Following the go-home edition of SmackDown Live, we can now look at the list of WWE superstars from the blue brand who will be missing from the 2018 SummerSlam show—at least, as far as what is currently being advertised.
There is always a chance more people are added to the mix or there is some kind of change to the card later this week or even at the last minute, but for now, this post will fill you in on the men and women who are either guaranteed to be left off the show or are at least in danger of that happening.
Some of these omissions make perfect sense and others are a bit more questionable, so let’s take a look at the list and see where these wrestlers fall as we breakdown the SmackDown Live talent missing from the pay-per-view lineup right now.
From the SmackDown Men’s Singles Division
— Kane: As he was elected mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, Kane is going to be perpetually missing from action for several years and will only pop up here and there sporadically, at best. Therefore, this is the last time he’ll be mentioned on this list. Going forward, it should be assumed that he’s a no-go for any upcoming pay-per-view, including even the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, unless stated otherwise.
— Randy Orton: The fact that Randy Orton isn’t included in the United States Championship match is perplexing to me. Does WWE want to drag that potential Triple Threat out and do it at Hell in a Cell? Do they not want to muddy the waters with a heel/heel Orton vs. Nakamura dynamic? If that’s the case, why continue having Nakamura feud with Hardy when Orton’s the one taking priority? This is quite odd and if he’s not added into the match, rest assured he’ll make an appearance to cost Hardy the win.
— R-Truth / Tye Dillinger: R-Truth and Tye Dillinger have been paired up a lot recently, but they haven’t actually formed some kind of official tag team. Still, they’re in very similar positions, having taken roles as stepping stones for Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura to help set up their matches at SummerSlam. That’s better than nothing, but it isn’t exactly a great position to be in. From my point of view, I’d love to see Dillinger get a serious push, but after months of being on the sidelines, I’m not holding out any hope post-SummerSlam of this being the case.
— Shelton Benjamin: Where has Shelton Benjamin been? I don’t even remember the last time we saw him, but it couldn’t have been any time recently, right? Apparently, outside of live events, it was June 12th. Obviously, with that statistic in mind, The Gold Standard has nothing to draw from to do at SummerSlam.
— Sin Cara: If my memory serves me correct, the last time Sin Cara did anything other than losing to Andrade “Cien” Almas was when he offered to babysit The Miz and Maryse’s daughter in a random backstage segment. Per usual, nobody should expect anything different from him any time soon, as he’ll probably only be used as enhancement talent.
From the SmackDown Women’s Division
— Asuka: Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Empress of Tomorrow has 100% succumbed to an issue that happens in WWE quite often, when someone goes from being undefeated to having their streak ending and then can’t seem to win anything afterward. It’s almost like an active decision to cut the legs out from these superstars and force them to the back of the line on purpose, rather than “just how things go” or something less malicious. There had been some rumors that Asuka would make the title match a Fatal 4-Way, but really, why? She lost twice to Carmella and it’s doubtful she’d win this one, and we haven’t seen her get any momentum, so there’s no point.
— The IIconics: Despite coming up to the main roster and feeling like a big deal, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce really haven’t done anything at all. I can’t remember them competing on any pay-per-views or being able to stick to any feud long enough to really get something going. Instead, they seem to just pop up when needed to lose to Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Asuka. Weird. Surely, they’ll compete at Evolution, and maybe they’ll even win the rumored Women’s Tag Team Championship, but somehow, I doubt it.
— Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville: Everyone takes a step back at some point, and Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville have done just that recently. They were served up to Becky Lynch to help put her over and now that that’s been accomplished, what’s there left for them to do?
— Naomi: Not being on this card isn’t the end of the world for Naomi. It’s doubtful anyone is really noticing all that much that she hasn’t been factored into the plans recently, and she probably could use some time off to heal up some nagging injuries and be utilized elsewhere. It’s better than being sent out to lose to Carmella multiple times on the path to this event, right?
— Nikki Bella: Per usual, Nikki Bella is off doing other things like Total Divas/Bellas. I wouldn’t expect her to do anything at Hell in a Cell or the Super Show-Down, either. Look out for her at Evolution at the earliest.
— Tamina: Not seen since the Royal Rumble, Tamina is still out of action due to her torn rotator cuff injury.
From the SmackDown Tag Team Division
— SAnitY / The Bar / The Usos: I’ve lumped all three of these tag teams together because they have the exact same situation going on. They were involved in the four-team tournament to determine who would get a title opportunity against The Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam, which was won by The New Day. Since that fills up the SmackDown Tag Team Championship spot on the card, there isn’t anything else for these guys to do, other than to potentially make some kind of run-in appearance. If that’s the case, it will likely be SAnitY who does that, but even that is a bit of a stretch, as it’s more believable that all three teams just won’t do anything at all.
— The Colons: Primo and Epico really should just be released already to cut everyone’s losses. They haven’t done anything of value in so many years, if ever, depending on your perspective, and they’ve been completely missing as a tag team since being moved over to SmackDown last year. In singles competition, there’s been one or two times where one of them have been used, but that’s it. It really makes you wonder why they haven’t either been released or quit.
— The Good Brothers: Sadly, it seems like a general rule of thumb is that you can count on Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows not having anything going on at the moment. Anderson touts his abs and Gallows stands next to him. These two came in with such fire and haven’t really amounted to much, for whatever reason. It’s a shame, as they deserve better, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if they left the company when their contracts expire early next year.
Do you think these men and women or any others not on this list should have been booked on the card in some fashion? How would you have utilized them if given the opportunity? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
