WWE SumerSlam 2025 predictions preview: Is John Cena's heel run about to end — and if so, was it a failure?
Currently there are a dozen matches featured across the two-night extravaganza and nearly every main-roster championship will be on the line, including Night 2's Undisputed WWE Championship rematch between John Cena and Cody Rhodes.
Ahead of the shows, Kel Dansby, Robert Jackman, Drake Riggs and Anthony Sulla-Heffinger — Uncrowned's Horsemen — gathered to break down the key questions heading into SummerSlam as well as make predictions for every match on the card.
Let's ride!
1. Let's take your temperature on the two-night SummerSlam — how are you feeling heading into the show and will the experiment be a success?
Dansby: It feels unnecessary. WWE already has a packed schedule, and SummerSlam works best as a one-night spectacle. The card doesn't feel deep enough this year to justify a split, and trying to stretch it out could lead to a loss of momentum between nights.
If WWE wants to test a two-night format, the Royal Rumble would be a better choice. Let the men's and women's Rumble matches headline their own nights. That way, both feel equally important, and the format plays to the Rumble's strengths without watering down SummerSlam.
Sulla-Heffinger: The card is absolutely stacked and should deliver on both nights from a pure wrestling standpoint, so I'm feeling very good about SummerSlam from that perspective. Running on two nights also allows for more matches to be on the card, longer times for said matches and more talent to be featured — again, a good thing.
But, if I'm going to be completely honest, as much as it makes complete financial sense for WWE and the host cities to expand these major events, from a fan's perspective, it does feel like less of a 'wrestling holiday' than it has in the past. For as much as fatigue sets in when a major PLE runs for six to eight hours, I think when we inevitably look back on them, the two-day split makes them feel a little bit more forgettable. I do think that we've become accustomed to the two-night WrestleManias and that Kel's idea to split the Royal Rumble across two nights works because the titular matches are the draw and should both be main-event moments. Maybe I'll feel differently on Monday, but for now it's a very mixed bag.
Riggs: I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, despite SummerSlam growing gradually bigger in recent years. I don't hate the concept, as it's the clear second-biggest spectacle on the WWE calendar. With that said, WWE should not get carried away and hold two-night events for anything else, such as Survivor Series. There are arguably already too many PLEs as is.
Ultimately, I think SummerSlam 2025 should be a success, but I would prefer it to be held as a two-night event on an infrequent basis to make it feel even more special.
Jackman: The move to two nights might seem like a jump, but in reality WWE has been laying the groundwork for this for years now. The whole shift toward these shorter PLE cards — the five-match cards that have been such a fixture of the Triple H era — seems like a precursor to turning some of the bigger shows into two-night affairs like WrestleMania.
Arguably, shortening PLE cards in the first place was the bigger risk, given that it requires padding the product out with so much filler content in order to fill the three-and-a-half hour runtimes. We've all seen those accounts on social media which measure the amount of time that runs between matches on your average WWE PLE these days. But given that WWE seems to have gotten away with the shorter cards, I don't see any massive risk in making SummerSlam into a two-night affair.
If anything, most of the grumbles I hear are about some of the talent who have been left off the card (take the absence of LA Knight and Giulia, for example), which suggests that, if anything, they could probably add a couple more matches.
2. Almost every championship WWE has is being defended on this show. Which title should change hands and which title will change hands?
Jackman: I'll pick the obvious one here and say that the Universal Championship needs to change hands, as it's the easiest way of overturning the errors of WrestleMania 41 and bringing the John Cena heel turn to a close. I know we have a bigger question about that in a few minutes, so I'll leave my reasoning for now (although at this point, you can probably work it out)
As for which title will change hands, I think the Women's Intercontinental title is the banker here. Becky Lynch has done a phenomenal job of elevating this new belt and allowing Lyra Valkyria to shine as the star that NXT watchers always knew she was, but the time has come to give the newcomer the clean victory she deserves.
Riggs: The "should" question is a tricky one, given the current state of the titles. There is a solid case to make for either a John Cena win or loss, but I'll look at the other men's world title match. CM Punk has to win a belt in his final stint with WWE, even if it's only for a short period. Otherwise, is he just going to continue this babyface run and forever feud with Seth Rollins? No, no, no. Give him the gold and go from there to lead back to his classic heel ways, because it doesn't feel like he's getting anywhere near there without a title. Gunther has already been a lost cause since his loss at WrestleMania 41, and the stupid "You tapped out" chants will never cease at this point. Hit the refresh button and ship him to "SmackDown."
Now, for the title change locks, I'll give you two. The obvious is Lyra Valkyria reclaiming the Intercontinental title due to the "no DQs" stipulation — unless WWE wants to put her into a nuclear feud with Bayley, having the latter cost her. It just seems too extreme and far out of character for WWE to pull the trigger on something like that.
Then there's the six-way (12-way?) WWE Tag Team Championship car crash, which could not be more designed to get the titles off the Wyatt Sicks while keeping them looking stronger than Thanos. Fraxiom has cooled off significantly since their arrival on "SmackDown," but this presents a great opportunity for them to shine and take their turn with these hot potato titles. Even if it isn't them, the pointlessness of The Wyatt Sicks stalling this division's greatness has to end here. If they win, it'll actually do even further damage by making them look impossibly unstoppable — if they haven't looked that way already. There is still no logic behind why they even want the titles. OK. I'll control my ranting and refrain here.
Sulla-Heffinger: We're rioting if Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss do not walk out of MetLife Stadium as the Women's Tag Team Champions. These two are the best thing going in not just the women's tag division, but all of "SmackDown" at the moment. These belts both should AND will change hands this weekend.
In the interest of providing two answers, however, I am going to agree with Drake and Robert in that the Women's Intercontinental Championship will change hands at SummerSlam. Becky Lynch, a slam-dunk Hall of Famer, has done exactly what she needed to do when she returned — and turned — on Lyra Valkyria a few months ago. She's elevated both the championship and Valkyria to new heights and now it's time for Lyra to spread her wings even further in the second half of 2025. (See what I did there?)
Dansby: Cody Rhodes should beat John Cena to reclaim the Undisputed WWE Championship. That moment would officially reestablish him as the company's top guy, while giving Cena the perfect chance to begin a much-needed babyface turn. The current heel run hasn't landed the way it was intended, and a loss here could be the catalyst for change.
3. Is now the time to turn John Cena back to a babyface? Would that mean the heel turn was an overall failure?
Dansby: Yes, and it absolutely means the heel turn didn't work. It was a bold swing, but nothing about the run ever clicked. The creative lacked consistency, and the storyline with The Rock and Travis Scott fizzled once both faded from TV. Cena was left in limbo, and the character shift never had the emotional weight it needed.
It's time to get back to what made Cena work for so many years. A return to form, with a clear purpose and a more authentic connection to the crowd, would help him finish this chapter on a stronger note.
Sulla-Heffinger: If you've been following how I've looked at the whole Cena heel turn, you'll know I think we're getting a little bit deeper than your standard "good vs. evil" story here, especially when it comes to Cena saying he's going to ruin wrestling. We have seen these hints at a Cody Rhodes turn and there's a belief that we might see a double turn at the end of the weekend, but I am not in that camp. I think we do see Rhodes continue this descent, with still-heel Cena being the catalyst, turning the purest babyface in the business and therefore 'ruining' wrestling. There's even some parallels in how Cena was corrupted by The Rock so we draw a line back to the Cody-Rock match that may or may not ever happen.
I won't outwardly call the entirety of this Cena chapter a failure because it has led to some truly great clashes, notably with CM Punk and Randy Orton, which have felt fresh instead of just rehashing decade-old rivalries. There was always going to be a challenge in doing this because of the retirement deadline at the end of the year, but I don't think we're quite at the conclusion of this Cena story, so I am going to still reserve some judgment.
Riggs: The heel turn was a failure, regardless of what the future holds. Unless Cena suddenly leans more into that Hollywood version of himself we expected upon launch, I don't know how it's salvaged.
As for Cena turning face again, I'm not entirely sure. It may require a double turn for maximum execution. Cena can still squeeze some juice out of his heel character for a couple more feuds, or whatever he could end up doing after dropping the title en route to his final match. With Rollins continuing to lurk until the Money in the Bank briefcase is no longer in his possession, I don't see Rhodes going heel. Therefore, I say wait on the Cena reversal of character. It's inevitable before his final match.
Jackman: It's a big fat yes from me on both counts. Sure, the John Cena heel turn was explosive when it happened, but most of that was just the shock value of overturning literally decades of character work in an instant. As we've seen with the New Day heel turn, lighting the fuse is the easy part of the heel turn; it's having somewhere to go with it afterward that is more difficult.
Given the amount of times we've called for this experiment to end, I sometimes have to remind myself that we're not bashing John Cena. If anything, it's the total opposite — we want to make sure we're not losing the chance to say a proper goodbye to the Cena we have so much admiration for. But the whole heel turn has been about depriving the fans of that feel-good moment they're clearly looking for.
4. Will we see any surprise debuts/returns during the weekend or at the Raw after SummerSlam?
Sulla-Heffinger: The name that immediately jumps out to me is Liv Morgan. After suffering a dislocated shoulder in June, her return timeline was reported to be 'several months.' It's been a little less than two months since her injury/surgery, so it would be a stretch to see her back so quickly, but we have seen faster-than-expected recoveries in the past. Even if Morgan isn't 100%, you could get her back involved in either of the major Judgment Day matches and keep her out of in-ring action until she's fully healthy.
I do think we're also going to see something happen with LA Knight. As Drake mentioned in one of his recent WWE recaps, it's bizarre that nothing has come to pass with Knight, even with Rollins being hurt. I would love to see him forcibly insert himself into the World Heavyweight Championship picture and go full anti-hero, regardless of who wins there.
Jackman: Funnily enough, I was rewatching SummerSlam 2022 the other day and I was reminded what a huge surprise it was to have that triple comeback with Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai. It was definitely one of the bonuses of the McMahon era coming to a close that it opened up all these surprise returns and debuts from wrestlers, some of whom maybe weren't in such good standing under the old regime but who had that direct line to Triple H and were able to get themselves rehired.
As much as I long to see a big surprise, the sensible part of me thinks WWE has already pulled the trigger on most of the debuts they've had in the works. I suppose they might find another Bloodliner to unveil during the U.S. title match — we know they've just trademarked 'Ethan Fatu,' for example — but hasn't that particular play been done to death by this point? If anything, it's become a bit of a cliché by now: "Wait, is that ... [Samoan/Tongan name]? That's the hottest free agent in wrestling!"
Dansby: I don't expect anything too shocking this year. WWE seems to be playing things pretty straight across both nights. That said, this could be a great time to reposition some of the current roster. Austin Theory, for example, could join forces with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed now that Seth Rollins is out for a while.
This kind of alliance could give Theory a fresh angle after his split from Grayson Waller. It would also help elevate all three guys and inject some edge into the upper mid-card.
Riggs: As fun as these always are, Uncrowned readers should know by now how little faith I have in WWE committing to surprises. Especially making them big with new talent. Something like an NXT wrestler showing up feels more likely. Perhaps a Ricky Saints sighting on "Raw," but I don't expect anything mind-blowing.
5. Is the winner of Naomi, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley just keeping the Women's World Championship warm for Stephanie Vaquer?
Riggs: Yes, yes and yes some more. Vaquer is so clearly the future dominator, and I'm all the way here for it. Why not elevate a woman into that epic Roman Reigns "longtime unstoppable force" role?
Maybe not something that extreme, but close to it would be cool, and someone like Vaquer fits that mold beautifully. How epic could it be with her as a standalone, faction-less character?
Anyway, the answer is yes. It seems clear to me that a Ripley vs. Vaquer super-feud is inevitable — and that should kick off at Clash in Paris.
Jackman: This is one that I can't quite work out for the life of me. The fact that they've invested heavily in building up Naomi makes me assume they want her to have a long-ish title reign, but how do you level that with the fact that they're booking Stephanie Vaquer as the strongest debutant (at least on the women's side) in years? You can't have them both win in Paris.
Making Vaquer wait a bit longer before she gets to hold a title might be the more likely route out of that situation, given WWE's fondness for title changes occurring on the bigger PLEs (rather than smaller shows like Clash in Paris). But that would also leave us with the question of why the Vaquer match had been set up in the first place, given that it wasn't like it had to happen…
Maybe there's some convoluted solution where Bianca Belair returns during the triple-threat at SummerSlam to cost Naomi, thus freeing up the latter to go after Jade Cargill and keep the momentum going on that feud. It would also let you run Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer in Paris, which 'La Primera' can win without damaging Sky too much.
Would that work? Given that I feel like the Charlie Day conspiracy theory meme trying to map this one out, it's probably too clever by half … Honestly, I revert to my previous answer: I really can't work this one out — and perhaps that's not a bad thing.
Dansby: In a way, yes. Stephanie Vaquer has caught fire, and it's clear the crowd is behind her. But instead of giving her the title right away, having her fall short in her first big opportunity could actually do more for her longterm.
The best babyface stories are built on the chase, not an immediate payoff. Losing now and then building momentum toward a Royal Rumble win would give her a huge moment on an even bigger stage. It's all about timing, and this might be the smarter play to keep fans emotionally invested in her journey.
Sulla-Heffinger: Vaquer's star is undeniably burning bright and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who would complain if she was Women's World Champion after Clash in Paris. I do agree with Kel, though, in the sense that the big babyface payoff should come further in the future for Vaquer. The work Naomi has done in reinventing herself as the women's division's biggest true heel should not be overlooked and there's plenty of room for more heat, especially if she beats three of the most popular names on the WWE roster in Sky, Ripley and Vaquer in August.
Much like the Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley triple threat at WrestleMania 41, look for this to be in the discussion for match of the weekend, with Naomi walking out with a major win.
Predictions
Undisputed WWE Championship Street Fight: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther (Jackman) vs. CM Punk (Dansby, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
WWE Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton (Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Jade Cargill (Dansby, Jackman)
Women's World Championship: Naomi (Dansby, Jackman, Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Iyo Sky vs. Rhea Ripley (Riggs)
Intercontinental Championship: Dominik Mysterio (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) vs. AJ Styles (Sulla-Heffinger)
Women's Intercontinental Championship (No DQ): Becky Lynch (Dansby) vs. Lyra Valkyria (Jackman, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
United States Championship Steel Cage Match: Solo Sikoa (Jackman, Riggs) vs. Jacob Fatu (Dansby, Sulla-Heffinger)
WWE Tag Team Championship TLC Match: Wyatt Sicks vs. DIY vs. Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Andrade & Rey Fenix (Jackman) vs. Fraxiom (Dansby, Riggs)
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez (Jackman) vs. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss (Dansby, Riggs, Sulla-Heffinger)
Roman Reigns (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) and Jey Uso (Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed
Randy Orton (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) and Jelly Roll (Sulla-Heffinger) vs. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul
Sami Zayn (Dansby, Jackman, Riggs) vs. Karrion Kross (Sulla-Heffinger)
2025 standings
Robert Jackman: 29-15
Kel Dansby: 29-15
Drake Riggs: 25-19
Anthony Sulla-Heffinger: 24-20
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