10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE SummerSlam 2021
John Cena to beat Roman Reigns via roll-up?! It's hardly an impossible result in 2021...
You're an optimistic lot, aren't you?
Some might call you starry-eyed dreamers.
It was thought that WWE was only recycling matches to a more eco-friendly extent than usual, after WrestleMania, ahead of the return of live fans. They were saving fresh combinations as part of a reset of sorts. Yes, that was it. That was some good copium, that was. As the end of the ThunderDome beckoned, a whole host of new, exciting matches were imminent.
This turned out not to be the case; RAW and SmackDown without the John Cena segments are just the same old sh*t, and even the superficial changes in personnel never amounted to anything. Remember Toni Storm? She got used once and hasn't been seen since.
Karrion Kross has been normalised faster than perhaps any WWE wrestler ever. He's just there, existing as a just a guy before Vince even got bored of him. The old complaint - that Vince gives up on wrestlers after three weeks before they are banished to the 50/50 realm - is no longer accurate. Most don't even pass a tryout these days. It's wild.
With a pessimistic bent, presented to you now is a harsh dose of reality ahead of Saturday...
10. Will The Show Be Any Good?
Expectation:
It's going to be awful because WWE is uniformly horrendous and, as a member of the pro wrestling media, this is the only biased opinion that can possibly be held.
Reality:
It's going to be great!
The stadium backdrop is going to look spectacular, big-time, beautiful. You're going to see pyro out the ass. You're going to see bespoke, cool entrances. You're essentially getting a freebie WrestleMania in August to make up for the surreally drab murderer-inspired WrestleMania 36.
The prospective match quality is strong, and the performers in the two key matches built on SmackDown are massively over. Well, three of the four are anyhow. The curfew imposed upon the show that will allow punters to also attend the big Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas fight will, in turn, impose much-needed discipline on WWE. Every modern WrestleMania is inherently uneven and exhausting. That isn't happening on Saturday. Moreover, since Triple H isn't booked on the card, the runtime of a modern 'Mania will be reduced by an additional 50 minutes.
It's going to be great! Probably! The more you question that, as this list intends to do, the more anxiety creeps in!
Two quite spectacularly awful exceptions are virtually assured, though...