Chicago Sun-Times: 'SummerSlam' beginning to heat up already

If the WWE is planning to turn things around in the near future, it needs to take advantage of major PPV events like "WrestleMania," "Royal Rum-ble" and the one coming up--"SummerSlam."

The "Raw" and "SmackDown"-only shows are strong and feature big- time main events, but the times fans can see all the big stars on the same card are becoming few and far between. On Aug. 24, the WWE will present its summer spectacular from Phoenix and will pull out all the stops to get the train back on the tracks.

On the "SmackDown" side, it is hard to predict some matches considering they still have their PPV to run between now and "SummerSlam"--but it is a safe bet Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar will face off in their much-anticipated "WrestleMania" rematch.

The WWE seems to shake up its title at SS every year, so I won't be surprised to see the "Vengeance" winner drop the title after a short run. As for the "Raw" side, the view is a bit clearer. No doubt HHH will defend the title vs. Goldberg in what should be a terrific feud.

HHH needs to drop the strap to get some interest back in the "Raw" brand. Kane should be at the peak of his current angle, and a match vs. RVD makes sense. I could see HBK and Kevin Nash winning tag-team gold, and the rumor mill has Booker T and Randy Orton starting a feud over the Intercontinental title in the coming weeks.

HEARD AROUND THE RING: Mark Jindrak's push has been held back for now, so don't look for him to join Evolution anytime soon. ... Goldberg is suffering from an infected arm and has been taking house shows off. Some think he is jeopardizing his feud with HHH. ... The Rock is planning to be at the Aug. 4 edition of "Monday Night Raw" from Vancouver, British Columbia, where he is filming his latest movie. Rock is planning to be back in the WWE full-time by Jan. 1 and will be a major part of the "WrestleMania" show next year at Madison Square Garden. ... Sounds like Chris Benoit is the favorite to win the U.S. Title Tournament at "Vengeance."

HOTLINE: Hear an up-to-the-minute inside scoop on two NWA/TNA stars talking to the WWE about making the jump, as well as the WWE's plans to hand Stone Cold Steve Austin a microphone in an uncensored environment. All this and much more on the hotline: (900) 990-SLAM ($2 per minute).