3 Biggest WWE SummerSlam Snubs as Major Superstars Left off Two-Night Event

WWE SummerSlam begins on Saturday, with WWE splitting the event over two nights for the first time. However, many deserving talents are MIA as the event approaches airtime on Peacock in the U.S. and Netflix internationally.

While some injured wrestlers (Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio and Liv Morgan) are not advertised for good reason, some available talents should have received the spotlight on the expanded card.

Here are three wrestlers who aren’t booked as WWE SummerSlam takes over MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Plus an honorable mention, who we think might still show up.)

Honorable Mention: Bayley

Bayley being left off SummerSlam — whether by design or unintentionally — is being used to fuel her on-screen character. While it’s a shame she isn’t booked on SummerSlam, we would not be surprised if she made her presence known by interfering in one of the matches on the card. (The most likely bet is the Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria bout.)

1. Nikki Bella

While you might jeer at the concept of a recently-returned WWE legend taking a spot on the SummerSlam card, it is just odd that Nikki Bella isn’t wrestling at the event.

She is one of the biggest crossover wrestlers ever, with a literal WWE Hall of Fame resume. Her return was much-hyped, only for her momentum to slow after her presumed next rival, Liv Morgan, went down with an injury. Why couldn’t WWE cook up something else for one of their most popular talents to do?

2. LA Knight

Another missed opportunity comes with LA Knight not appearing at SummerSlam. He’s one of WWE’s top face acts, and the company could have leveraged his injury-induced win over Seth Rollins to build some momentum. However, he’s nowhere to be found, frustrating fans who believe he should either be the top champion or at least steadily booked in a top feud.

3. Giulia

Japanese wrestler Giulia is one of the most exciting WWE additions over the past couple of years. It’s a shame that the TKO-owned company seems to be botching her momentum.

Giulia is the current WWE Women’s United States Champion, but she’s been saddled with fizzling heat thanks to SmackDown’s lackluster handling of storylines — especially for women. Her bland feud with former U.S. champ Zelina Vega was blown off on Friday’s SmackDown episode. They could have at least given the pair a few minutes on SummerSlam to help showcase Giulia as the major talent she is. Plus, the spotlight could have helped elevate her new partnership with the returning Kiana James.