WWE SummerSlam 2017: Match Card, Odds, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

As wild as it would have sounded last year, there's a chance Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and two-thirds of The Shield will claim championship gold at WWE SummerSlam 2017.

Sunday's pay-pay-view has its share of familiar names, from John Cena to Brock Lesnar, but the card is also flush with fresh faces—Superstars poised to make the New Era their own. Nakamura is in a WWE Championship bout against Jinder Mahal. Joe is one of four hosses set to battle in a Fatal 4-Way match for the Universal Championship.

Young stars will make their SummerSlam debuts. Well-traveled grapplers just beginning to make their mark on WWE will grace the PPV's stage too. 

Short builds are poised to hamper a handful of the bouts, but there should be plenty of thrillers and memorable moments at the summer blockbuster. Count on AJ Styles and Kevin Owens to deliver in their U.S. title bout. And don't sleep on Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship.

On Sunday, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is set to welcome stars old and new, talent representing the past and the future, in one of WWE biggest events of the year.

Potential Spoilers

Paul Heyman has promised that if Lesnar loses on Sunday, both he and his client will leave WWE. That subplot added a great wrinkle and deepened the suspense around the bout. That was until Barclays Center's social media team jumped the gun.

As Total Wrestling magazine pointed out, the arena's Twitter account announced Lesnar would be at Raw the next night:

That points to Lesnar retaining the Universal Championship. Barclays Center staff aren't the only ones providing potential spoilers on the bout. As Dave Meltzer noted on Figure Four Online: "Lesnar is advertised for more dates after the pay-per-view as well."

Nikki Bella mentioned that she would be in the front row for fiance Cena's match against Baron Corbin:

Her sister may make an appearance as well. Brie Bella is set to be in SummerSlam's host city. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com said "Brie Bella will be in New York City this weekend," noting that she would be in town to film Total Divas.

And as for whether Carmella will cash in her Money in the Bank contract on Naomi or Natalya come Sunday, she hinted at waiting to pounce. In an interview with Gorilla Position (via Ash Rose of TalkSport), The Princess of Staten Island said: "At the moment, my plan is to hold onto the contract as long as I can."

Match Card

• Akira Tozawa vs. Neville (Cruiserweight Championship)
• The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan vs. The Miz and The Miztourage
• Naomi vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)
• John Cena vs. Baron Corbin
• Randy Orton vs. Rusev
• Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
• The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
• Big Show vs. Big Cass (Enzo Amore in a shark cage)
• AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)
• Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)
• Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)
• Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe (Universal Championship)

Betting Odds 

The numbers are likely to shift again just before the PPV, but the betting odds suggest we'll see three new champions crowned at Barclays Center. The numbers also point to Cena breaking his six-match losing streak at SummerSlam on Sunday.

The SummerSlams odds, as of Friday, are as follows, per OddsShark:

• Lesnar (-320) vs. Joe (+300) vs. Reigns (+1000) vs. Strowman (+1350)
• Nakamura (-275) vs. Mahal (+325)
• Banks (-290) vs. Bliss (+210)
• Styles (-500) vs. Owens (+300)
• The New Day (-175) vs. The Usos (+135)
• Rollins and Ambrose (-350) vs. Sheamus and Cesaro (+275)
• Tozawa (-140) vs. Neville (Even)
• Rusev (-200) vs. Orton (+150)
• Cena (-200) vs. Corbin (+150)
• Big Cass (-600) vs. Big Show (+350)

Cass is the biggest favorite of the night with minus-600 odds (bet $600 to win $100). That's an implied probability of 85.7 percent. It looks like Amore is going to have watch his former friend score his biggest career win to date.

Predictions

• Tozawa over Neville.
• Naomi over Natalya.
• Cena over Corbin.
• Rusev over Orton.
• Balor over Wyatt.
• The New Day over The Usos.
• Big Cass over Big Show.
• Styles over Owens.
• Banks over Bliss.
• Nakamura over Mahal. 
• Lesnar retains.

Tag Team Championships

The slow, hesitant reunion of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins has been one of Raw's best stories during SummerSlam season. The two former members of The Shield still don't trust each other, but they have decided to unite against a common enemy.

Namely Raw tag champs Cesaro and Sheamus.

Cesaro and Sheamus began as hated enemies who were forced together as a duo. They are now a cohesive, overwhelming machine.

Ambrose and Rollins' reunion will be fun to watch. The action is sure to be hard-hitting. And the threat of the challengers imploding mid-match will add plenty of suspense.

United States Championship

AJ Styles and Kevin Owens have traded the U.S. title over the past few weeks.

KO was robbed of his latest attempt to win the gold back when a referee mistakenly counted to three while Owens' shoulders were up. SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon has stepped in to make sure there are no mistakes this next time around.

McMahon has quickly become as vital to this narrative as Styles and Owens. His past as a shady referee, his violent history with Styles and the tension between him and KO add depth to a match made fresh by his addition.

Styles and Owens haven't yet had the truly great match fans have been expecting from them. If Shane-O-Mac's presence deepens the bout rather than gets in its way, that is set to change on Sunday.

Raw Women's Championship

Alexa Bliss thought she was going to face Bayley at SummerSlam, but a shoulder injury forced WWE to shift gears. Banks won a Triple Threat match and then defeated Nia Jax to earn the right to be Bayley's replacement.

And The Boss is ready to get her hands on the woman who evaded her at Great Balls of Fire in July.

The rivals' well-documented real-life tension is sure to add to the in-ring excitement. Their strong chemistry assures that this will be one of the night's better offerings.

WWE could mix things up too, by inserting Bliss' sometimes bodyguard, Jax, or having Banks' friend Bayley play into this as an invested spectator.

WWE Championship

SmackDown's penchant for throwing curveballs continued through the road to SummerSlam when Nakamura pushed past Cena to claim the No. 1 contender's spot for the WWE crown.

That created a meeting between two men making their SummerSlam debuts in a high-profile bout for the company's oldest title.

Mahal shocked the world by even being in this spot. He went from midcarder to marquee star in a rapid rise during the spring. After dispatching Orton several times, he is set to face a man with an unpredictable style and a mule-like kick.

Their clash of styles alone will be worth watching as the slower-paced Mahal collides with the electric showboat that is The King of Strong Style.

Universal Championship

Get ready to rearrange your Match of the Year lists. The Fatal 4-Way match for Lesnar's universal title is going to be a slobberknocker for the ages.

Strowman blasted Reigns at Great Balls of Fire to put himself into the contender conversation. Reigns believed he deserved a shot thanks to his lengthy resume and the beating he put on The Monster Among Men after losing to him. Joe nearly toppled Lesnar at that same July PPV.

Chaos unfolded, with Raw general manager Kurt Angle trying to figure out which Superstar should face The Beast Incarnate. So he opted to put all three of them into the battle.

He made the right choice. The resulting savagery that will be SummerSlam's main event will be out of this world.

And if the Raw side of the creative team is as bold as SmackDown's, it will script a win for either Strowman or Joe and let a new monster reign over the red brand coming out of SummerSlam.