Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins and the Best Possible WWE SummerSlam 2017 Feuds
With WrestleMania 33 in the books, WWE has already begun to plant the seeds for what we might expect to see at next year's Show of Shows. However, the first major roadblock en route to WrestleMania 34 will be SummerSlam on Aug. 20.
Similar to last year's installment, the card is bound to be stacked given the incredible amount of star power on the current SmackDown Live and Raw rosters. In being WWE's WrestleMania of the summer season, SummerSlam typically features multiple marquee matches with the last few years being prime examples.
From The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar to John Cena vs. AJ Styles, SummerSlam has hosted some of the most memorable matchups in recent years. For the third straight year, the summer spectacle will emanate from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, this August, ensuring the event will have an electric atmosphere.
While it may seem relatively early to start speculating what matches are most likely to take place at SummerSlam 2017, now is the time for WWE to begin building these bouts up. In order for the following five feuds to fully fulfill their potential, they must undergo their early stages sooner rather than later.
Based off what we've seen recently, a rematch pitting Finn Balor against Seth Rollins could be in the cards for SummerSlam this year, but what other matches are possible for the epic event?
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
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Fans were hyped for the first-ever encounter between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016, especially considering the historic implications with the winner becoming the inaugural Universal champion for the Raw brand.
The two contested a very good match, but it fell a bit short of fans' lofty expectations for a few reasons. Not only did the relentless chants from the crowd for the awful-looking design for the new title overshadow the bout, Balor was legitimately injured by Rollins halfway through, so they may not have had the matchup they were truly capable of.
Unfortunately, a rematch was never held because Balor needed to undergo surgery immediately and only in the last month did he return to the ring. Interestingly enough, while he and Rollins didn't tease tension when Balor first resurfaced on Raw, Balor did allude to their rocky history just last Monday night.
Both men have their sights set on the Universal title, so it looks like they'll be getting shots at the strap at some point during Brock Lesnar's reign. That said, who will be next in line to challenge The Beast between Balor and Rollins?
At SummerSlam, it would only make sense for Balor and Rollins to rekindle their rivalry in order to determine a new No. 1 contender to the title. Perhaps Rollins can avenge his loss to The Demon from SummerSlam the year prior.
The Hardy Boyz vs. The Revival
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Raw's tag team scene was shaken up in a major way coming out of WrestleMania 33 with The Hardy Boyz returning and winning the Raw Tag Team Championship and The Revival arriving on Team Red one night removed from WrestleMania.
Thankfully, the two tandems didn't instantly cross paths, as WWE was wise enough to realize that was a money match for later down the line. Instead, The Hardy Boyz entered a program with Cesaro and Sheamus, which has exceeded expectations thus far with the latter duo recently turning heel.
In the meantime, The Revival have been sitting on the sidelines due to Dash Wilder suffering a broken jaw in mid-April. However, he is currently on track to come back sometime in the next six weeks, according to WWE.com.
That gives The Hardy Boyz enough time to finish their feud with Cesaro and Sheamus before transitioning into a program with The Revival. It's apparent Matt and Jeff are not long for the tag team division, so elevating The Revival before they go their separate ways would be a logical use of them.
Plus, it's the biggest bout either the Raw or SmackDown Live tag team divisions can produce at the moment. The match would surely deliver and be an excellent addition to a star-studded SummerSlam card.
Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
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Brock Lesnar beat Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 33 and immediately disappeared from WWE programming, but not before being confronted by Braun Strowman on the next night's Raw.
The Monster Among Men claimed he wanted a shot at the strap, but first he would have to settle some unfinished business with Roman Reigns. He followed through on that promise the following Monday night by battering his longtime rival inside an ambulance, putting him on the shelf for several weeks.
Then, at Payback later that month, Strowman met Reigns in a rematch from Fastlane and defeated him with ease. This impressive victory alone was enough to establish Strowman as a worthy contender to the championship whenever Lesnar decides to resurface on Raw.
Currently, nothing is official in regard to when Lesnar will be back in action, but it doesn't appear he will be scheduled to defend his title at Extreme Rules next month. Thus, it looks like he could return in time for the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view in early July, another Raw-exclusive event.
Strowman and Lesnar could very well do battle at that show, but regardless of the result, they must face off again at SummerSlam. These two behemoths could contest an exhilarating bout befitting of being held at the biggest party of the summer.
Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
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Since winning the United States Championship at WrestleMania 33, Kevin Owens has proclaimed himself as the new "Face of America" every week on SmackDown Live. He experienced a minor bump in the road when he lost the belt back to Chris Jericho at Payback, but it was only two days later he regained the gold and put Jericho out of action indefinitely.
Now, Owens is focused on beating AJ Styles come their championship clash at Backlash. That's a match that could easily go either way, but Styles should not be a fixture in the U.S. title picture forever, so Owens should retain his title heading into SummerSlam.
Heading into that anticipated event, Owens should be met with his biggest challenger to date: Shinsuke Nakamura. Another individual destined for big things on the blue brand, Nakamura would benefit from a brief U.S. title run before becoming a main event player.
Additionally, Owens vs. Nakamura is a fresh feud where great matches would be virtually guaranteed. They worked against each other on occasion on the independent scene and produced phenomenal matchups every time, so revisiting that rivalry in WWE would be spectacular.
Could you imagine the raucous reaction Nakamura would receive if he were to win the star-spangled prize in the same building he became NXT champion almost exactly one year earlier?
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles
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Randy Orton's recent rivalry with Jinder Mahal has had fans questioning why WWE would be pushing Mahal as a main event player when they have plenty of other capable contenders for Orton at the moment.
In addition to WWE wanting to expand its Indian market with Mahal challenging for the championship, according to Wrestle Zone, the company could be holding off on bigger bouts for Orton until later in the year. That would also explain why Rusev, who has been gone from WWE TV for over two months, could be receiving a shot at the title at Money in the Bank in June.
If Orton is still in possession of the prestigious prize by SummerSlam—and he should be—there isn't a more perfect opponent for him at the event than AJ Styles. That was the feud fans desperately wanted to see coming out of Orton's championship victory at WrestleMania, but The Viper has since been busy with other rivals, including Mahal and Bray Wyatt.
As previously noted, Styles is currently contending for the United States Championship, but it is only inevitable before he returns to the main event scene. There, he can finally engage in a full-fledged feud with Orton in time for SummerSlam.
Their first-ever encounter earlier this year on SmackDown Live was absolutely exceptional, and there is no doubt they would bring the best out of each other on the grand stage of SummerSlam. The Phenomenal One reclaiming the title would also be a fitting conclusion to the event and Orton's rather underwhelming run as champion.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a digital journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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