Blaine’s Back – SummerSlam Preview and Predictions

This year’s WrestleMania 31 was one of the biggest yet, and SummerSlam looks to build on the hype that was reaching fever pitch at the end of July’s WWE Battleground. So far, 2015 has been a massive success for the sports entertainment juggernaut that many had begun to count out amid drops in TV ratings and waning popularity. However, the success of the online-enabled WWE Network and increased focus on top-notch pay-per-view events has paid off in spades for Vince McMahon and company.

While TV ratings may have dropped to a near-all time low for the industry, more of this can be contributed to the decline of network and cable television rather than the WWE itself. Despite the dip in ratings, the company is doing just fine and announced the highest quarterly revenue in company history for the first quarter of 2015.

14413_Taker_v_LesnarA new crop of bankable stars along with a concerted effort to shift to a more interactive and on-demand model with fans has helped the company stay ahead of the curve and remain afloat in a business that sees many others continuing to flounder. One thing that continues to pique interest among fans and casual sports enthusiasts alike is the increased ubiquity of gambling on professional wrestling events. It’s totally legit and, you know, a thing that you can actually do. While you can’t place a wager on regular events like “RAW,” for example, many bookmakers offer odds on the larger events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam with tons of fun side bets.

For us, if you’re going to do some sports betting, you need to do it right and that means Vegas (if you can swing it, of course). We think the best place to sit down and watch it all go down is definitely the MGM Grand with its plush leather seats, plenty of space and veritable ton of TVs. The casino’s sports booking service has 36 different 60-inch screens and 24 different 42-inch screens. You’ll never watch wrestling the same way again and there’s no better way to make sure you catch every inch of the action.

Getting back to the action, the Undertaker already spoiled Lesnar’s fun during the Deadman’s match against Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Battleground. But now, Lesnar will have his chance for revenge as he gears up for a highly anticipated rematch to get back his coveted championship belt.

It’ll definitely be difficult to determine which way the match is going to go. Longtime fan favorite the Undertaker is looking to reestablish his claim to the championship while Lesnar seeks to prove he has what it takes after losing in the his last two PPV matches. The site reports that Lesnar is favored for the fight with odds at 4/7 but The Undertaker is no slouch and still has a good chance of success at 5/4 so things could definitely still go either way.

The legendary Sting finally made his WWE debut at this year’s WrestleMania and we have our fingers crossed that we might get an encore for SummerSlam. Sting will not be in attendance at this year’s event, but that hasn’t stopped plenty of speculation that the iconic wrestler may make an impromptu appearance-if for nothing other than to spoil the fun of Bray Wyatt.

Personally, if the option is available, we’re totally putting a healthy side bet on Sting making an appearance in the ring along with his trusty baseball bat. Bonus points if he comes out of the rafters.

-Blaine

About MattFromRI

Bucs fan. Podcast producer. Social media manager. Movie goer. Gamer. Filmmaker. Reader of comics. King under the Mountain.

Posted on August 6, 2015, in Guest Blogs, Wrestling and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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