Previewing top matches for WWE’s SummerSlam 2026

MINNEAPOLIS, MN —The WWE’s ‘Biggest Party of the Summer’ is now less than 24 hours away, as SummerSlam 2026 will take place Saturday and Sunday live from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

SummerSlam has something to offer for every WWE fan. From the two dream matches, one of which will be the main event each night, to the matches with crazy stipulations to some longtime feuds coming to a potential end.

As a way to preview the second biggest PLE of the year, I have put together a list of the five matches I am most excited for. 

5. Gunther vs. Nick Aldis

WWE has been teasing SmackDown GM Nick Aldis’ in-ring return for some time now after his mini-feuds with Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton, and are now finally cashing in, giving Aldis a tall task against the ‘Ring General’ Gunther. I am excited for this match for one main reason. Nick Aldis has been a professional wrestler for over 20 years. He started in the UK, before moving over to TNA and NWA where he held world championships in both. He has flourished in his GM role, but seeing him back in the ring, and for many fans seeing him in the ring for the first time, will do much more for him than continuing as GM would. For one, the WWE is putting him back in the ring at SummerSlam, which tells me they trust him. Also, having him feud with Gunther, in a rivalry that has been very entertaining, especially seeing Aldis absolutely lose it and be ‘forced’ to get back in the ring, gives him breathing room. Even if he loses the match, which he should and probably will because Gunther needs this win, he can certainly ‘win’ the WWE Universe over by putting up a stellar and exciting performance. I can’t wait to see how Aldis does. 

4. 5-Way Interim WWE Women's Championship Ladder Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Giulia OR Lash Legend

With Rhea Ripley injured and not able to compete at Summerslam, the WWE made a great decision by making this interim title match a ladder match, as the big events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam usually feature one of them. There was some talk about Rhea just vacating the title instead of their being an interim, but I like the idea, as Rhea will have someone the WWE chooses to boost up in order to face off with her when she returns. As for the match itself, the four women already chosen have a great bit of recent history, and are sure to put on an entertaining match. As for predictions, I want to see the same person that I wanted to see win Queen of the Ring, and that’s Charlotte Flair. She has a long ongoing feud with Rhea that could be revisited, and she could also take on a flurry of competitors until Ripley comes back, like a Chelsea Green, or someone newer like a Jacy Jayne. As for a pick out of left field, I wouldn’t mind seeing Giulia beat Lash Legend and go on to win the Interim Women’s title. She is one of the best pure wrestlers on the roster, and I know the fans would get behind her seeing her climb the ladder. Still, the format promises fun, and a feud with Rhea hangs in the balance. 

3. Intercontinental Championship: Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable

There has been a lot of talk about ‘finishing stories’ in the last five years in the WWE, after Cody Rhodes finished his at WrestleMania 40. There is one story that needs to be finished at SummerSlam, and that is Chad Gable’s fabled redemption arc. Penta’s first match in the WWE was a victory over Gable. Gable then spiraled downhill, turned on his friends in Alpha Academy, and wanted to mock the art of Lucha Libre, but ended up actually gaining respect for it while competing as ‘El Grande Americano’ in AAA, and ended up in one of the greatest WWE matches of all time against the new Grande Americano. After losing, he was unmasked, revealed as Chad Gable, and returned to Raw and went on an apology tour to all the Luchadors and friends he offended. All of that to say, he has now gotten in the good graces of most of the roster and the luchadors, won a gauntlet match to guarantee his spot in this title match, and now has a rematch with Penta over a year later for the IC title. I love Penta as champ, but it is absolutely the right decision for Gable to complete his character arc, and this time defeat the Luchador for the title he has never held, in front of his home crown in Minnesota. Gable earned it with his run in AAA and how over he was able to get with the fans. Technically speaking, Gable has been one of the best for a very long time. Him going up against the high flyer in Penta, who has one of the best if not the best current title runs in the company, magic is bound to be made. Let’s just hope the WWE makes the right choice on the winner. 

2. World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins

This one speaks for itself. These two men have been tied to each other since the beginnings of their careers when they started in the WWE as The Shield. A final huge match toward the back end of the careers always felt inevitable. While the build to this match seemed a little odd, with Seth claiming this title shot by basically just saying “hey, we’re brothers and we have a lot of history and you have never really beaten me so it’s my turn”, that underlying excitement is still there, and we are still going to get a classic match between these two. While I believe Roman will probably win, we do know that Triple H wants to treat SummerSlam like Mania, in the sense of having something huge happen. And what would be bigger news out of this than Seth beating Roman yet again? My only concern here is that the Bloodline will get involved. Whether they help or hurt Roman, I want this feud to be settled once and for all by Rollins and Reigns, no one else. This is a SummerSlam night two main event, so there should be very little to no shenanigans going on. If that remains the case, this will be an amazing match, potentially the best of the weekend, to no one’s surprise. 

1. Hell in a Cell: Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Everyone thought this was a one match feud between Lesnar and Femi, after ‘The Ruler’ squashed ‘The Beast’ at WrestleMania, and Lesnar seemingly retired in front of the Las Vegas crowd. A few months later, not only did Lesnar come back with a vengeance, but he actually handed Femi his first loss on the main roster at Clash in Italy, setting up this grudge match. The WWE has built this feud beautifully, painting Oba as a monster, and the sure next face of the company, while also maintaining Lesnar’s beastly ways, and making Oba have to go to deeper lengths to slay the beast than just his dominant performance in their first match. In my opinion, there is a right and a wrong decision here. It is wrong for Brock to win this feud, which would kill all of Oba’s momentum he has built since arriving on Raw. He took a loss in which he still looked like a monster. Now, inside Hell in a Cell, hopefully after a 10+ minute match in which we see Oba and Brock both destroy each other but refuse to lose, Femi will tap into that gear that will carry him to the top of the WWE for the next 15 years, and the gear that an older Lesnar no longer has, and establish his spot at the top. The WWE already made a questionable decision having Femi ignore the title shot he earned to go after Lesnar; so having him do anything but win would spoil this story for me, and for many fans. 

These matches, and more, have me hyped for SummerSlam. Tune in Saturday and Sunday to see updates on this highly anticipated spectacle.