There are only a few days left before WWE SummerSlam 2015 and the card is pretty stacked, but there is a somewhat obvious omission: the pre-show.
With the event being 4 hours long, one could argue that there isn’t a need for a match to take place on the pre-show, as that may be overkill. However, without a match being on that part of the event, there essentially is no need to watch it.
All of the video packages that will play during this time frame will also play during the event itself before each respective bout, and they’re only made up of images we’ve already seen in the weeks and months leading up to SummerSlam. All of the interviews and “expert analysis” from the pre-show panel can be written off in a few key staple phrases about how it’s anyone’s game, so and so will have to fight hard to contend with X and Y, you never know what’s going to happen, rinse and repeat.
That being said, there aren’t many people left off the card who aren’t skipping it due to injuries, so what options does WWE truly have for a kickoff match?
The Ascension vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady
Konnor and Viktor are two of the most noticeable absentees when it comes to the SummerSlam card, particularly seeing as how the Tag Team Championship match includes essentially every other team on the main roster. Why The Ascension got the boot and Los Matadores are in the match, I have no idea.
Also odd is the lack of Team SAWFT from the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn card. Since both shows are in an area that should theoretically adore Enzo and Big Cass, WWE can’t surely be leaving them to stay at home entirely, right? That’s why I suggest tossing them onto the pre-show. It’s not a sink or swim part of the card, but it’s in a spot that could give them a good introduction on the main roster and expose them to an audience that may not watch Raw every week.
The tag team division could certainly use another babyface team with The Usos incapacitated, The Prime Time Players not exactly popping the crowd like Steve Austin in 1998, The Lucha Dragons being ignored and Los Matadores being…well…Los Matadores.
A Random Match with Two Extraneous People
Some of the names who are not involved in a feud and at this point, would be lucky to get a random match with no build or meaning behind it, are Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Fandango, Jack Swagger, R-Truth, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, and Curtis Axel.
Since none of them are in a program, WWE could literally toss any of them into a match with any other person and it would mean about the same, with the exception being Sandow vs. Axel, as that would mean their team is officially done (instead of just seemingly so).
If that were the case, I’d make an argument that the most fun scenario would be Fandango against Bo Dallas just for something peculiar, but I’d have to tip my hat in Mark Henry’s direction for someone that deserves better than being missing in action.
Bumping a Regular Show Match
Sadly, this scenario has happened before where WWE’s overbooked a card and had to remove a match or cut something insanely short. Despite SummerSlam being four hours long, it could happen here, as it’s happened at WrestleMania before.
If they start booking the show and they realize that there isn’t really enough time they can dedicate to each of the matches, they can always move one of them up to the pre-show. It’s unfortunate for that match to not be featured on the normal card, but wrestling as the kickoff match is still better than sitting out entirely like the people above will be doing.
If that were the case, the most likely option would be Kevin Owens versus Cesaro. While many fans such as myself are looking forward to that and would rather see some other bouts take the cut (in my case, Sheamus and Randy Orton are enough of a bore that I wouldn’t mind seeing them off the card entirely, for instance), this is probably the match WWE values the least overall.
What would you like to see happen with the pre-show? Are you okay with it being nothing but backstage interviews, panel analysis, video packages, tweets from the WWE Universe and some promos or do you want to see a match take place? If so, what match would you like to see?
Tell us your thoughts, booking ideas and predictions in the comments below!
