WWE SummerSlam 2022 Preview: Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar — One Last Time?

WWE’s “Biggest Party of the Summer” will be at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on July 30, and the show will be centered around one “last match.”

No, not Ric Flair’s last match, which will also take place on July 31 as part of Starrcast V. SummerSlam’s main event will feature Roman Reigns against Brock Lesnar in what is being billed as the last encounter between the two larger-than-life stars.

This will be the sixth one-on-one encounter between the two, the last taking place at WrestleMania 38 on April 3, where Reigns became the undisputed Universal Champion. If Flair’s match on the same weekend is of any indication, it’s highly unlikely this will be the final encounter between Reigns and Lesnar.

Knowing that, it does add some intrigue as to what the finish will be for the match. That appears to be the overall theme for SummerSlam; the results are fairly predictable but how WWE chooses to deliver a satisfying result will be the thing to look out for, especially with new management.

SummerSlam will be Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s first premium live event since taking over as head of creative from Vince McMahon on July 25, after McMahon resigned on July 22. How much things will change in a week’s notice is unknown, but every move will certainly be scrutinized.

Without further ado, let’s dig into the card — (c) denotes champion heading into the match.

The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio) vs. The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Bálor) — No Disqualification match

Honestly, there’s not much to say about this match. The Judgement Day have terrorized The Mysterios; if you haven’t been watching “Raw” in the weeks leading up to this match, that’s all you missed — they even did it while Rey Mysterio was celebrating his 20th anniversary in WWE, the audacity. Finn Bálor needs a big win since taking over as leader of the group, and with the match being no DQ, faction member Rhea Ripley can help out in the win.

Winners: The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Bálor)

Logan Paul vs. The Miz

Logan Paul and The Miz have done a lot of brawling. Again, you haven’t missed much on “Raw.” Miz has cut his typically heel promos, along with his wife Maryse, and Paul has attempted to cut babyface promos, but his run in WWE has been shaky. While there is no doubt Paul is in great physical shape, he has a long way to go to pay off the long-term deal he signed with WWE.

Winner: Logan Paul

Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch

SummerSlam 2021 was a disaster for Bianca Belair. The current Raw Women’s Champion held the same title then heading into Las Vegas and was set for a rematch against Sasha Banks. Banks was declared unable to compete, and Lynch made her surprise return after taking time off after her daughter’s birth. Lynch squashed Belair in swift fashion and cut off Belair’s momentum while giving rise to Lynch’s current heel persona.

WWE may tell you this match is a year in the making but don’t fall for that. Legit main-event talents don’t lose in that fashion, and to WWE’s credit, they’ve done a good job to build Belair back up, but they need to repeat the same result from WrestleMania 38. Belair needs to defend her title again against Lynch and beat her clean.

Winner: Bianca Belair

SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey

Like Belair, Liv Morgan needs a clean win at SummerSlam. Throughout the build to this match, Morgan has been positioned as an underdog against Ronda Rousey, “the baddest woman on the planet.” Morgan needs to graduate from this if WWE is truly committed to her as a top star. The problem is the potential of outside interference. Ric Flair will be in Nashville for his final match, and it’s likely Charlotte Flair will be there for her dad.

Charlotte has been out since WrestleMania Backlash, where she lost the title to Rousey. The scenario of Morgan winning the match because Charlotte distracted Rousey feels very likely, so WWE can set up a triple threat match in the future. This would be disastrous for Morgan because she would automatically be the third wheel in the feud. Again, if WWE truly sees Morgan as a main eventer, she beats Rousey clean.

Winner: Liv Morgan

Undisputed Tag Team Championships: The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)

Jeff Jarrett will be the special guest referee for this match. Why? Because Nashville. For those who don’t know, the Jarrett family has a strong pro wrestling history in Tennessee thanks to the United States Wrestling Association, where Jerry “The King” Lawler was the territory’s top star. Will Jarrett have a significant impact on this match? Most likely no.

The assumption is WWE really wanted to do a rematch with these two teams, but they didn’t want to do a gimmick match, so they settled on a special guest referee. The Usos and Street Profits continue their feud, and this sadly may be the last time the Street Profits tag in a high-profile match with rumors of a Montez Ford singles push.

Winners: The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)

United States Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Theory

Look, this is just another match for Theory to get embarrassed in and lose; let’s move on.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin

The rise of Pat McAfee has been enjoyable to watch. The former NFL punter and podcast host electrifies the WWE crowd whenever he talks on the mic, and he has shown his athleticism can put him through fun matches. Happy Corbin is a great opponent for McAfee because Corbin can continue to eat losses, and WWE will never stop pushing the guy in these high-profile spots. While the match won’t garner any “match of the night” considerations, this can easily be a match to get a crowd hyped up.

Winner: Pat McAfee

Undisputed Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar (Last Man Standing match)

To call out the elephant in the room, the fact fans see a double count-out as a possible finish shows how they view the WWE product. The fact there is no definitive answer to the question of whether this match ends in a non-finish shows WWE is never afraid to abandon a story for heat. WWE can make headlines with a non-finish, but it’s part of why their shows have a declining audience.

Roman Reigns just feels like the logical winner. There’s no purpose in putting the titles on Brock Lesnar, especially with his rumored walk-out on SmackDown after McMahon’s departure. While there remain problems of who Reigns feuds with after the match, the whole purpose was to sell tickets, and they’ve done so — selling over 35,000 at Nissan Stadium, per WrestleTix.

Winner: Roman Reigns

For a bonus prediction: Theory cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase but fails because WWE has done nothing but make Theory look silly in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, and a failed cash-in would be the perfect crescendo to all the build.