Will WWE SummerSlam Main Event Escalate Feud Between Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones?

At WWE SummerSlam 2017, Brock Lesnar is set to take on Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman in what we're supposed to believe could be his last match.

Paul Heyman laid down the gauntlet on July 31 by threatening to leave WWE alongside Lesnar should his client fail to get the job done on Sunday.

Win or lose, Lesnar most likely isn't leaving WWE. Not only are "firing" and "quitting" storylines hardly ever worth their weight in salt, but Lesnar is advertised for several post-SummerSlam events, including No Mercy, as Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats reported. 

Heyman's threat seems to be a direct result of the WWE-UFC rumor mill collapsing into itself following UFC 214, when light heavyweight champion Jon Jones called out The Beast in a post-fight promo that was better suited to WWE.

Not only has WWE used Lesnar-to-UFC rumors to build speculation that its cash cow is potentially quitting, but the company has also fueled the fire through articles like this one on WWE.com, quoting Lesnar's response to his immensely talented mixed martial arts foe. 

UFC and WWE's apparent joint-marketing efforts, for a bout that is potentially one year in the making, resurfaced when Jones commented about possibly appearing at SummerSlam. 

Jones acknowledged via his Twitter account that stopping by WWE SummerSlam did "cross his mind." And guess what? The Tweet was picked up by WWE social media correspondent Cathy Kelley in a recent YouTube clip (h/t Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc). Suspicious much?

SummerSlam, which typically does its best to mimic the pageantry and star power of WrestleMania, has yet to announce a major celebrity appearance.

In years past, names like Jon Stewart, CeeLo Green, Tito Ortiz and Ronda Rousey have stopped by to soak in the biggest party of the summer. Rousey, incidentally, stands to be the key to WWE offering up Lesnar while under contract, as booking her for a future pay-per-view appearance or match is something of a fair trade.

WWE.com has a photo gallery dedicated to the celebrities who have been involved with pay-per-views. A photo shared by B/R's Jeremy Botter even reveals Jones once stopped by SummerSlam to rub elbows with Lesnar (h/t Anton Tabuena of Bloody Elbow). 

Should you be surprised if Jones is sitting ringside during the main event, only for Lesnar to respond to his challenge following a dramatic victory? Yes. Yes you should. Because that would be amazing.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.