WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 Matches: Feuds with Biggest SummerSlam Implications

The second-biggest WWE pay-per-view of the year is just around the corner with WWE SummerSlam 2017 airing on August 20. WWE Great Balls of Fire will be the last major event from Monday Night Raw before the show and will have serious consequences on the future direction of WWE going into the Biggest Party of the Summer.

While it is possible every match on Sunday's card will have an effect on SummerSlam, only a few of these feuds will clearly make a major impact on the show with it possible some of these rivalries will be left off the card entirely come SummerSlam.

This is a jam-packed card with many potentially excellent matches throughout. From Alexa Bliss defending her Raw Women's Championship against former three-time champion Sasha Banks to Sheamus and Cesaro facing the legendary Hardy Boyz who have held the tag team gold in WWE eight times, every championship will be on the line with competitors who could very well be headlining SummerSlam.

It will also be a night of personal vendettas with a main event level clash as Braun Strowman will attempt to settle his war with Roman Reigns in an Ambulance match. Rivals and top contenders will battle with gold and future glory on the line that will lead right into SummerSlam, but which of these feuds will be worth watching the most closely for their implications toward SummerSlam?

Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

At the end of June, the women of WWE main-evented Raw, SmackDown Live and NXT back-to-back for the first time in history, another showcase of how serious WWE is about legitimizing the women's division. SummerSlam should continue this momentum with major matches from the women of both Raw and SmackDown.

Who will represent the brands? For Raw, the answer will certainly include either Alexa Bliss or Sasha Banks. Their match at Great Balls of Fire could just be the start of a rivalry, but it may also allow the company to choose which woman would be the safest bet to represent the company on such a major night.

Bliss dominated SmackDown for most of 2017 before she was drafted to Raw and has quickly re-established that position on Raw as women's champion. However, Banks may be the most popular female competitor in WWE, only held back by a slew of injuries to her back. Those injuries, though, have made 2017 a forgettable year for Banks so far.

Given WWE has frequently given higher-profile matches to the Raw women on shows featuring both brands, the result of this match could determine the most important women's wrestling match at SummerSlam.

Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz

Credit: WWE.com

While tag team wrestling has not been the highest priority in recent years for WWE, The Hardy Boyz have been a huge focus on Raw since they returned at WrestleMania 33. Even though Sheamus and Cesaro are currently the tag team champions, it is thanks to the Hardys that they are on the main card in huge matches each month now unlike their first tag title reign.

This will be one of the biggest tag team matches in recent memory as an Iron Man match is guaranteed to last 30 minutes, longer than any tag match in years. This contest is meant to be a classic that boosts the status of its competitors. The winners here will likely be once more given serious time to represent the tag team division at SummerSlam.

If Matt and Jeff Hardy emerge victorious, their next opponents will have to be built up heavily as stars to prove their worth. The angle will likely outshine many of Raw's other top stories. It is even possible that SmackDown will miss the card entirely as the entire focus for tag team wrestling will be on Raw's division.

If Sheamus and Cesaro emerge victorious, it would be a major boost to their standing in the company, defeating two legends twice on PPV in long battles. It would behoove WWE to continue that momentum by giving them a major role at SummerSlam as well, even without the spotlight the Hardys demand.

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

This match can be considered a No. 1 Contender's match for the WWE Universal Championship. Roman Reigns already stated that he wanted to fight the universal champion at SummerSlam before Strowman returned to make clear he was not yet done with The Big Dog.

Moreover, Strowman was so clearly slated to be Lesnar's first opponent as champion that his elbow injury forced a complete reshuffle of Extreme Rules to build up a new challenger to Lesnar. Both men are poised to take up the main event spot for Raw at SummerSlam, but only one of these rivals will walk out victorious.

If WWE plans to follow through on Reigns' promise to challenge the Raw world champion at SummerSlam, a win would solidify his standing. However, he could just as easily be cast down if he loses to Strowman, giving the big man the match he should have had at Great Balls of Fire instead.

Even without a championship on the line, the result of this match will greatly impact SummerSlam, defining its potential main event as well as making clear how two of Raw's top stars will be used at the The Biggest Party of the Summer.

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe

The wrestler who wins this match will main-event SummerSlam. Monday Night Raw has always been WWE's top brand, and Lesnar is the company's biggest attraction on Raw. Lesnar will only be losing if WWE is ready to make Joe the next top star in WWE.

Joe defeating Lesnar would have seemed impossible a month back, but the build to Great Balls of Fire has sold Joe as a true force of nature. Regardless of the victor, one of these men will walk out Raw's top champion, and they will be headlining SummerSlam against Reigns or Strowman.

It is also likely the loser will be paired with the loser of Reigns vs. Strowman. It would be easy to sell SummerSlam with Lesnar vs. Strowman and Reigns vs. Joe as the top two feuds for Raw. These monster clashes could be enough on their own to sell what has consistently been the second-biggest show of the year for WWE.

Obviously this match will be Raw's most important contest as the main event of Great Balls of Fire, and the result could easily change how this year's SummerSlam is viewed by fans. Is Joe ready to take that top spot? Can Lesnar continue to be a major part of WWE for many months to come? Nothing is certain just yet, making SummerSlam even more unclear.