WWE SummerSlam Fatal 4-Way Turning into PPV's Most Hyped Match in Years

The collision of four Goliaths that is the Fatal 4-Way Universal Championship match at WWE SummerSlam 2017 feels more and more massive each week.

Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns is poised to be the biggest match the pay-per-view has seen in a long time. Credit a convergence of star power, bad blood, smart booking and a powerful subplot. 

John Cena vs. Lesnar in 2014 was huge. As was Undertaker vs. Lesnar the following year. The same goes for CM Punk vs. Cena in 2011.

But all of those bouts were rematches whereas Lesnar vs. Joe vs. Strowman vs. Reigns will be the first clash between all four men. SummerSlam has never had a Fatal 4-Way match as its main event. This will be Joe and Strowman's SummerSlam debuts.

There's an air of novelty to this clash as a result. 

Beyond that, it's loaded with talent. The universal title bout will welcome four legit main eventers, four top-notch slugfest artists, four men brimming with momentum.

When WWE revealed this is the direction it was going, it had folks like Alex Pawlowski of Fightful ecstatic:

The company has done a tremendous job of showcasing each combatant to this point. Joe and Strowman have been presented as dangerous, unfeeling predators. WWE has given Reigns space to be his badass self. And Lesnar has reminded us of how overwhelming of a force he can be. 

Monday's Raw saw more destruction, more spotlight on these beasts.

The show kicked off with Lesnar tearing through The Miz and his crew like a fox in a henhouse. Reigns and Strowman later collided with each other in a Last Man Standing match that felt like something out of a kaiju movie.

Fans saw Strowman hurl a chair at Reigns' head like a fastball. Reigns battered Strowman with the ring steps. The violence was plentiful and compelling.

Then Joe slipped in, not to be left out of the action. The Destroyer choked out Reigns, leaving him lifeless on the floor.

It's that kind of chaos fans can expect at SummerSlam.

WWE has done well to tease what's to come. The audience has seen samples of the savagery ahead in a Triple Threat match between Joe, Reigns and Strowman; Strowman and Reigns' war from Monday night; and a massive brawl between all the Universal Championship challengers in July.

After these tastes of the Fatal 4-Way, it's clear SummerSlam's main event is going to be a slobberknocker for the ages.

The bout also has the power of suspense on its side thanks to WWE taking advantage of the rumbling rumors that Lesnar may leave WWE for UFC.

His advocate Paul Heyman announced last week that if Lesnar loses on Aug. 20, both manager and wrestler are leaving the company. Immediately, Lesnar went from the heavy favorite to the source of speculation.

Is this a means to let Lesnar finish out his UFC journey? Is WWE going to fully invest in Joe or Strowman? Will Reigns win the title and await Lesnar's return at next year's WrestleMania for the ultimate rematch?

Those questions swirling around elevates the match. As Tim Fiorvanti of ESPN.com wrote, "Having Lesnar's potential departure (and return to the Octagon?) looming over this match gives it [a] sense of urgency and drama that further cements it as the worthy main event for SummerSlam."

The Fatal 4-Way hoss fight will reveal whether Lesnar is truly leaving once more, whether we'll finally see a villainous Reigns emerge or whether WWE will be bold enough to make Joe or Strowman its champion and cornerstone moving forward. Anticipation will only grow as the PPV draws closer.

SummerSlam has been home to legends and Hall of Famers, but it hasn't seen anything quite like this meeting of four wrecking balls. By the time Joe, Strowman, Reigns and Lesnar all step into the Barclays Center at SummerSlam, the electricity surrounding their battle will be of the highest voltage imaginable.