WWE SummerSlam 2017 Start Time: Viewing Info, Picks For Top Raw, SmackDown Stars
The time for talking is nearly over.
WWE SummerSlam is here, and fans are surely ready to get rolling. The company has spent the past several weeks hyping Sunday's event, and the time spent laying the groundwork has been even longer. For anyone paying attention, WWE's summer spectacular has had a slow and steady build.
But then again, it should have.
This is one of WWE's biggest nights of the year. Next to WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble, there is arguably no event bigger pay-per-view than SummerSlam. Rushing the card in any way would be unwise, especially considering the long-term ramifications that could come as a result of the event.
The Road to WrestleMania may begin at the Rumble, but the seeds are planted at SummerSlam.
The hard work is evident, as the card is stacked with top talent and high-profile matches. The WWE Championship is on the line as Jinder Mahal defends against Shinsuke Nakamura. The Universal Championship will be decided when Brock Lesnar faces Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.
AJ Styles will defend the United States Championship against Kevin Owens. Finn Balor will resurrect The Demon against Bray Wyatt. John Cena will face Baron Corbin. Those matches alone would be enough to draw a crowd, but there's another eight contests booked, including the Kickoff bouts.
There's definitely a little something for everyone here. WWE SummerSlam will kick off at 5 p.m. ET and the main card will begin at 7 p.m. ET on the WWE Network.
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Poet Sarah Boswell wrote "My demons, though quiet, are never silenced." That has never been truer than with Finn Balor.
Balor's wickedly dark persona, The Demon, has not been seen on WWE programming since he was injured against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam in 2016. Since his return to Monday Night Raw in April, Balor has worked his regular gimmick with little flash.
But The Demon was always there.
Fans knew it was only a matter of time until he returned, and that's going to happen against Bray Wyatt on Sunday. The Eater of Worlds has targeted Balor for quite some time, and WWE may have only booked it because of the similarities in their characters.
Wyatt may be a popular heel, but he terrorizes his victims. He draws his inspiration from a dark place, and he summons an evil that always seems to overshadow him regardless of what he does. The Eater of Worlds is the perfect foil Balor, whose demonic side happens to live in that same dark place.
In any other situation, Balor and Wyatt could be on the same page.
But apart from their characters, each man has struggled as of late. Wyatt was WWE champion heading into WrestleMania 33 but has not been in top form since. Balor's return was supposed to be epic and catapult him back to the top, but that hasn't happened yet.
Both men are victims of poor booking, and the bad part is one of them must lose at SummerSlam.
In order to ensure that each man will live to fight another day, this match should end in a no-contest. Fans won't be happy, and Balor's Demon should be enough to defeat anyone put in front of him, but Wyatt is just too unpredictable. He will likely find a way to ruin the conclusion.
However, if Balor and Wyatt walk out looking good and unaffected by a loss, it would be a win for both men.
John Cena vs. Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin was a three-count away from becoming WWE champion.
The Lone Wolf did not win the gold, however, thanks to John Cena. That feud has been simmering for months and will reach boiling point at SummerSlam. Corbin wants revenge for being cheated out of his Money in the Bank briefcase, and Cena wants to put a younger talent in his place.
WWE has tried to build some momentum heading into this one, but it's unclear whether it's worked for everyone.
Fans seem to be split on Corbin. Some regard him as the next main event mainstay; others believe he's a hard sell all the way around. The Lone Wolf has a contemptible character and an unwillingness to try to get over as a popular heel.
Both of those things are positives, however; there are already too many heels in WWE attempting to curry the fans' favor.
Corbin knows who he is and what he can do, both in the ring and on the mic. He's the right protagonist for SmackDown Live, and he's in a great spot as a guy on the way up. But when some fans see his work in the ring, they're less than impressed.
That's not a death sentence, however. Corbin doesn't necessarily need to work a great technical game in order to get over. He's proficient enough between the ropes, and he's relied on his arrogance to carry him through.
WWE evidently sees something in him, and Cena likely does as well.
Cena may not be a full-time Superstar, but his presence still means something. Beating him means getting a stamp of approval, and that's something Corbin's fans would surely love to see. But a win for The Lone Wolf may not be the right move.
Corbin's failed Money in the Bank cash-in on SmackDown put him on the edge. A loss to Cena on the SummerSlam stage could be the tipping point, and that's a storyline that could produce some interesting moments following Sunday's event.
Corbin will become a much more dangerous individual who's capable of anything, and that's an angle that would benefit him more than a win at SummerSlam.
AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens
This is one feud fans surely do not want to see come to an end.
AJ Styles and Kevin Owens were built to fight each other. That used to be true of Owens and Sami Zayn, and it still is to some extent, but they have perhaps been overshadowed by the war fans are watching now. Owens has found the one guy who is unaffected by his mind games, and it's making him crazy.
Styles cannot be shaken. He may be a funny and often neurotic heel, but as a babyface, he is rock-solid. He's always in the right frame of mind, and he always maintains his composure. He's put up with Owens' incessant whining, and he's kept coming back for more.
Regardless of how many times KO has tried to get into AJ's head, it's just not worked.
The best part about this feud is the chemistry between both guys. They deliver every time they're in the ring, so even though their program could end at SummerSlam, fans would surely be OK if it didn't. But considering the United States Championship has bounced back and forth between the two men for so long, it could be the right time to call it a day.
But who should go over?
This is the tough part for fans. Owens is one of the most entertaining Superstars on the roster, and he always gives maximum effort in the ring. He may not be fighting for the WWE Championship, but he is fighting for the belt that put him on the SmackDown map.
Why should he lose again?
AJ is a top guy and could be reinserted into the WWE title picture at any moment without missing a beat. He's capable of hanging with veteran stars and making younger talents look good. The U.S. Championship is a great fit for him, so there doesn't seem to be any good reason to take it off of him.
That's especially true if Shinsuke Nakamura leaves SummerSlam without the WWE Championship. Fans want Nakamura versus AJ, and The King of Strong Style has already made advances toward the United States title. Anything could happen at SummerSlam, but an Owens win is the best option.
Commissioner Shane McMahon may be the special guest referee, but he may be put in a position where he will have no choice but to count AJ's shoulders down on the mat.
Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
This is the match that Nakamura's fans have been waiting on.
From the moment Shinsuke arrived on the main roster after WrestleMania, fans have been expecting greatness to follow. The King of Strong Style is a modern-day legend, a man that has traveled the world and worked with some of the best talent in the industry.
He's all business, and he knows how to get over. What more could fans ask for?
Then there's the fact Nakamura has charisma that jumps right off the page. The camera loves him, and he loves being the center of attention. Nakamura came from New Japan Pro Wrestling, where everyone is working Strong Style; if he were going to stand out, he needed to be different.
That's exactly what he became, and he exists in his own little universe. Nakamura is a star, and his force of personality dictates he be booked as such. His work in the ring is second to none, and he is arguably the best all-around pro wrestler in WWE.
But he has yet to achieve the level of greatness that he is capable of. Could that change at SummerSlam?
The problem here is there was no build for Nakamura. He didn't travel a long road to earn respect and relevance on his way to becoming a championship contender in WWE. He also wasn't elevated when he came to SmackDown Live.
Instead, Nakamura has been booked in highly competitive matches and forced to become just another Superstar. So will that change against Mahal?
The Modern Day Maharaja flew up through the ranks to become WWE champion. He was barely a blip on the radar when he first beat Randy Orton in May, yet he's still the champ. He's overcome harsh criticism from the fans who feel he has no business wearing the gold.
But then again, he's also earned some respect.
Mahal did every silly angle WWE asked of him, and he did it like a pro. He's been a team player from Day 1, and now he's finally caught a break, it's inconceivable anyone would want to take his position away from him. So even though Nakamura is a man who deserves a top spot, he's probably not going to get it at Mahal's expense.
Nakamura has a date with destiny against AJ Styles and the United States Championship. Mahal has more challenges ahead of him. Both men deserve to be the champ, but only one can leave with the gold at SummerSlam.
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman
If Brock Lesnar loses, he leaves. But then again, would anyone even notice he's gone?
Therein lies the issue with The Beast Incarnate. Lesnar is a conqueror, he is an anomaly and he is an annihilator. But he's also a part-time top guy. Now he's threatening to leave, why would anyone care whether he wins at SummerSlam?
WWE cares, and that's what matters.
The company is likely not finished with Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate will probably last until WrestleMania 34, at which he will lose a main event match against Roman Reigns or perhaps even Finn Balor and then leave. When that happens, the next main event powerhouse will emerge and boast a win over Lesnar at the top of his resume.
But to believe that could happen at SummerSlam may be a misguided notion. Raw's top guys will step into the ring against Lesnar in the Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship clash, but that does not mean any of them will leave with the title.
This could be a sleight-of-hand situation.
Instead of booking Lesnar to lose, he is likely going to win. There are only five Raw-branded or dual-branded events between SummerSlam and WrestleMania 34; surely the company can keep Lesnar busy until April 8, 2018.
The truth is he's probably not even going to appear at all five events, so it will be like he's not even there. Maybe that's the problem. But how can the company correct this and move on with the full-time talent it has?
The only way is to work through Lesnar's remaining dates and then move on from there. In the meantime, Raw's top talents must keep impressing and carrying the brand. The real test is what happens when The Beast does indeed take his leave of WWE; who will the company lean on to sell the big events then?
That's a question that will probably not need to be answered once SummerSlam is over.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com.
