A new report has uncovered the original matches for Kevin Owens, John Cena, AJ Styles, and Charlotte at SummerSlam. According to SportsKeeda’s Billi Bhatti, Cena was supposed to face AJ Styles; Shane McMahon was supposed to face Kevin Owens, and Naomi would have faced Charlotte. It was changed to Owens vs. Styles, with McMahon as guest referee, and Cena vs. Baron Corbin. Charlotte is not on the card.
Even though the details are not confirmed, it seems as if Cena vs. Styles was changed so that WWE could allow the McMahon/Owens feud develop a longer and lead to a match at Hell in a Cell, as WWE wants a marketable match for that show. The site also says that the Styles vs. Owens match at Battleground was changed mid-match.
The plans for Charlotte vs. Naomi at SummerSlam were changed less than two days prior to Battleground, as Natalya won the #1 contender’s match. It was done to extend Naomi’s run with the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
