8 Surprises At WWE SummerSlam 2026

WWE

With King of the Ring now behind us, WWE’s next premium live event is the biggest party of the Summer, SummerSlam, in Minneapolis.

There are already a number of big matches set for the show, including major world title clashes and a Hell In A Cell match.

Last year’s SummerSlam ended with both nights with major moments, and there are more suprises potentially in store for this year’s event.

Here are 8 potential surprises we could see take place at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

Roxanne Perez Costs Liv Morgan Women’s World Championship

Since coming up to the WWE main roster last year, Roxanne Perez has been a member of the Judgment Day on Raw, with her being initially introduced into the group by Finn Balor.

With Balor now out of the Judgment Day, he had been attempting to get Roxanne to leave the group, with her recently pledging her allegiance to the group.

However, Liv Morgan has been intentionally leaving Roxanne out of Judgment Day plans in recent weeks as the evergreen tension in the group continues to ramp up.

Roxanne may end up the latest in a long list of names to leave the Judgment Day at SummerSlam, costing Liv her Women’s World Championship against IYO SKY.

Randy Orton Returns To Cost Cody Rhodes WWE Championship

In the main event of WrestleMania 42 night one, Cody Rhodes retained the Undisputed WWE Championship against Randy Orton.

However, after the match, Orton would spring back to life, dropping Cody with a title shot before Punting him in the head to close the show.

We have not seen Orton on WWE television since WrestleMania, with him reportedly dealing with an injury even before the match with Rhodes.

With unfinished business between the two, SummerSlam would make for the perfect time for Orton to reappear, costing Cody his likely shot at the WWE Championship.

Drew McIntyre Returns & Targets Trick Williams

Another name we have not seen on WWE television since his defeat at WrestleMania 42 is Drew McIntyre.

Drew was defeated by Jacob Fatu in an Unsanctioned match on the show, with his absence from television being due to his Hollywood commitments, including a role in the upcoming Highlander reboot.

When McIntyre reappears on WWE television, he should do so with a different edge and goal in mind.

The United States Championship is the one title Drew has yet to win in his WWE career, and he would make for a fun rival for Trick Williams over the title in the months after SummerSlam.

Zilla Fatu & Solo Sikoa Join The Bloodline

Since WrestleMania, we have seen the Bloodline slowly come back together on WWE television, with Jacob Fatu being forced to fall in line after his loss at Clash In Italy.

The family has been attempting to get Solo Sikoa to rejoin their side over the past few weeks, with Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga both leaving Solo alone and ending the MFTs.

SummerSlam will likely see a six-man tag team clash of some kind featuring the Bloodline’s Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu, likely against Solo, LA Knight and Royce Keys, which could see Solo turn and rejoin his family.

Adding in the reports that Zilla Fatu may also be on his way to WWE soon, and the Bloodline could be two whole members stronger coming out of SummerSlam.

Bronson Reed Costs The Vision World Tag Team Championship Against Alpha Academy

On this week’s Monday Night Raw, Maxxine Dupri officially left Alpha Academy and joined Austin Theory and the Vision, helping Theory and Bron Breakker regain the World Tag Team Championship.

Otis & Akira Tozawa were left abandoned by Maxxine after she rejected Chad Gable’s attempt to apologise to them all.

The likely scenario will see Otis and Tozawa eventually challenge the Vision for the World Tag Team Championship, potentially winning the titles as tensions begin to rise in the group.

Bronson Reed has not been on WWE television since February, where he suffered an injury during an Elimination Chamber qualifying match.

The landscape of the Vision has continued to change without Reed’s involvement, so he may return with some resentment, and actually cost the group the titles as Heyman thinks he’s coming to their aid.

CM Punk Turns Heel To Retain WWE Championship

With CM Punk now reigning as the Undisputed WWE Champion, it seems likely that a clash between himself and Cody Rhodes will take place at SummerSlam.

It was recently reported that WWE believes Punk’s title reign will be a ‘lengthy’ one, with him likely to walk both in and out of SummerSlam with the gold.

Cody Rhodes has been the victim of many major heel turns over the past few years, including John Cena, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, with Punk potentially set to be next on that list.

While Punk is still incredibly popular as a babyface, many fans have been eagerly awaiting his heel run since his return in 2023, and it may finally be upon us.

Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins Embrace After Main Event

At SummerSlam, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins seem set to close a twelve year chapter when they do battle for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Rollins and Reigns took part in a recent promo segment, where they acknowledged the pair growing older and coming to the end of their careers, with Reigns still yet to score the victory over Rollins when it really counts.

With this clash potentially set to be the final time we see Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns in a major one-on-one encounter, it’s sure to be an emotional one both for fans and for the two men.

When all is said and done, and the dust settles at SummerSlam, we could see the two men finally letting go of their past, embracing in the centre of the ring at the biggest party of the Summer.

Oba Femi “Cashes In” Championship Shot To Win World Heavyweight Championship

During Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns’ first promo segment, Rollins noted that the pair are closer to the end of their careers than the start, and that the ‘next generation is ready to take our spot’.

After winning the King of the Ring Tournament, Oba Femi forwent his guaranteed title opportunity to settle things with Brock Lesnar inside Hell In A Cell, noting that the title ‘will always be there’.

With Oba and Brock’s Hell In A Cell match likely to open the first night of SummerSlam, Oba has the opportunity to finally finish things with the Beast, which opens his path back up to becoming World Champion.

Last year’s SummerSlam ended with Seth Rollins’ cash in and the ‘Ruse of the Century’, and WWE is likely to want a similar shocking moment to close this year’s show too.

Oba not getting a title shot at SummerSlam after winning King of the Ring would be a very questionable piece of booking, so it’s entire possible that WWE is planning ahead, and the show will end with Oba as champion after all.

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