Latest Rumors and Preview for Final WWE SmackDown Live Before SummerSlam 2017

WWE SmackDown Live is set to deliver a bout worthy of SummerSlam 2017 as John Cena tangles with Jinder Mahal.

Cena previously lost out on the opportunity to face Mahal for the WWE Championship at Sunday's pay-per-view. He'll have to settle for the consolation prize of getting to go toe-to-toe with him on the go-home edition of SmackDown.

The Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, will also host the United States champ issuing an apology, another dive into the world of Fashion Files and perhaps a change in Lana's role for the blue brand.

SummerSlam will be the focus all night as Superstars prepare for their big PPV clashes and animosity between rivals gets escalated just in time for the event. It's time to get last bit of hype generated and make any last-minute changes to the card.

What's in store for the final SmackDown before the summer blockbuster?

Backstage news, storyline analysis and the SmackDown preview on WWE.com help answer that. Read on for a full preview of the show before it airs on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

News and Rumors

It's worth keeping an eye on how the WWE books Shinsuke Nakamura.

En route to defeating Cena to become the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship, the former NXT titleholder dropped his opponent on his head. Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported that the slip-up left WWE headman Vince McMahon "furious" with Nakamura.

McMahon apparently hasn't lost faith in the star, but Nakamura reportedly has a short leash of shorts. "If Nakamura makes another mistake on a grand stage, Sports Illustrated learned through channels close to WWE, then McMahon will have an entirely different opinion of Nakamura," Barrasso wrote.

Nakamura's old rival may be due for a shift in gimmick. According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Cageside Seats' Randall Ortman), the WWE could soon repackage Dolph Ziggler. 

That would explain why The Showoff hasn't appeared on TV for weeks.

And Charlotte Flair will have something bigger than wrestling on her mind on Tuesday, as her father Ric Flair is dealing with serious health issues. The Nature Boy underwent surgery and is now recovering. TMZ reported: "We're told Ric's family is by his side and they're waiting to meet with doctors."

It won't be surprising in the least in that case if Charlotte doesn't work SmackDown and chooses instead to be with her dad.

SmackDown Streaks

United States champ AJ Styles has been on a tear. The Phenomenal One has now won five non-tag matches on SmackDown in a row, per CageMatch.net. And he's 7-3 in the last 10 TV and PPV matches overall.

The WWE is thankfully keeping Styles in a high-profile spot and continuing to position him as one of SmackDown's toughest outs.

Lana is getting the opposite treatment. The Ravishing Russian is clearly at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the blue brand's women's division.

After falling to Flair last week, she is now 0-6 in 2017 and 0-7 for her entire career, per CageMatch.net. 

She has far more value as a manager than a jobber. Her backstage exchange with Tamina last week suggested that may be how the WWE has that figured out.

Last Leg of SummerSlam Build

A conversation turned chaotic last week.

Styles accidentally clocked Shane McMahon as the SmackDown commissioner talked about the upcoming U.S. title bout. After taking a boot to the head, McMahon had to have flashbacks to his feud with Styles earlier this year.

To get back on the good side of the man set to referee his U.S. title match at SummerSlam against Kevin Owens, the champ is set to apologize to McMahon on Tuesday night, per the SmackDown preview on WWE.com. 

There will be no apologies involved when Natalya takes on Becky Lynch.

Natalya will be out to gain momentum ahead of her SmackDown Women's Championship match against Naomi at SummerSlam. Lynch, who looks to be left out of the PPV picture, will have to settle for being the No. 1 contender's warm-up opponent.

Credit: WWE.com

And we may find out whether Breezango will be up to anything at SummerSlam.

Tyler Breeze and Fandango have been so entertaining as SmackDown's resident comedians that it was easy to not realize they aren't on the SummerSlam card yet. The SmackDown preview, however, did promise another Twin Peaks-inspired edition of Fashion Files.

If Breezango gets closer to answering the mystery of who trashed their office, they may have a SummerSlam fight on their hands.

Mahal and Cena don't have that kind of uncertainty. Each is already lined up for a big bout at the event. Mahal is set to defend his WWE title against Nakamura; Cena will face Baron Corbin.

Before those collisions, SmackDown will host a match many thought would be at SummerSlam itself—Cena vs. Mahal in non-title action.

Corbin is sure to be lurking. He not only has reason to ambush or embarrass Cena, he has the Money in the Bank contract in-hand and will be watching for Mahal to grow vulnerable enough to create the ideal cash-in opportunity.

Raw already had its last chance to sell fans on its SummerSlam matches. Now it's SmackDown's turn.