It’s still almost impossible to fathom, but this Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam will be the first WWE pay-per-view/premium live event with zero involvement from Vince McMahon following his shocking retirement/resignation last week. Of course, the card was mostly set into place long ago (with the exception of whatever Seth Rollins will be doing now), so it’s reasonable to assume that Triple H will stay the course and see out the storylines already set into motion before changing the creative. Either way, with huge matchups like Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar and Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch, the Biggest Party of the Summer should be a show to keep your eye on.
WWE SummerSlam 2022 date and start time
SummerSlam will take place Saturday, July 30th, 2022 at 8pm ET. The Kick-Off show will begin at 7pm ET.
How to watch WWE SummerSlam 2022
SummerSlam will be available to watch on Peacock in the United States, and the WWE Network in the rest of the world. It will also be available to purchase via traditional pay-per-view if you hate money.
WWE SummerSlam 2022 card
Let’s take a look at the full card, including our predictions:
The Mysterios vs. Finn Bálor & Damian Priest of The Judgment Day (No Disqualification Match)
Patrick: I think the Judgment Day really needs a win here, especially if they are going to be taken at all seriously in the future. Dominik has said in recent interviews that he will “never” turn on his father, and if he was going to, the perfect time was this past Monday during his dad’s 20th anniversary celebration, so I’m inclined to believe him. A decisive win for Balor and Priest, and the torment continues for the Mysterios.
Winners: The Judgment Day
Shane: I agree completely with Patrick – the Judgment Day really does need a victory here. The stable started strong, albeit a little weird, with Edge and Priest and really started to pick up steam with the addition of Ripley and Balor, but with the removal of Edge and Rhea’s injury, their momentum was seriously derailed. A strong win here is really what they need. I’m still not sold on a Dominik heel turn, and I agree with Patrick again, Monday should have been when it happened, but IF it is going to happen it needs to be Saturday night.
Winners: The Judgment Day
Tyler: We’ve nearly reached the breaking point with the Judgment Day. Shane summed it up well–a strong, but weird orgin has faltered since the formation of the angle. They need the victory if the fans are going to invest. The twists and turns of the young history of this faction have been fun, but it feels as if they’ve yet to find their footing. As for the Mysterios, they are the team WWE keeps forgetting about, oddly enough.
Winners: The Judgment Day
Logan Paul vs. The Miz
Patrick: It’s crazy to me that Logan Paul thinks he’ll be accepted as a babyface to the WWE audience, but that’s where we are, so I have to imagine this match will follow that assumption. Miz got the last laugh at WrestleMania, so it stands to reason the adored babyface Logan Paul (?) gets to stand triumphant here.
Winner: Logan Paul
Shane: Logan Paul is going to win this one. I have a feeling that WWE has relatively big plans for him and a loss in his first match as a signed performer doesn’t sound like what’s good for business. Speaking of relatively big plans, I hope a heel turn is in the cards – Logan Paul is such a natural heel that I don’t see a babyface run working.
Winner: Logan Paul
Tyler: For all of the pro wrestling instincts Logan Paul showcased at WrestleMania, he seems to be oblivious to the old adage natural heel. I find this odd because it is more or less his brand. It could work, however, now that WWE fans don’t feel as jaded as in the past. The Miz is the consummate professional, though, and will do everything he can to get Paul over.
Winner: Logan Paul
Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin
Patrick: I think Corbin needs to be put in his place once and for all and move onto a new direction for his character. He’s a fantastic heel and a believable bully, but somebody needs to shut him up – it may as well be Pat McAfee, who is way better at this than he has any right to be.
Winner: Pat McAfee
Shane: I’m going for a Pat McAfee win here. I don’t think, in the last 20 years of watching this product, that a commentator has been as naturally over as Pat McAfee. The reactions this man gets is unreal. I would love to see him get a huge win over Happy Corbin. Corbin is so good at his job and generates such great heat that a loss here will not affect him.
Winner: Pat McAfee
Tyler: We are witnessing the run of the greatest color commentator in pro wrestling history in real time. Pat McAfee is the one man this divided county can agree is great. And while I think Patrick has a valid argument that a Corbin loss could lead to a character change, I think McAfee sees the End of Days.
Winner: Happy Corbin
Seth Rollins vs. ???
Patrick: Rollins vs. Riddle was officially taken off the card earlier this week as WWE claims Riddle suffered an injury at the hands of The Architect, but rumor is that was a kayfabe reason. Seth Rollins can’t be kept off the card completely, especially in the Triple H era, can he? My money is on Rollins having some kind of segment/match ala WrestleMania, but against who? Spinning through the rolodex of names that would pop a smarky crowd and Triple H would love to get back in the fold, I’ll stop on Johnny Gargano.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Shane: Seth Rollins has become to SummerSlam what Shawn Michaels was to WrestleMania – he’s become almost synonymous with this cornerstone event. Mr. SummerSlam, you could say. With this in mind, it doesn’t feel right leaving Seth Rollins off the show and it sounds like we are going to have a repeat of WrestleMania: Seth vs. an unnamed opponent. There have been two names being thrown around here as speculations on who the unnamed opponent will be. For my money, I hope it is going to be Mr. Wrestling, Johnny Gargano, who will pick up a victory here.
Winner: Johnny Gargano
Tyler: The booking of this feud has been a bit head-scratching; from the lack of substance (why are they even fighting?) to the bizarre “injury” Riddle suffered that took him out of this match. Will they really run back a moment that won Cody Rhodes an Espy via a Seth Rollins mystery opponent? If “Rebel Heart” starts, I’m here for it. But whatever happens, Seth Rollins doesn’t fall for it this time.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship
Patrick: This is a rematch from last year’s SummerSlam, where Bianca lost her title to a returning Becky Lynch in 26 seconds. The both of them have been calling back to that moment and building to the inevitable rematch, and here it is. This is a match where if Vince was still running things Becky winning might actually get a victory here, but hopefully in this new regime, logic will prevail.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Shane: I want to see something similar to what happened at last year’s SummerSlam, only in reverse: Over the top entrance. Introductions. Bell rings. KOD. 1, 2, 3. Bell rings. Winner and still Raw Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Tyler: Even if they technically have wrestled more than two matches since last year’s SummerSlam, this is for all intents and purposes the finale of the Belair/Lynch trilogy. Also coming to an end should be the heel persona of Becky, who hopefully will be transitioning back into good-guy The Man territory in preparation for a WrestleMania match against Ronda Rousey. But, of course, not before completing the task by doing the honors.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Patrick: This one’s tougher to call in my opinion. Liv is a fan favorite who finally won the big one, so it seems crazy to have her drop the title so quickly. However, Ronda Rousey is Ronda Rousey — how is anyone supposed to believe Liv would get the win over her barring some heavy shenanigans? I think in this case, the shenanigans are going over.
Winner: Liv Morgan
Shane: The Rousey experiment isn’t working this time for me. I have not been impressed with her since her return at the Royal Rumble and I’m seriously thankful that WWE had Liv Morgan cash in so quickly on Rousey. I’m hoping that WWE feels the same way and gives Morgan another victory here. Liv is so organically over and is a genuinely great babyface. I’m not saying she needs to have a dominant victory, but I would hate to see her lose. P.S.: Turn Ronda heel.
Winner: Liv Morgan
Tyler: This feels like the first true test of the Triple H regime. Everyone wants to see Liv Morgan retain, so usual WWE logic suggests she obviously taps out. However, we live in a different era with Hunter calling the shots, or at least in theory. I’d say a compromise would see Ronda reclaim the belt but only resorting to dastardly means. But this is pro wrestling, so give the fans what they want. I may be picking with my heart over my head, but…
Winner: Liv Morgan
The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship (Special Guest Referee Jeff Jarrett)
Patrick: I have no idea why Jeff Jarrett is involved in this match, but whatever the circumstances, I could watch the Usos and the Street Profits wrestle each other every day. Unless this is the beginning of some Bloodline dissolution storyline, I think the Usos have to keep the titles here, but where they go from here is anybody’s guess.
Winners: The Usos
Shane: This isn’t the time for the Usos to lose yet. Even though the Bloodline storyline has gone on for what feels like literally forever, I think that there is still some gas left in the tank. And now that we have a whole new regime in charge of creative, I’m seriously excited to see what the future holds for the Bloodline.
Winners: The Usos
Tyler: I’ll be honest, the closer we get to SummerSlam, the less sure I feel about my pick. I’m a tad surprised my fellow AIPT writers are convinced to such a degree that The Usos are walking out with all four titles. This storyline has built and this feels like the rightful culmination. Let’s have fun.
Winners: The Street Profits
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Theory for the United States Championship
Patrick: (Please start calling him Austin) Theory already has an upper mid-card prize to parade around with that promises a smoother transition to the main event scene than the United States Title does, and Lashley is a great person to give that title some prestige while his world title run cools down.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Shane: Please, for the love of everything All Mighty, have Bobby kick the crap out of Theory here. There’s pushing performers and there’s shoving performers down our throats, and Theory has been given the latter. Again, please, have Bobby win. And keep winning.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Tyler: First of all, I’m glad we’re having this match. They put on a banger at Money in the Bank, and are poised to do it again. And for Theory to still publicly claim his desire to retrieve his US title back despite clearly moving up the card adds prestige to it. But Patrick is right, he doesn’t need it now that he’s going to…well…just keep reading and you’ll see…
Winner: AND STILL, Bobby Lashley
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (Last Man Standing Match)
Patrick: If anyone reading listened to the PTW Wrestling podcast, the one and only immutable rule I had throughout the entire tenure of the show was to never bet against the Big Dog. And I’m not about to start doing that now.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Shane: This might honestly be the easiest match to call on the entire card. Roman is winning. No way he’s not.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Tyler: Late in the match, both men will have beaten the hell out of each other. With the champion and the challenger both down for the count, Theory’s music hits. He runs down the ramp, cashes in, and just stands there. He looks at the ref and demands he or she start counting to 10.
Neither Roman nor Lesnar need to be pinned or submitted to lose this match because when Theory cashes in, he will be the third participant in a Last Man Standing match. And stand he will as the referee counts to ten. Imagine the boos.
WINNER: AND NEW, Theory
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