While WWE’s build initially positioned CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar as the true main-event of Sunday’s Summerslam, fan attention quickly has largely centered on the WWE Championship match between John Cena and Daniel Bryan.
Cognizant of that fan intrigue, WWE will be using the match, regardless of its card positioning, as its key storytelling platform Sunday.
With Vince McMahon heavily involved in the angle, Triple H confirmed as the guest referee and Money in the Bank Winner Randy Orton looming in the distance, Cena vs. Bryan will function as more than just a match. Noting the apparent certainty that Vince and Triple H will not be relegated to the strict roles of bystander and objective referee, F4WOnline.com reports the likelihood that Sunday’s match will launch a big picture McMahon family storyline with the potential to run through next year’s WrestleMania.
And though Orton cashing in seems almost too obvious and predictable to happen, his not appearing in any capacity seems unfathomable.
How WWE will execute the Cena-Bryan match remains to be seen, but F4WOnline.com notes that booking for that key bout–and the rest of the card–was finalized as of Sunday afternoon. While WWE likely worked overtime to plug the apparent leak that has been blatantly influencing betting odds and sharing PPV match outcomes on Reddit, such work reportedly happened ahead of Sunday.
No last-minute swerves, especially for the purpose of repudiating spoilers, are expected.