WWE 2021 SummerSlam: What to Expect!

WWE SummerSlam will hit the grand stage of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 21 with a blockbuster main event pitting Roman Reigns against John Cena for the Universal Championship.

That dream match headlines a card that also features Bobby Lashley defending the WWE Championship against Goldberg and Nikki A.S.H. putting her Raw women's title on the line against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat.

Nothing else has been made official at this time, but we can project which matches will be announced in the buildup to the pay-per-view based on the current WWE landscape.

What are those matches and who should fans expect to leave with their arms raised in victory come showtime? These are the matches that are projected for SummerSlam based on storyline development and on-screen interaction on WWE programming.

• Edge vs. Seth Rollins (Prediction: Edge)

• SmackDown Women's Championship match: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks (Prediction: Banks)

• Raw Tag Team Championship match: RK-Bro vs. AJ Styles and Omos (Prediction: RK-Bro)

• Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal (Prediction: McIntyre)

• United States Championship match: Damian Priest vs. Sheamus (Prediction: Priest)

WWE Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley

It seems like Goldberg is the new Brock Lesnar, a punishing badass from a bygone era dusted off to bolster the star power on any given PPV card. On August 21, he will set foot back inside the squared circle, this time to challenge WWE champion Bobby Lashley.

On the surface, it is not a particularly promising match.

Sure, Goldberg worked his ass off in last year's Royal Rumble match against Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, but he has also had far too many appearances where he looked out of shape or, you know, his age while squaring off against opponents in their athletic primes.

There is no reason to believe Goldberg can keep up with Lashley, which likely limits the overall quality the WWE Championship match can actually achieve.

That changes if it stays a short, intense brawl, and that is likely to be the case, especially after Lashley and MVP targeted the former WCW world champion's son, Gage, on Monday's Raw.

There's no way Goldberg beats Lashley, if only because it would be a slap in the face to everyone who has worked tirelessly to develop The All Mighty into the world-beater he has become.

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Universal Championship Match: John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns turned heel at last year's SummerSlam and has since developed into the main event attraction WWE spent six years trying to develop as a babyface.

Cool, badass, captivating and engaging, The Head of the Table is easily the best thing about today's WWE product and it's not even remotely close.

And with a major PPV on the horizon and the desire to sell as many tickets as possible, WWE brought back the one man it knew it could count on to drum up enough interest to do that: John Cena.

Cena is in the middle of incredible Hollywood success, with the recent releases of F9—the latest in the Fast and the Furious film franchise—and The Suicide Squad. His star power is undeniable, and he is a living legend in the world of sports entertainment.

One of the most beloved stars in company history, Cena will attempt to derail Reigns' run as the most dominant star in the company when he challenges The Tribal Chief for the Universal Championship in Sin City.

WWE likes to leave a lasting impression on fans at these huge stadium shows, whether it be with massive surprise returns or major storyline developments. But this will be the anomaly to that.

Reigns will smash his way to another victory, probably with a little help from The Usos, and the Universal Championship will remain with The Head of the Table.