WWE Summerslam 2018 match card, preview and schedule

Bengaluru, August 19: The 31st anniversary of Summerslam is set to take place on tonight. All the championships will be on the line from both Raw and Smackdown Live. For the fourth straight year, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York will be the host of the show.

The Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is the headliner of the show. WWE Network will broadcast the event, live as per subscription basis. In India, there is another network who will bring the live actions from Summerslam on TV.

Here is the schedule,

Live Streaming: Monday, August 20, 4.30 AM (WWE Network/Sony Ten 1/Ten 1 HD Network)

Repeat telecast: Monday, August 20, 6 PM (Sony Ten 1/Ten 1 HD Network)

Wednesday, August 22, 9 PM (Sony Ten 1/Ten 1 HD Network)

Sunday, August 26, 2 PM (Sony Ten 1/Ten 1 HD Network)

Check out the match card of the show alongside predictions,

Pre-show:

Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak (Cruiserweight Championship)

The current champion may be the heart and soul of the Cruiserweight division. But a change in the title picture is needed badly on 205 Live. Gulak is a veteran who is in the same spot as Alexander since day one. He deserves to be the champion. This is the best time for him to win with his own heel faction providing a backup.

The B-Team vs. The Revival (WWE Raw tag team championship)

The current run of The B-Team has failed to make any impact whatsoever. Handing over the tag titles to teams like The Revival would mean more relevance to the belts. Summerslam should be the event where Dash and Dawson take the titles away from these two maniacs.

Rusev & Lana vs. Andrade Cien Almas & Zelina Vega (Mixed tag team match)

The underrated storyline entertained us a lot on Smackdown Live. This mixed tag team match eyes to do so at Summerslam pre-show. Rusev and Lana are the favorites to seek redemption after a series of losses. Aiden English will show up to ensure his good friends gets the victory.

Main show:

Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The New Day (Smackdown tag team championship)

The New Day has been on a roll as of late. There could not be another team on Smackdown right now who could dismantle the Bludgeons except for the veteran trio. So we predict the first-ever tag team title win for them after coming to the blue brand. The rivalry would continue even after the PPV.

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (Intercontinental championship)

Dean Ambrose and Drew McIntyre will be standing in the corner of the challenger and champion, respectively. Many do believe that Ambrose will turn heel against Rollins to cost him the championship. But it is likely that ringside shenanigans should be the reason. WWE creative would not ruin a future Shield reunion at any cost.

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (U.S. championship)

Randy Orton is bound to interfere in this match ensuring Nakamura's title retention. This would set up a Hell in a Cell match between these two superstars at the next PPV event. Well, we can't wait for this mouth-watering bout.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

Not much attention of the fans is invested into this match. Since Baron Corbin is up for a push after a long time, he is likely to get the win against Balor. A PPV win against the first Universal Champion will help to raise his status.

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (Raw women’s championship)

Spoilers do hint that Ronda Rousey is set to pick up the women's championship for the very first time. However, don't be mad if Alexa retains. She would make arrangements for distractions courtesy of Alicia Fox or Mickie James. In that case, Rousey's big moment will be pushed back till Evolution PPV.

Carmella (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (SmackDown women’s championship)

Becky Lynch is the strongest contender to win the championship at Summerslam. But she just could not pick up the momentums in these bygone Smackdown episodes. Carmella, on the other hand, has presented herself with the best heel antics. Hence, the officials might just allow her to continue the championship reign.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

'Eight years in the making' is the tagline of the match which should be the best match of Summerslam crowd. Expect the Brooklyn crowd to be raucous than ever during this contest. In the end, it would be Daniel Bryan who will pick up the win aka the sweet revenge he is looking for.

Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens (Money in the Bank contract match)

This match stands 50-50 at this moment. Anyone of these two could win and cash it in during the Universal Championship match later the night. Since Hell in a Cell is advertising Owens to take on against Roman Reigns, we believe the heel would win the MITB briefcase. This would ensure another title win for the Prizefighter.

AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe (WWE championship)

This dream feud has just begun on Smackdown Live. Future bookings suggest these two will be engaged in numerous battles over the next couple of months. So an abrupt title change is not expected at Summerslam. AJ Styles would retain to continue his title reign for more than 300 days.

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (Universal championship)

Brock Lesnar's UFC contract determines how this match would end. A volatile Brooklyn crowd might also affect the outcome which is not likely to favor Roman Reigns. He is the current favorite to finally dethrone the reigning champion. However, expect the Money in the Bank holder could run out to beat up the new champion and steal the title right away. Prepare yourself to get a swerved finish for this match.