WWE Rumors: ‘SummerSlam’ Main Event Reportedly Confirmed
According to the Wrestling Observer Radio‘s Dave Meltzer, by way of WrestlingNews.co, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre will reportedly headline SummerSlam. The journalist said that the plan was to set up their rivalry this week, but the company delayed taping it in order to wrap up a current storyline.
“They were going to shoot a Drew McIntyre-Randy Orton SummerSlam angle [last night]. I presume it was taped for the second show that was taped [for next week]. I don’t know that as a fact because I was told in the afternoon that the angle taping is still on but it could have been for the second show so they did not do [the angle on Monday] because they are doing Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler for the title in a rematch [for next week].”
Meltzer stated that the Ziggler and McIntyre rivalry is being extended in an effort to increase plummeting Monday Night Raw ratings. Their next — and presumably final — showdown will see McIntyre pick a unique stipulation. After that, the reported plan is to start taping the footage for Orton and McIntyre’s program.
The latest development won’t come as a shock to fans who’ve been following McIntyre in recent months. The World Champion has stated that he wants to face “The Viper” at the pay-per-view and even compared him to The Joker. It appears as if the Scottish performer sees Orton as the ideal villain to go up against.
McIntyre is being billed as the red brand’s top babyface at the moment, while his purported opponent is arguably the biggest heel in the entire promotion right now. A program between the pair seems inevitable, especially for WWE’s second-biggest event of the year.
The match will undoubtedly be for McIntyre’s title as well. He’s been defending it on a regular basis, against all challengers, since WrestleMania. Orton is perhaps the most decorated opponent he’ll encounter during his reign, however. The superstar has held the title 13 times, and a win against him will give the Scotsman some extra credibility.
Orton was originally slated to compete against Edge at SummerSlam. However, the Hall of Famer picked up an injury during their encounter at this year’s Backlash. He’s been engaged in a war with The Big Show since then, but that storyline seemingly came to an end on the latest episode of Raw.
The card for the upcoming pay-per-view could still be subject to change, but the event is only a matter of weeks away and the company will be looking to build towards it moving forward.
