Tune into SummerSlam tonight that will start off with a Kickoff Show featuring a Mixed Tag Team Match that sees Lana and Rusev taking on the team of Zelina Vega and Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas.
Read WWE.com‘s preview below:
The rivalry between Rusev & Lana and Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega will reach its boiling point when the two pairs square off in a Mixed Tag Team Match during the SummerSlam Kickoff, streaming live tonight at 5 ET/2 PT.
The Bulgarian Brute and Almas first faced off last month on SmackDown, following an argument between Vega and The Ravishing Russian about whose associate was the superior competitor. It was Almas who walked out victorious, following a distraction caused by Aiden English, who was trying to break up a scuffle between Lana and Vega.
The two women then took to the ring themselves to settle the score on the July 31 edition of SmackDown LIVE. Lana looked to have things in control against Vega, until English ran to ringside to neutralize an interfering Almas, only to once again cause a distraction, allowing Vega to roll up The Ravishing Russian for the three-count.
One week later, Rusev was in Lana’s corner to counter Almas as his wife and Vega squared off again. Rusev & Lana had asked an apologetic English to stay in the back for this one, but The Artiste could not help himself once he saw Rusev in trouble in a struggle with “Cien” at ringside. He tackled Almas but knocked him into Lana, once again costing The Ravishing Russian the match.
English vowed that he would make it up to his friends. What that means is yet to be seen. However, Rusev & Lana will certainly be looking to even the score with their rivals next Sunday.
Later on the main show, Carmella defends the SmackDown Women’s Title in a Triple Threat match against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair:
Mella is Money. Becky Lynch is on a streak hotter than straight fire. And now Charlotte Flair is back with the natural focus of a champion. Which of the three elite Superstars will walk away from their SummerSlam Triple Threat Match with the SmackDown Women’s Title?
Lynch, the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion, has been chasing the title for almost two years, often coming up just short despite an overwhelming amount of grassroots support from the WWE Universe. The ever-resilient Becky Balboa has recently found new, amassing a 5-0 streak that culminated in a victory over The Princess of Staten Island — the very defeat that earned her the title match. However, the championship bout was destined to become more complicated with the reemergence of The Queen.
Flair turned the established title match upside-down after returning to SmackDown LIVE to help Becky fend off Carmella’s sneak-attack and overcoming the titleholder in the show’s main event. The Queen’s win transformed the SummerSlam championship showdown into a Triple Threat Match. Having the six-time Women’s Champion in the contest will undoubtedly change the dynamic. As fearless as she is athletic, Charlotte she is one of many Superstars responsible for the Women’s Evolution, from being the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion to competing in the first-ever Women’s Hell in a Cell Match against Sasha Banks. After having her title stolen from her via Carmella’s cash-in, she will enter The Biggest Event of the Summer with a score to settle with The Princess of Staten Island.
The Queen and The Irish Lass Kicker would be wise not to underestimate a competitor like the arguably underrated titleholder. Like her or loathe her, Carmella knows how to win when it counts. She has played every technicality and loophole in the book to her advantage, using a Money in the Bank cash-in to dethrone Flair, taking advantage of an injury to win the rematch and wrangling James Ellsworth back from exile to survive two challenges from Asuka. Though her chinless accomplice has since been fired for the second time, Mella has shown that she has pretty of tricks up her sleeve and will definitely not go quietly into that good night.
The Raw Women’s Championship will also be on the line at tonight’s SummerSlam when Alexa Bliss defends the title against Ronda Rousey:
Some might say that the conflict between Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey began back in January when the debuting Rousey seized the spotlight just moments after the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match to stare down the victorious Asuka, as well as The Goddess of WWE and then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. Any unspoken animosity came to a head at WWE Money in the Bank when Little Miss Bliss interrupted Rousey’s first title opportunity against Nia Jax, attacking both Superstars and causing the match to be thrown out before cashing in her contract on The Irresistible Force to become a five-time Women’s Champion.
After Bliss continued to antagonize Rousey the next night on Raw, the already-seething Baddest Woman on the Planet attacked the newly-crowned titleholder, but she made the mistake of putting her hands on Raw General Manager Kurt Angle and a slew of WWE officials. Although Ronda’s transgressions earned her a 30-day suspension from the red brand, that didn’t stop her from buying a front-row ticket to WWE Extreme Rules and turning the title bout upside-down when Bliss and her friend Mickie James incorporated various underhanded tactics during Alexa’s Extreme Rules Match against Jax.
The following night, Angle announced the highly-anticipated showdown between Bliss and Rousey for The Biggest Event of the Summer, and the title fight promises to be extraordinary from start to finish. Rousey is a truly fierce competitor who has defied every expectation while completely adapting herself to WWE’s style and is now poised for greatness. Alexa Bliss is a Superstar who knows how to win at all costs and refuses to take a back seat to anyone.
Discuss the show in the comments!
