WWE Battleground 2017: Match Card, Potential Spoilers, Predictions and More

The build to WWE Battleground 2017 has had a noticeable deficiency in buzz.

The Flag match between John Cena and Rusev feels like a retread. Jinder Mahal's latest WWE Championship defense will be inside the Punjabi Prison, a match that has only resulted in clunkers in its short history. And much of the card feels like a precursor to SummerSlam.

Sunday's SmackDown Live-exclusive event is in position to be the least impressive WWE pay-per-view all year.

It will be up to stars like AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair and newcomer Mike Kanellis to upend Battleground's low expectations. Can the blue brand's roster make critics look foolish on Sunday in Philadelphia? Will there be any big title changes?

Read on for a full preview of Battleground, from the latest backstage rumors to projections for the night's best bouts.

Potential Spoilers

Flair looks to be the safest bet to walk out the winner in the Fatal 5-Way No. 1 Contender's match. Not only is she the most decorated competitor in that contest, but she's apparently moving toward a showdown with SmackDown women's champ Naomi.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Chris Featherstone of Wrestle Zone), Flair is the favorite in that bout and her recent heel-like behavior may factor into a feud with Naomi.

And if Battleground provides any hints as to what United States title match we're getting for SummerSlam, fans shouldn't expect Shinsuke Nakamura to be involved.

Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio that AJ Styles vs. Nakamura isn't the plan for SummerSlam (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc). If that's the case, Styles and Nakamura aren't nearly the locks they were to win on Sunday as they would be if that bout were on the docket.

Corbin and Nakamura's feud could roll on into SummerSlam rather than give way to The King of the Strong Style's challenge for the U.S. title.

Match Card

• Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger
• Sami Zayn vs. Mike Kanellis
• The Usos vs. The New Day (Tag Team Championships)
• Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
• Charlotte Flair vs. Lana vs. Tamina vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya (Women's Championship No. 1 Contender; Elimination)
• John Cena vs. Rusev (Flag)
• AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)
• Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, Punjabi Prison)

Predictions

• Dillinger over English.
• Kanellis over Zayn.
• The Usos over The New Day.
• Nakamura over Corbin.
• Flair wins Fatal 5-Way match.
• Cena over Rusev.
• Styles over Owens.
• Mahal over Orton.

Top Match Previews

Naomi won't be fending off any foes at Battleground. Instead, she awaits her SummerSlam opponent for the SmackDown women's title.

Flair, Lynch, Lana, Tamina and Natalya will all square off for the right to face her.

Lana has had a handful of title shots of late, and Naomi crushed her in mere seconds in the most recent two. Flair never had a chance to finish her feud with Naomi earlier this year thanks to The Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Carmella and Tamina) inserting themselves into the title picture.

Despite the fact Flair is a babyface, she's the best option as Naomi's challenger. Flair vs. Naomi is the most SummerSlam-worthy match WWE has available here.

Rusev reignited his feud with Cena on July 4 in what has morphed into a showcase of over-the-top patriotism.

Cena has played up his American pride in a big way. Rusev's foreignness is the focus of his character once more. And this appears to be a case wherein the U.S. crushes the outsider.

A marquee match is likely awaiting Cena at SummerSlam, and a win over Rusev is the logical way to lead toward that.

Styles was set to enter Battleground as the challenger to Kevin Owens' U.S. title, but in a surprising move, he won the crown at a house show in Madison Square Garden in early July. Owens' rematch feels a bit predictable, as the smart move would be to keep the strap on Styles and book him in a big title bout at SummerSlam.

Still, their previous battles suggest this will be an action-packed clash. Styles and KO are sure to cook up a show-stealer.

The opposite is true of Mahal vs. Orton.

The third meeting between these two will be conducted inside a Punjabi Prison. This will be the first match of this kind in 10 years. And with good reason. The first two were disappointments, to be kind.

This time around, Orton will get what is presumably his last shot at reclaiming the WWE Championship.

He'll have to throw around Mahal's goons, The Singh Brothers, again and escape the bamboo structure to do so. That's not likely to happen. WWE appears all-in on the Mahal-as-champ experiment—at least until an all-American Superstar (i.e., Cena) takes him down at SummerSlam.

A slow, grinding match is on its way. And the Mahal era will roll on, for better or worse.