessing in disguise. This tag team between Paige and Brie Bella was not working, as their chemistry was way off. Their tag title reign itself was abysmal. WWE is better off reuniting the Bella Twins while Paige becomes a singles star, competing for either the mid card or world title.
Granted, Nikki Bella will not betray Paige in this match, as most fans speculated. Many naysayers think that Nikki Bella will be jealous of Paige for stealing her WrestleMania moment with her sister. However, it was clear that Nikki Bella chose Paige as her replacement, was happy for Paige and Brie’s tag title victory at ‘Mania, and knew that her ill-timed injury was out of her control. Heck, as substantiated by the Total Divas reality TV show, Paige is the reason “Brie Mode” exists. Henceforth, they will coexist to defeat Fatal Influence to solidify Nikki Bella’s return while Fatal Influence look strong in defeat with their tag titles still intact in this non-title bout.
Prediction: Paige & Bella Twins
Jacob Fatu & Usos vs. LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, & Royce Keys – Six-Man Tag Match
While the women’s tag match is filled with legitimate stables, this men’s tag match has a legitimate faction in Jacob Fatu and Usos going against the biggest makeshift team in WWE history. That makeshift team is such a mess that.it makes Lebron James and the Philadelphia 76ers look as legitimate as the PowerPuff Girls. The only thing LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys have in common is their beef with The Bloodline. This is very lazy booking and goes to show that WWE put no thought into this match other than trying to get important stars on the card for a skippable showcase. This is especially unfortunate for Knight, the biggest star in this match.
LA Knight will get pinned in this match by Jacob Fatu, the second biggest star in this match who was neutered by Roman Reigns. There is no way Knight is going to trust and coexist with two men who have prior association with The Bloodline and expect to not be double crossed. This is clearly a setup and will merely allow Fatu and Usos to pick up some momentum as Roman’s lackeys while they continue to do his dirty work. Besides, it would be disgraceful for a legitimate faction who are connected by blood to lose to a group of three stars who never teamed together in their entire career. Blood is thicker than water for a reason, and the rest is academic.
Prediction: Jacob Fatu & Usos
Gunther vs. Nick Aldis – Personal Rivalry – GM Role On The Line
You know what else is academic? Gunther defeating the GM of SmackDown is academic because it would be sacrilegious to this great sport if any other result occurred, especially since Nick Aldis has not laced up a pair of boots in quite a long time. Nonetheless, this should be a strong showcase for Aldis’ return to the ring, as he will look like a million bucks battling The Ring General. Hopefully, he pulls out one of Mickie James’ maneuvers as a tribute to his wife, like the Mick Kick or even the Mickie DDT. Drew McIntyre was originally supposed to be feuding with Nick Aldis on the road to SummerSlam, but it seems that his movie schedule got in the way.
WWE traded Gunther to SmackDown to essentially take Drew McIntyre’s spot and also because Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar did not want to work with him on Raw. WWE robbed Gunther of his aura, especially at Clash in Italy where he foolishly lost with his foot on the rope and should have dethroned Cody Rhodes on European soil. Gunther deserved to be in a marquee match at SummerSlam, whether it be battling Reigns for the World Title, ending Lesnar’s career, or even battling Cody Rhodes and CM Punk in a Fatal Four Way with Sami Zayn for the WWE Title. Instead, he is stuck in this underwhelming match and that alone is criminal,
Prediction: Gunther
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Queen Iyo Sky [World Title]
As Nick Aldis resigns from his role as general manager and gets back into the ring, the fans are still awaiting Stephanie Vaquer’s return to the ring. If she gets involved in anything at SummerSlam, it would be this match because she is still seeking her revenge on Liv Morgan for taking her title at WrestleMania 42. Sol Ruca will also be there to help Iyo Sky fend off the Judgment Day, as she must not be too happy about losing the InterContinental Title to Raquel Rodriguez on Raw this week. This would help even out the playing field and assure that the contest is one on one for the championship. However, it must be noted that this is Morgan’s first title defense.
Ever since winning the title at Mania, she has not defended the title despite being active in the ring and on the microphone every week on Raw. Heck, she even competed in the Queen of the Ring Tournament and made it all the way to the finals when she should not have been in it. Her title reign would be a complete joke if she lost the title on her first defense, especially when she has targets like Sky, Vaquer, and Ruca on her back. Most importantly, the fact that every member of the Judgment Day has a title, except Roxanne, indicates that Roxanne, who is clearly neglected in that faction, will inevitably win MITB and cash in on Liv Morgan to win the title.
Prediction: Liv Morgan
CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes [WWE Title]
Speaking of MITB, WWE should have moved that PPV back from October to July because Sami Zayn should have the MITB Briefcase right now to cash in on this marquee match for the WWE Title that was stolen from him in nine days. The last real good guy should be exonerated from all the times the fickle fans chided him for being the next Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan main evented almost every ‘Mania in his career and buried the entire roster like a selfish narcissist. Sami Zayn is an underdog who main evented WrestleMania in a tag match with Kevin Owens and he elevates the roster around him while taking storylines to the next level like a true team player.
Either those fans are being disingenuous or facetious. Either way, they’re wrong for making that comparison. When it comes to this title match, CM Punk just won the title and it would be quite asinine of WWE creative to make his reign transitional when he is the biggest draw in the WWE today. The big angle they can pull off here is is a Cody Rhodes heel turn after he loses the match, as he is so obsessed with holding that WWE Title and would be upset that he is completely out of the title picture due to his best friend. To make it even juicier, this would be the perfect opportunity for Randy Orton to return either to punt him again or reunite Legacy with Rhodes.
Prediction: CM Punk
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Mark Justice is a Cornell University Graduate with a bachelor’s degree (B.S), double majoring in biological and environmental sciences, and a law degree (J.D.), specializing in environmental law and international law. His passion for pro wrestling stems from his very first time watching the WWE in 2009. As a decade-old pro wrestling fan, he continues to fulfill this passion by writing for Let Them Wrestle, where he will cover both WWE and AEW content. You can email Mark Justice at markjustice728@gmail.com, especially if you are a pro wrestling ‘mark’ like him. You can also subscribe to his brand new Youtube Channel at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/@markjustice1327