WWE SummerSlam 2017: Projecting Match Card to Ensure Epic Edition of PPV

SummerSlam is arguably the second-most important pay-per-view of the year behind WrestleMania. It has an extended runtime and is usually given its own Axxess events in the week prior to the show.

Simply making the show longer isn't going to make people care. WWE needs to stack the card with matches that both make sense and increase the level of excitement.

Most, if not all of the titles need to be defended, but there also needs to be some high-profile non-title contests to give everyone else a chance to shine.

Little is known about what WWE plans to fill the show with, so this slideshow will focus on booking the card instead of trying to predict the outcome of each bout.

Becky Lynch vs. James Ellsworth

James Ellsworth has become one of the most annoying characters in recent history, and one person who has been affected the most by his interference is Becky Lynch.

The Lass Kicker lost two Money in the Bank matches because of Ellsworth, and many fans would love to see her get the chance to rip his arm out of its socket.

Intergender matches are a tricky subject, but when the female performer is physically superior to the male performer in every way, it's much easier for the public to accept. It's why Chyna was so successful competing against men.

Even if she doesn't get to challenge for the title, having the chance to get some retribution against the Chinless Wonder would be satisfying for Lynch and her legions of fans. 

Neville vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Akira Tozawa vs. TJP

Neville has been dominating the cruiserweight division ever since he won the title from Rich Swann at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

In addition to Swann, he has defeated Jack Gallagher, Austin Aries, TJP and Akira Tozawa on multiple occasions. The only way he could conceivably lose the belt at this point would be in a multi-person match.

The cruiserweight division has some incredible talent, but Alexander, TJP and Tozawa have been built up the most in recent months.

Having a Fatal 4-Way would allow WWE to put the Cruiserweight Championship on someone else without forcing Neville to take a clean loss by pin or submission.

On top of the logical reasons for having this match, these four competitors could easily steal the show at SummerSlam if they are given at least 15 minutes.

The Revival vs. The Hardy Boyz in a Tables Match

The Revival has been working matches on Main Event recently, but Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder made a triumphant return to the fold Monday night when they attacked The Hardy Boyz.

This feud is great for both teams and the fans. It gives us a pairing we have never seen before, and Dawson and Wilder will have a chance to prove themselves against one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

Matt and Jeff Hardy have evolved a lot since their days as Team Xtreme. They have earned the kind of reputation few existing teams have been able to attain in the modern era, which makes them the perfect team to help a younger duo like The Revival get over.

Anyone who followed their career in NXT knows how good Dash and Dawson are, especially when it comes to competing against teams who use more high-flying offense.

This would be a great non-title contest to get the crowd excited for the rest of the show, so it should be one of the earlier matches on the card.

The Usos vs. Breezango

The Usos and The New Day will have a Tag Team Championship match at Battleground on July 23, so they shouldn't have the same match at SummerSlam.

Breezango has taken their Fashion Police gimmick and turned it into one of the best things about SmackDown every week, and they have earned a spot on one of the biggest shows of the year.

Fandango and Tyler Breeze are both talented wrestlers, and if they are given a chance to ditch the comedy stuff for one match against Jimmy and Jey Uso, they could put on one of the best performances of the night.

This could be a Triple Threat with The New Day, but it would be more satisfying to see Breeze and Fandango rewarded for their hard work with their own title shot.

Big Cass vs. Big Show with Enzo Amore in His Corner

Big Cass and Big Show have clearly entered into a feud following Cass' decimation of Enzo Amore at Great Balls of Fire.

This match doesn't look like the most exciting idea on paper, but that could actually work to their benefit if they can impress people with a solid performance. Big Show is in the best shape of his life, and Big Cass has proved to be a powerhouse in his own right. 

A showdown between Big Show and Cass would also give us the kind of giant vs. giant feud we haven't seen in WWE for quite some time.

Big Cass would have to win for this to make sense, but that doesn't mean Enzo Amore and Big Show couldn't take him out after the match to get some revenge for the little guy.

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha Banks is the clear front-runner for a shot at Alexa Bliss' Women's Championship at SummerSlam, but adding Bayley to the mix would facilitate the heel turn Banks has been building toward for a long time.

As good as The Boss is as a babyface, she works much better as the arrogant villain. Her feud with Bayley in NXT helped both women look like stars, and they could recreate the same magic on the main roster.

If Bliss were to defeat Bayley to retain the title, Banks could snap and attack her, blaming The Hugger for her own failure to win the belt.

This would free up Bliss to feud with Nia Jax while Banks and Bayley have a more personal non-title storyline.

AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens

WWE having a title change hands at a non-televised live event is incredibly rare, but it has opened up some great new storyline possibilities.

John Cena showing interest in the U.S. title while Kevin Owens continues to chase AJ Styles is the perfect opportunity to book the three former world champions in a Triple Threat match for the United States Championship.

Regardless of whether Owens or Styles leaves with the title at Battleground, Cena could easily be thrown back into the mix after his Flag match with Rusev.

The Jinder Mahal experiment looks like it will continue for the time being, so it would be wise for management to keep its biggest stars away from him until he has won more people over as a main event player.

Battle Royal to Earn a Shot at the Intercontinental Championship

One concept WWE likes to use every so often is a Battle Royal early in a PPV for a shot at a title later in the night. With The Miz needing to get away from Dean Ambrose after an extended program, this would be the best way to give him a fresh rival.

Not only does this give several Superstars some screen time who might not have been on the card otherwise, but it makes it easy for WWE to give an unexpected wrestler a match against one of its most reliable performers.

Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins and a number of other wrestlers could put on a great match against The Miz.

A feud with Rollins was teased on Raw when he helped Dean Ambrose fend off The Miztourage, so the seeds have been planted for a storyline between The A-Lister and The Kingslayer.

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Mahal will likely retain the WWE Championship against Randy Orton at Battleground, and once he does, he needs a new storyline immediately.

Orton was a great choice to help get Mahal over as a top star, but three PPV matches in a row are enough.

Shinsuke Nakamura needs a high-profile storyline, and even if he comes up short, challenging for the WWE title at SummerSlam would help people perceive him as the main event player he should be.

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

During the live coverage of the July 10 episode of Raw, I speculated about a potential Fatal 4-Way match with Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar, and it still feels like the best option.

WWE clearly doesn't want Lesnar to lose the title in a singles match, so the only way to preserve his reputation and get the Universal Championship back in normal rotation on Raw would be to have a match with more than two people.

Strowman, Reigns and Joe are all good choices to defeat The Beast, but it would be more memorable for fans if we got to see someone win their first major WWE title at SummerSlam.

Strowman and Joe have been booked as monsters in recent months, and the crowd would give either man a more positive reaction than it would for Reigns.

SummerSlam is one of the biggest shows of the year, so it's only appropriate to have four talented powerhouses throw down in the main event.