10 Reasons SummerSlam Will Be WWE's Best Show Of 2016
7. New Stars Staking Their Claim
SummerSlam’s card is peppered with veterans. The likes of Randy Orton and John Cena have been with the company for well over a decade, and Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar stand right beside them. Elsewhere Natalya, Sheamus, and The Miz are fast approaching the 10-year mark themselves, but WWE aren’t leaning too heavily on their older workers here.
Far from it, in fact. For every veteran on SummerSlam’s card, there’s an exciting up-and-comer who’s either on the cusp of breaking-out, or already well on their way to reaching their peak potential. Moreover, most of the newer wrestlers are paired-up with more established counterparts, and there are countless opportunities for WWE to cement these athletes as major league superstars on Sunday night.
If Finn Bálor becomes the first Universal Champion, he’ll automatically be one of the biggest babyfaces in professional wrestling. The Irishman has enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the card, but his opponent, Seth Rollins, is widely considered WWE’s franchise player in 2016. Victory would be huge for Bálor, and send his career stratospheric.
Elsewhere, Enzo & Cass have a great opportunity to supplement their immense popularity by overturning Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens for what would be the biggest win of their careers. Unseating the loathed Miz would result in a huge spike in popularity for Apollo Crews, and if he beats Roman Reigns cleanly, Rusev ultimately becomes a major, major player in the main event scene.
SummerSlam presents countless opportunities to create new superstars, which is something that WWE typically haven’t done a great job of in recent years. Here’s hoping they pull it off on Sunday.