After the events of Great Balls of Fire, and with just one (SmackDown) pay-per-view to go in the interim, it's natural for everyone's attention to turn toward SummerSlam.
No championships changed hands at Great Balls of Fire, and the villains, by and large, won across the board. Roman Reigns backed an ambulance with Braun Strowman in it into a trailer, and Finn Balor didn't even feature.
The staff members of WWE on ESPN each has their own thoughts about how they think SummerSlam might play out, and in that spirit, each has gone out on a limb with a bold prediction for the card.
Andrew Feldman: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a steel cage match
Listen, as wrestling fans we watch the same set of matches over and over and wonder when they will end (hint WWE staff, please end The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose). But I want more Braun. And I kinda want more Roman. These two have gone at it for the past few months, and each time they've been put together, they've had memorable matches filled with amazing moments. Now, put them in a cage and finish this battle.... Heck, maybe have Strowman beat Reigns up so badly that Ambrose and Rollins run in and try to save their former Shield brother. Now that's something I could get behind.
Tim Fiorvanti: Charlotte Flair will win the SmackDown women's title -- and Carmella will cash in on her
Naomi has been doing some great things with the SmackDown women's title, but as she moves away from Lana and into some more serious rivalries, the opportunities for a changing of the guard, so to speak, will grow. I foresee a three- or four-way match for the title at SummerSlam that will involve Flair, Becky Lynch and perhaps Natalya. Flair will get her triumphant fifth title win, but Carmella will continue to build upon her nuclear heat by cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase on a beat-up new champion and walk away from SummerSlam with the title. Bonus points if James Ellsworth plays a part.
Michael Wonsover: Kurt Angle plants seeds for first match
Kurt Angle as the Raw GM has been fun, but everyone knows it's a matter of time before he gets back in the ring. SummerSlam might be the first time we get an idea of who his opponent will be (Triple H? Brock Lesnar? Samoa Joe? Bray Wyatt?).
Sean Coyle: The Balor Club vs. The Miztourage
At Great Balls of Fire, The Miz -- with the help of his newly acquired allies Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas -- defeated Dean Ambrose to retain his Intercontinental Championship. This was the 10th one-on-one meeting between Miz and Ambrose, and it would seem that it's time for both superstars to move on to something else, something fresh and exciting.
There's not a more exciting persona on the RAW roster than Finn Balor, who was peculiarly left off of the Great Balls of Fire card. Another duo left off the card? Balor's former New Japan Pro Wrestling Bullet Club comrades and former RAW tag team champions Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. What better way to pull Balor out of the downtrend he finds himself in than by pairing him up with his former stablemates and create WWE's version of the Bullet Club -- the Balor Club -- something many fans have desired for a while now.
The Miztourage and Balor Club trios would match up nicely and aid in creating two potential rivalries past SummerSlam in Balor's pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship and Gallows and Anderson mixing things up with Axel and Dallas.
Matt Willis: John Cena sets the record
After successfully disposing of Rusev at Battleground, John Cena will defeat Jinder Mahal to win his record-breaking 17th world title, breaking a tie with Ric Flair. Although it's not the mega-match in which WWE would likely prefer Cena to get the record, the fact that he's going after a true heel in Mahal gives WWE the best chance to get more cheers than boos, even from the notorious Brooklyn crowd. Bold prediction No. 2: It won't help as much as WWE would like, and more than half of the Barclays Center will be rooting on Mahal and his cronies.
Matt Wilansky: Chad Gable will win the United States championship
Yes, this is complicated on many levels. First off, AJ Styles just won this belt in a house show, but the reality of relegating him to upper mid-card status doesn't feel like a long-term play, and I don't see Gable taking on Styles at SummerSlam. So perhaps Kevin Owens takes the title back from Styles in the next couple of weeks, setting up a feud between the "New face of America" and a true red, white and blue performer. For whatever reason, Gable has seen some singles competition lately, and he's good. Really good. Like Shawn Michaels, it feels like going solo is going to launch Gable's career to the next level for years to come.
Omar Powell: Demon King Finn Balor def. Brock Lesnar for Universal Title, and the Bullet/Balor Club officially forms
Paul Heyman cuts a promo stating no man nor entity can beat Brock Lesnar, which prompts Demon Balor.
Demon Balor appears before Heyman and Lesnar to make his bid for the Universal Title. In the bout, Balor gets the initial upper hand on Lesnar, but Lesnar begins to overpower him.
Then the referee is knocked unconscious, and Anderson and Gallows attack Lesnar. The lights come back on, Balor hits the Coup de Grace, and SummerSlam ends with the Bullet, or Balor, Club in the ring, with a too sweet between the three.