Best Feuds and Predictions for John Cena, Jinder Mahal After WWE SummerSlam 2017

WWE's SummerSlam was, in a word, refreshing. 

The card didn't pull any punches, swapping a handful of titles, executing an epic reunion well and permitting four downright monsters to destroy the area around the ring in the main event while putting the Universal Championship on a pedestal. 

More important than anything else, future feuds and where some of the company's biggest names go from here isn't overly clear. 

There's nothing better than a little bit of uncertainty after an event with so many important ramifications. Here's a look at SummerSlam results and predictions centered on some of the biggest names. 

WWE SummerSlam 2017

(P) Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz and The Miztourage

(P) Akira Tozawa vs. Neville (Cruiserweight Championship)

(P) The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

John Cena vs. Baron Corbin

Naomi vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Big  Show vs. Big Cass

Randy Orton vs. Rusev 

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins (Raw Tag Team Championships)

AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman (Fatal 4-Way, Universal Championship)

Bold indicates the winner(s).

Notable Post-SummerSlam Feuds and Predictions

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This one isn't close to over, folks.  

The WWE didn't spend all that time building up Shinsuke Nakamura just to throw him out of the title picture after one event at SummerSlam.

Nakamura ran through the roster on his way to John Cena before taking down the man himself to earn a shot at Jinder Mahal. The Singh Brothers running interference can't possibly be the way the WWE wants to get Nakamura out of the picture. 

That isn't to say the result at SummerSlam didn't have a purpose. The point is to make Mahal look like a threat—fans have been waiting for him to take a loss and he simply hasn't. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Mahal will go from "the former jobber" to a threat in the minds of most, but him getting a win at SummerSlam over a global phenomenon like Nakamura is a good way to make sure he doesn't fade back to nothing after losing the title. 

Nakamura will get another shot at Mahal, if not on merit alone then because of the interference. If fans are lucky, the two might be barreling toward a collision at Hell in a Cell. 

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins vs. The Hardy Boyz

This only seems natural, right? 

The Hardy Boyz seemed headed in a certain direction before plans went off the rails, slapping them on the SummerSlam pre-show. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins are finally back together in a reunion of The Shield of sorts, yet they don't have a clear-cut opponent. 

Sometimes the simple math just works. Ambrose and Rollins tore the house down in Brooklyn thanks to a great clash with Sheamus and Cesaro. Going onto getting an endorsement from legends like The Hardy Boyz would be a nice way to pass the time. 

Matt Hardy sure seems on board with the idea: 

And make no mistake—if there's a believable threat to a team like two members of The Shield, it's these two veterans. 

John Cena

What comes next for John Cena might be one of the more difficult questions. 

Cena, after breaking out the shovel and digging a hole for Baron Corbin, predictably showed up on Raw and saw a line of guys ready to come after him. 

The question is, does an uneasy alliance with Roman Reigns last while Cena feuds with an up-and-comer like Samoa Joe? The WWE hinted at all angles on Monday night: 

At the end of the day, the WWE needs to keep Reigns and Joe clear of the title picture for a little while. Letting Reigns run off to chase the Intercontinental Championship or flirt with a full reunion of The Shield makes sense. 

That leaves Joe-Cena, a dream match fans have wanted for a long time. The WWE has worked hard to make Joe respected as the threat that he is, even almost letting him take down Lesnar on his lonesome. A clash with a legend like Cena, and perhaps even a win before Cena steps away for a break, would work wonders in keeping Joe established as a top threat.

Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar 

SummerSlam's main event had four contestants, though one wouldn't know it now.

Joe and Reigns had their moments, but one only had to see the crowd reactions and the intensity of the two men on display when Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar faced off and went to war. 

By the end of SummerSlam, it was more than clear Strowman was the only one on the same level as Lesnar: 

The WWE didn't waste much time reinforcing this point, either. 

The next night on Raw, Strowman dismantled the champ, seemingly confirming these two are destined for a dream match: 

Lesnar looking small and like the underdog is worth the admission price alone. Strowman provides this with ease and, if handled right, might just be the next big thing the WWE has searched years for to no avail. 

Granted, other superstars might try to get in on the action here in the coming weeks. But the reactions to the Lesnar-Reigns and Lesnar-Strowman confrontations were miles apart at SummerSlam. 

Underdog Lesnar is best Lesnar, though he might have finally met his conqueror in Strowman.