WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017: Predicting Winners for All Projected Title Matches

WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 might be the most unusually named pay-per-view on the WWE calendar, but it certainly is one of the most anticipated thus far. 

While the card is still being fleshed out, a number of marquee matches are already slated for Sunday, including three title bouts. The build for this pay-per-view has been equally fascinating.

WWE has treated fans to a more-than-capable challenger to The Beast Brock Lesnar, the return of a monster to terrorize Roman Reigns and two Superstars looking to stake their claim as the most dangerous man in the heavweight division. 

As of Monday afternoon, the lineup features: 

• Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Universal Championship
• Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in an Ambulance match
• Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship
• Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt
• Neville vs. Akira Tozawa for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

With only the go-home show of Raw remaining before Great Balls of Fire, more fireworks (and additional matches for next weekend's event) should be expected, including booking matches for the two Raw titles yet to be placed on the Great Balls of Fire card. 

So who will walk out of Great Balls of Fire with WWE gold around their waists? Here's a look at some early predictions heading into the pay-per-view week.

The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

While the match hasn't yet been set, a rematch between The Miz and Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship is sure to be on the card for Great Balls of Fire. 

The two Superstars have been locked in this feud since the Superstar Shake-up in April, and it doesn't seem that WWE is in any rush to move on to another storyline.

It's easy to see why: The Miz and Ambrose have excellent in-ring chemistry, and The Miz's superior skills to sell any match he's part of gives WWE Creative time to focus on other aspects of Raw's programming. 

On the flip side, this matchup is one fans have seen countless times on both Raw and SmackDown, and the angles for this feud are wearing thin. The introduction of Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, as well as the potential split between The Miz and Maryse reported by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ringside News), could lend a new twist, but it would still be the same story with new players. 

It would seem WWE is going to continue this feud through SummerSlam, since no one new has been introduced to the intercontinental title chase. There is more than a month between Great Balls of Fire and SummerSlam, but the options for a new, credible contender are limited.

Here's guessing that The Miz wins in underhanded fashion, only to culminate in an Ambrose win at The Biggest Party of the Summer in Brooklyn. 

Projected Winner: The Miz

Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Hardy Boyz (Raw Tag Team Championship)

This is another as-yet-to-be-announced matchup almost certain to be on the Great Balls of Fire card. Like The Miz and Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and Sheamus and The Hardy Boyz have been battling since April with no other teams even sniffing the title scene. 

With no babyface tag teams currently on the radar, it's safe to say The Hardy Boyz will eventually regain the tag team titles so that the next feud for the belts will be a traditional face-heel combo. 

It's unlikely to happen anytime soon, though. No other tag team has been promoted over the course of this feud, which will likely lead to another wait-until-SummerSlam conclusion to the ongoing storyline. At that time, The Revival, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson or even a new group (Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews?) could be next in line for a championship shot. 

But that's all speculation post-SummerSlam. Before then, these two teams will have to make it to Brooklyn. That means a potential matchup at Great Balls of Fire, one that will likely result in a victory for The Hardys. Such an ending would give the team of Cesaro and Sheamus a rematch opportunity, which will be the likely lead-up to SummerSlam. 

Projected Winner: The Hardy Boyz capture the Raw Tag Team Championship

Neville vs. Akira Tozawa (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)

The WWE Universe should take a moment and just appreciate everything that Neville has done in his 150-plus days as WWE cruiserweight champion. 

Aside from Samoa Joe's current run as No. 1 contender to WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar, there isn't a Superstar on WWE programming today who's been booked better than The King of the Cruiserweights. 

He's a perfect heel. Ruthless and arrogant, backing up his talk with superior in-ring moves that no other competitor can match. Neville has taken down every challenger in his path and doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. 

His challenger at Great Balls of Fire, Akira Tozawa, will one day be a cruiserweight champion, but not this soon. He's just wrapped up an overly long program against The Brian Kendrick, who's been a non-factor in the cruiserweight division for months. He's now part of the newly formed Titus Brand, seemingly as a way to get more of a spotlight on the cruiserweight division as a whole. 

One can argue that Tozawa isn't even the best challenger WWE could put against Neville at this stage. TJP (formerly TJ Perkins) would be a good stop-gap challenger, as his current storyline about receiving a shot at the title could be a good one. WWE could also trot out Mustafa Ali, who's been truly electric in recent weeks, as an up-and-coming challenger. 

Tozawa has more to lose than gain in his match at Great Balls of Fire, and it's a curious decision to have him face off against such a strong champion, one whose reign shouldn't end. 

Projected Winner: Neville

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

Make no mistake: Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks will be one of the potential matches of the night at Great Balls of Fire. 

These two women match up very well against one another, and both are excellent storytellers in the ring. Their singles encounter earlier this year on Raw was more of a promo than an actual singles match, but it showed both the aggression of Banks and the craftiness of Bliss. 

Putting those attributes together in a full-scale match with these two women is a recipe for success and could be a potential long-term feud for both women. 

There is one big caveat to all of that, though: The involvement of Nia Jax. 

During last Monday's gauntlet match to determine the No. 1 contender, Jax looked like the best Superstar in the division. She showcased speed, strength and ring aptitude that was far superior to anyone who entered the squared circle against her that night, including Banks. 

It's only a matter of time before Jax becomes directly involved in the women's championship scene, and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if she made her presence known during Sunday's tilt. 

If so, fans could be witnessing the beginnings of a potential Triple Threat match at SummerSlam should Jax cost Banks the title. If not, Bliss vs. Jax at SummerSlam might be a foregone conclusion, a match that's been reportedly on the books, according to Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Johny Payne of Sportskeeda).

Match Prediction: Alexa Bliss retains the Raw Women's Championship thanks to Nia Jax, setting up a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe (WWE Universal Championship)

Finally, we arrive at the marquee match at WWE Great Balls of Fire. The Beast vs. The Destroyer. The most anticipated heavyweight title bout WWE has put forth in the 2017 calendar year. 

Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar. 

Give credit where it's due: WWE Creative and Samoa Joe have done a masterful job of selling Joe as a credible threat to Lesnar's title reign. No other Superstar in the main event scene at the moment could be presented with such confidence as Joe. Not Roman Reigns, not Bray Wyatt, not Finn Balor. 

It always had to be Joe. 

From the moment he walked onto Raw from NXT, Joe has carried himself as a ruthless predator, someone who fears no man and who takes what he wants. Playing up that hostility against possibly the most dominant man to ever grace a WWE ring is genius. 

Sunday's main event won't be a wrestling match—it will be an all-out brawl. While Joe should still be considered the underdog heading into Great Balls of Fire, he's used the last two weeks to make himself a better bet to dethrone the champion. 

All of a sudden, however, there is a crowded championship scene. Aside from Joe, Reigns has demanded that he's next in line for a shot at the universal title. The return of Braun Strowman, another mountain of a man who was in line for a title push before injury sidelined him, creates another credible challenger. 

Should Joe win on Sunday, Lesnar would certainly be in line for a rematch. A loss would seemingly bump Joe to the back of the line, but championship losses haven't stopped WWE from giving Randy Orton the main event match at SmackDown's next pay-per-view, Battleground. 

Smart money would be to pick The Beast, seeing as how WWE would want Lesnar to headline its biggest event of the summer. But Joe has been so good in this short-term feud it's difficult to pick against him. 

Match Prediction: Samoa Joe defeats Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Universal Championship