WWE Backlash 2017: Randy Orton Loses and Bold Predictions for PPV

WWE Backlash is bringing SmackDown Live to the forefront on Sunday. The best of the blue brand's roster will be on hand to deliver big-time action, including three championship matches. But as fans prepare for the event, speculation runs rampant.

Much of that speculation centers on the main event.

But there's more to the Backlash card than just the last match. That means there's more than one opportunity for fans to come away either pleasantly surprised or bitterly disappointed. It's in WWE's hands, which means anything can happen.

Will the company choose the safe route and be predictable, or will the unexpected happen? 

WWE has proved in the past it is not afraid to take chances. Considering SmackDown Live's reputation among fans for being the more innovative program over Monday Night Raw, the time may be right for something different from the blue brand.

Only time will tell whether that is going to be the case. How bold will WWE be at Backlash?

The Usos Lose to Breezango

The SmackDown Tag Team Championships will be on the line when The Usos face Tyler Breeze and Fandango, also known as Breezango. While the match seems to be just another tag team battle, it may not go down that easily.

The key here is The Usos. Jimmy and Jey have reinvented themselves for this title run. 

They're edgier, they're meaner and they're more confident than they've ever been. They have a swagger they've never possessed before, and it's made them relevant once again. No longer in the shadow of Roman Reigns, The Usos have finally come into their own.

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It's been a long time coming.

But while fans are surely enjoying their new lease on life The Usos have, the point of it all has likely been missed. This new attitude, this refocused aggression The Usos possess, is not about them. Jimmy and Jey have proved they're an elite tag team. They've shown what they can do when given the spotlight.

They didn't turn heel because they couldn't get over anymore. Nor did they turn heel because they had to in order to be successful. The Usos turned heel so they can get other teams over.

Only by readjusting their characters and stepping outside their comfort zones could Jimmy and Jey become the veteran leaders of SmackDown's tag team division. They have the championships because the thrill of the chase is the most important thing for fans.

When babyfaces are competing for the gold, there's more drama. The matches are more important, and the anticipation of seeing the despicable heels finally lose is intoxicating for the diehard fan. That formula has worked for years in the business.

The twist is that while the brothers are giving a helping hand to their opponents, they're also helping themselves.

By making their competition look good, The Usos are looking good in the process. Breezango will become the new SmackDown tag team champions, and they will continue to feud with The Usos afterward. Breeze and Fandango will be tested in terms of their ability to connect to fans, and when that connection grows stronger, they will lose the belts back to The Usos.

Breezango will get over. They'll be more entertaining than ever, and they won't always need the tag team titles to be successful. If they falter at any point, The Usos can help lift them back up, and then the process can begin again.

Titles are important, but they're not more important than the building process itself. That process will be put to the test after Breezango hoist the titles at Backlash.

Kevin Owens Defeats AJ Styles

Kevin Owens and AJ Styles were made to have this feud.

It's the perfect mix of attitudes, and the best combination of personalities WWE could possibly find. Both Owens and Styles have the potential to be silly, to be the clown and to make the fans laugh.

That's the kind of heel each man is, and it works on every level.

It works because fans don't want to hate them. Owens is a lovable talent; he's a guy who just gets it. He has fun in the ring, he's old school in his approach. Fans know that when he's on TV, he's going to give his all to make them happy.

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He plays his character with a wink and a nod, as he knows fans love to boo him because they love to play along.

Styles is arguably the best wrestler in the world, and there's just not a lot about him to hate. Even with his pedigree, he had to prove himself—as Owens had to—but when that happened, there was no reason to keep AJ heel.

Fans respect AJ, and they don't want to see him as anything other than phenomenal.

The reason KO and AJ mesh so well is their similarities. They're the same side of the coin, whether their current roles show it or not. Owens is the villain of the equation because he's just so good at it. He's never given fans a reason to love his character, and that's probably not going to change anytime soon.

Styles is the hero because it's perfect for him. When these two really get started with this feud, it will become one of the best fans have seen in quite some time. It will likely carry on through the summer and lead them to a final showdown at SummerSlam.

But Backlash comes first, and Owens will walk away with the win—and the United States Championship.

Owens could grab a handful of tights to score the pin. He may distract the ref and hit Styles with a low blow to make the finish happen. Or he may just decide to stall AJ outside the ring and then slide back in to avoid the count-out. 

No matter how it happens, Owens should draw first blood and get the win. But this rivalry has only just begun.

Randy Orton Loses to Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal has a golden ticket, and he's taking it straight to Backlash.

What began with shock and outrage among fans has morphed into something much more surprising, as many are hoping Mahal wins at Backlash. It's a bizarre turn of circumstances, and it defies logic. 

Why would the WWE faithful support a guy who was seemingly miles away from ever receiving a world title shot? The answer is a bit complicated, but it all starts with the concept of the New Era.

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When WWE embarked on that storyline, some fans likely questioned its authenticity. Was WWE serious about moving forward with the next generation of Superstars, or was it all simply lip service? Could it be that the time had finally come to turn the page, or was it just a ploy to spark increased interest in the product?

Those queries were soon answered by the part-time positioning of John Cena and the elevation of Roman Reigns over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.

Any doubts fans had about WWE's intentions with the New Era were surely laid to rest when those two key events took place. Now the evolutionary attitude WWE has introduced is a permanent fixture in the fans' thought process.

Enter Mahal, who is a legitimate contender to Randy Orton's WWE Championship. Had it not been for the New Era, Mahal would perhaps still have this opportunity, be he would probably not have had the degree of support he's getting from fans online.

But much of that support is coming from those who wanted nothing to do with Orton becoming champ again in the first place. All of that has led to this, and everything is about to change at Backlash. 

Mahal has a lot left to prove, and if this is to work, he must keep doing all he can to earn this spot. The question of whether he deserves it is irrelevant; WWE is moving forward regardless of whether fans believe in Mahal. The main thing The Maharaja must remember is that his work is only just beginning.

Orton may be the known commodity, and his time on top may be winding down as Cena's has. But that does not mean he should be discarded in favor of a new champion who is not ready to carry on without some help. If Mahal is indeed the future, as many feel he is, then Orton's presence in that process is extremely important.

Mahal is only just getting started, and Orton will be part of his journey. The storyline rapidly went from zero to main event, and it's time for WWE to prove it can maintain it as Mahal gets the three-count at Backlash.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com.