Night of Champions — WWE’s latest PLE in Saudi Arabia — is set for this weekend. While the card itself is stacked with matches that WWE fans have been clamoring for, the event is still a Saudi show, which has been treated as a glorified house show with only a few exceptions over the years. Therefore, eyes will turn to the next marquee event on WWE’s PLE calendar, SummerSlam.
Emanating from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on August 2 and 3, this year’s edition of SummerSlam — WWE’s second-biggest show of the year — will mark the first time the event will be hosted over the course of two days, much like WrestleMania has over the last five years. Because of the scale and scope of the event, I expect many of the scheduled paradigm-shifting moments in WWE will occur at this show. Therefore, let’s get into some of the matchups WWE might explore for SummerSlam 2025, and how you might book them in WWE 2K25 Universe Mode.
Booking SummerSlam In WWE 2K25 Universe Mode
Cody Rhodes And John Cena Are Running It Back, Like It Or Not
I’ll be completely honest, I wanted John Cena and CM Punk to have their huge blowoff at SummerSlam because the idea of them doing that at Night of Champions is honestly quite crappy. However, it’s already been confirmed that the winner of the King of the Ring tournament will get a guaranteed title shot at SummerSlam. With the finalists in the KotR being Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, it seems almost like a foregone conclusion that Cody and Cena will have their WrestleMania rematch at SummerSlam. And fantasy booking things that aren’t realistic is a waste of time.
Granted, a Cena-Cody rematch seemed all but imminent considering the (hastily constructed) conclusion to their WrestleMania bout. And given that Cena will retire by the end of the calendar year, it’s probably best to get the title off of him this summer without prolonging it to December and stealing away from the WrestleMania build for next year. Therefore, Cody will likely win in August.
I do have concerns about this, though. I love Cody and think he is a great top guy for WWE. But the mood seems to have shifted within the WWE fanbase as it seems they’ve reverted to the whole “cheer the cool heels, boo the white meat babyfaces” routine we saw during the 2010s.
Now, maybe this leads to a Rock-Cody confrontation next year. Maybe it starts the path to babyface redemption for Cena. Either way, Cody is walking out of SummerSlam with the strap.
Asuka And Iyo Sky Will Tear The House Down
As much as I see Jade Cargill being a major player in the women’s division very soon, I can’t help but think that everything is leading up to a SummerSlam showdown between former Damage CTRL stablemates Asuka and Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship. And honestly, it’s the right decision.
Not only are these two performers among the best in the world, but there’s enough history here to ensure that fans will quickly get invested. Having a title on the line only adds to the gravitas that this match will have.
If you’re booking this match in Universe Mode, there are two ways you can go about it:
- Have Iyo Sky retain in a 5-star classic where both competitors come out looking better, and get the ball rolling on a rematch down the line
- Asuka resorts to her heelish ways and wins the title off Iyo dirty. This protects Iyo (who is super over) and gives them a good storyline for more matchups later as well.
Finn Balor Faces Dominik Mysterio For The Intercontinental Championship, And Is Ousted From Judgement Day
Dominik Mysterio’s ascent up the card has been the thing of legend. In just a few years, “Dirty Dom” has gone from a rejected babyface viewed merely as a nepo hire, to one of the most over heels in WWE. And the time has come for the incumbent Intercontinental Champion to step out from underneath Finn Balor and take his rightful place at the top of Judgement Day.
As for Finn, it’s long overdue that he return to being a babyface and leave the Judgement Day faction. I doubt he’ll ever be treated as a top guy ever again, but there’s likely way more stories to be had with Finn being aligned as a face — he’s done everything he can.
For weeks, WWE has teased AJ Styles going heel and aligning himself with the Judgement Day. So why not have Styles interfere, cost Finn the match, align himself with the villainous faction, and oust Finn? It makes sense, and if you’re playing Universe Mode, this could set up some big money feuds in the future.
