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WWE SummerSlam 2016 Betting Preview

WWE SummerSlam 2016 Betting Preview

Our betting preview for one of the biggest events in the WWE calendar

Anonymous

Anonymous

The biggest party of the summer is here! SummerSlam is WWE's second biggest annual event behind Wrestlemania, and this year's event takes place this Sunday in Brooklyn, New York.

In recent years this has been one of the best shows in WWE's calendar and 2016 looks no different with an absolutely stacked card.

The crowning of a new championship, a match 15 years in the making, the WWE championship on the line and a host of intriguing undercard matches means it's shaping up to great night of wrestling.

First up is a match that most likely will be bumped to the pre-show, a first round match of a best of seven series between Sheamus and Cesaro. 'The Swiss Superman' deserves a much higher space on the card, but a series win over Sheamus could be the start of dramatic move up the ladder.

Odds are close on their first match of the series, with Sheamus edging the betting at 8/11, but Cesaroat evens may be a worth a punt.

Four of the most over superstars in the company face off in tag team action, with Enzo Amore & Big Cass squaring off against Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. In their home town there is surely no looking past Enzo & Cass at 1/3 to pick the win here. If you are backing the upset though, Jericho and Owens can be found at 9/4.

Several championships will be on the line in New Jersey including Smackdown's Intercontinental title. It's fun to hate on the Miz but he has done some stunning character working since he picked up the IC title.

His opponent Apollo Crews on the other hand hasn't made much of an impact in WWE since debuting after Wrestlemania, with his character showing very little, if any, substance. His career trajectory desperately needs a shot in the arm before his singles career goes the same way as the likes of Tyler Breeze and Fandango.

He may very well get that here with Crews being the favourite at 4/7 with SkyBet to be crowned the new champion, while the Miz can be found at odds of 5/4.

It was 12 months prior at last year's SummerSlam that the New Day began their impressive reign as Tag Team champions and it appears the same venue will also see its conclusion. Their opponents Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson have been on a tear since the brand spilt and are 1/3 to become the new champions.

The New Day are the outsiders at 9/4 but have proven in the past they are no pushovers.

BetVictor
BetVictor

Sasha Banks defends her gold against Charlotte at the event many are calling SashaSlam. Banks is leading the charge for women's wrestling on the red brand and a feud with Nia Jax is the next logical step for her. There's no way Banks is losing here and SkyBet have her at 4/11 to retain, while Charlotte is 2/1 to win back the belt.

Reigns may have picked up the win over Rusev in the main event of Monday's Raw, but with the US title on the line, expect Rusev to crush his opponent. The Bulgarian Brute is short odds at 4/11 to retain the gold, while Reigns' slim chances of another victory can be found at 2/1.

The match may have some shenanigans to avoid Reigns taking another clean loss which could lead to further matches between the two down the line.

Smackdown's top prize sees a surprise challenger in DolphZiggler step up against WWE Champion Dean Ambrose. Despite Ziggler's resurgence since the brand spilt it's very unlikely he will be leaving SummerSlam as champion.

Unsurprisingly, Ziggler is a big price at 9/2, while Ambrose is a short favourite at 1/8. Whether a heel turn from Ziggler happens to revoke a rematch at next month's Backlash is another story.

In another huge match for the blue brand, AJ Styles takes on John Cena in a rematch from June's dream match. Styles may not have 'The Club' as his back up anymore, but he's still 1/4 favourite to beat John Cena. However it's tough to back against 'the face that runs the place' and 11/4 is a very tempting price for the 15-time World champion.

A match 15 years in the making and the first Raw v Smackdown match of the new era pits Randy Orton against Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is fresh off a victory at UFC 200 (and a subsequent doping violation), while Orton has just come back from a shoulder injury that took him out of action for nine months.

Despite some concerns over his doping violation, its unlikely WWE will abandon the Lesnar project just yet. He's still a top commodity for the company and is 1/4 to win here, while Orton can be backed at 11/4.

Finally a match to crown the brand new Universal champion sees Finn Balor take on Seth Rollins. This will surely be a classic and will most likely main event the stacked show. Rollins is the hottest thing in wrestling right now, while Balor is the most exciting new talent on the main roster.

Mix that in with the crowning of a new championship, albeit with a ridiculous name, and even with just a three week build, this match has all the potential to steal the show. Reports are that WWE are really high on Balor and it would be a shock to see him lose his first PPV match.

It would be wise to back Balor to win at 8/13 before the price changes, while Rollins is 6/5 to walk away with the title.

Words by: Craig Talbot

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