WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017: Bold Picks and Predictions for 1st-Ever PPV

WWE Great Balls of Fire may have attracted ridicule when it was first announced as a Raw pay-per-view, but Sunday's show is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in a long time.

There are hugely exciting matches all across the card, with the main event between Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship a huge draw given the way the build for that match has played out.

But don't be surprised if there is a shock or two on the night.

WWE has never been adverse to pulling a swerve on fans at a big show, and with SummerSlam six weeks away, doing so here would really tee up the hottest show of the summer.

Here's a look at three big swerves that could happen.

The Hardy Boyz Begin the Road to a Breakup

It's probably too soon for Matt and Jeff Hardy to embark on a somewhat inevitable split and back to being solo stars. However, the road to that happening could well begin this weekend.

Various reports this week have speculated about The Hardy Boyz and their ongoing real-life dispute to acquire the rights to their "Broken" gimmick.

One, via Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman at Cageside Seats), said that Matt and Jeff were "real close" to acquiring those rights.

If that happens in the near future, Matt and Jeff will begin to split, and a feud could be on the cards.

They will, or at least should, come up short against Sheamus and Cesaro Sunday. That only increases the chance of a shock or a surprise.

We See a Bullet Club Reunion

With so much happening elsewhere right now, it is not an overexaggeration to suggest Finn Balor is in limbo on Raw.

He doesn't fit into the Universal Championship picture as things stand. The other main event guys have plans sewn up for the next few weeks at least.

So if there is an expected segment or match with Elias Samson Sunday at Great Balls of Fire, could WWE pull a huge surprise and decide to unite Balor with some former allies?

Like Balor, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are getting lost in the shuffle at the moment. They fought The Revival on Main Event this week and actually worked as babyfaces during the match.

So why not bring the three back together, get Bullet Club working all on the same page again and transform the landscape of Monday nights?

It would be a hugely popular move.

Samoa Joe Actually Beats Brock Lesnar

The emergence of Samoa Joe as a viable and credible threat to Brock Lesnar and the WWE Universal Championship should result in him avoiding a clean defeat this Sunday.

After how dominant he has looked over Lesnar at stages of the buildup to Sunday's match, having him lose fair and square would be unthinkable.

So WWE has two clear choices when it books the match.

Either Joe does the unthinkable and actually beats Lesnar and wins the championship, or he loses with a touch of controversy attached to it.

And given how good he's looked recently, who would back against it being the former of those two choices?