Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam Just the Swerve WWE Needed

Everything pointed to Jinder Mahal defending the WWE Championship against John Cena at SummerSlam 2017.

The heel champion had been spewing anti-American rhetoric. Cena had suddenly intensified his patriotism to the point of caricature. Cena demanded a crack at Mahal at the August 20 pay-per-view. All he had to do was get past Shinsuke Nakamura.

The predictable route would have been to have the all-American Cena floor Nakamura with an Attitude Adjustment and march into SummerSlam with his sights set on a 17th world title reign. But SmackDown has been anything but predictable since last year's brand split.

Nakamura withstood Cena's best shots, flipped the powerhouse onto his head and nailed with a Kinshasa for the biggest win of his WWE career. And with that, Mahal vs. Nakamura at SummerSlam was set.

No one could have seen this title bout coming.

Last year at this time, Mahal, a perennial loser, rejoined WWE after a two-year absence. He didn't even make the SummerSlam card in 2016. Nakamura knocked off Samoa Joe on the night before SummerSlam at TakeOver: Brooklyn II to become the NXT champion. 

Nakamura has since soared up the WWE food chain after arriving from its developmental territory. Mahal has been anointed as SmackDown's No. 1 heel, claiming the WWE title at Backlash in May in one of the most shocking rises we've seen to date. 

Now the two men are set to face off in a smart, creative addition to the SummerSlam PPV.

Nakamura earning the No. 1 contender spot puts a fresh face in the world title picture. Cena has been WWE champ 13 times. This will be Nakamura's first shot at the gold.

And it promises to be an intriguing one.

Mahal is still looking to prove himself as worthy of his marquee spot. Nakamura is still transitioning from Japanese star and NXT cornerstone to main-roster star. Both champion and challenger will certainly be looking to make their mark on the SummerSlam stage.

It will be a battle of power versus quick strikes—a performer leaning on an old-school approach against an eccentric warrior who makes stepping outside the box an art form. 

Kyle Fowle of the A.V. Club is among those pumped to see what's next:

Cena vs. Mahal would have felt more predictable. The babyface would have entered as the clear favorite. Nakamura, though, could easily lose this battle to help cement Mahal as a formidable titleholder. We could just as easily see The King of Strong Style earn the first WWE title of his career or the continuation of the Mahal Era.

And Nakamura's feud with Baron Corbin lurks over it all.

Corbin not only has personal issues with Nakamura; he holds the Money in the Bank briefcase that has had him prowling around Mahal, looking for a moment of vulnerability. 

The Lone Wolf's presence sets up quite the intriguing scenario, one that Brian Fritz of Sporting News laid out:

That's no piece of fantasy booking. It's a realistic possibility at this point. But only one of many.

The SmackDown title match could go any number of ways. 

WWE didn't book by the numbers to get to this point. It took a chance on Mahal, followed by fast-tracking Nakamura into contention. It opted for the unexpected and exciting, even if the pieces don't fit together as obviously as Cena and Mahal would.

Putting Mahal against Nakamura is a welcome, bold move, something SmackDown has made its calling card of late.

After all the "anything can happen" moments the blue brand has delivered in the past year, from Heath Slater's Cinderella story to James Ellsworth's journey from jobber to contender, good luck trying to predict what's next.