Why Potential SummerSlam Matches Happened on TV Instead

A couple of matches that were originally scheduled for SummerSlam ended up happening on Raw and SmackDown this past week. Here’s why, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Sami Zayn vs. Aleister Black – After Vince McMahon “tore up ” the original SmackDown script this past Tuesday just a couple of hours before air and it was being rewritten, there was still one hour of TV time to fill, so a decision was made to just put this match on SmackDown instead of the PPV.

Four-Way Women’s Tag Team Title Match – This match was also reportedly originally scheduled for SummerSlam, but WWE decided to put it on Raw so that it wouldn’t be overshadowed by other matches on the card, and in order to give the match more time. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross won the match to become the new champions.

Here’s where a couple of other potential matches stand…

Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan – As mentioned, WWE will very likely not have this match at SummerSlam because they want the storyline to play out more, which is probably a good idea since it would seem very rushed if they didn’t. Also, Meltzer says that Bryan’s career-altering announcement storyline appears to have been dropped.

Drew McIntyre vs. Cedric Alexander – This match is still listed on WWE’s internal card, but it’s not clear if it’ll happen.