Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: WWE SummerSlam 2017 Preview and Pick

SmackDown Live has been the personal playground of WWE champion Jinder Mahal since May when The Maharaja defeated Randy Orton for the title at Backlash on May 21.

Since that spring night, Mahal has repeatedly found ways to retain his title against top competition. He has beaten Orton in three straight pay-per-views, thwarted a Money in the Bank cash-in by Baron Corbin and even mixed it up with John Cena.

Sunday night, he will battle his toughest test to date in Shinsuke Nakamura.

The King of Strong Style has experienced tremendous success in Brooklyn, winning the NXT Championship in the same building a year ago. Will he strike gold again, or will the current champion find another way to slither away with his title reign intact?

Ahead of the bout, take a look at the path each Superstar took on the Road to SummerSlam and find out who the oddsmakers have favored winning the match, thanks to OddsShark.com.

Where

Barclays Center in Brooklyn

When

Sunday, August 20

The Odds

Shinsuke Nakamura (-475—favorite; bet $475 to win $100)

Jinder Mahal (+325; bet $100 to win $325)

The Backstory

It was at the aforementioned Backlash pay-per-view that Mahal's improbable run as the WWE champion began.

A career-long enhancement talent, he rode a wave of momentum into that event and knocked off Orton to win the title. At the same show, Nakamura made his main-roster pay-per-view debut, defeating Dolph Ziggler in the night's explosive opening contest.

Mahal would retain his title the following month at Money in the Bank, beating Orton in controversial fashion. Nakamura would overcome a pre-match attack by Baron Corbin but fall just short of winning the event's namesake match.

At Battleground, Mahal would once again triumph over The Viper, this time in a Punjabi Prison match, following interference from storyline brother-in-law The Great Khali. 

Nakamura's night would not go quite as well.

Though The Artist won his match against Corbin via disqualification, he was left lying following a low blow and End of Days.

The fortunes of both Superstars changed shortly thereafter.

Nakamura unleashed furious vengeance on Corbin on the July 25 episode of SmackDown Live. One week later, he defeated John Cena in a PPV-quality match to become the new, undisputed No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship.

On the heels of Nakamura's victory, Mahal looked to establish dominance and send a message by defeating Randy Orton for the fourth time.

He could not.

Without the assistance of The Singh Brothers to save him from the RKO, Mahal fell in defeat. A week later, he clung to his title despite a cash-in by Baron Corbin, thanks to a well-timed distraction from Cena.

The Match

The most intriguing match on the SummerSlam card from an in-ring perspective, the showdown between Nakamura and Mahal marks the first televised encounter in the WWE.

The Superstars have not yet clashed with cameras rolling, leaving an air of mystery surrounding the quality of match fans should expect from them.

Neither is a prototypical worker.

Nakamura's unique style was perfected in Japan and features a strong style not replicated anywhere else on the main roster. Mahal, contrarily, is a cerebral worker who works headlocks and wear-down holds to build heat.

Nakamura's offense does not always lend itself to a spirited babyface comeback, as fans in Philadelphia found out during his subpar match with Corbin.

The King of Strong Style has experience in high-profile matches and was able to work his magic with a similarly styled Bobby Roode for the better part of four months in NXT. He has the tools and has enough high-profile matches under his proverbial belt to lead the still relatively inexperienced Mahal to a quality main event.

The question is whether this is the first of many battles or the one and only planned pay-per-view bout between them.

Will the WWE go the route of a screwy finish to prolong the rivalry, or does it book a straight win for Nakamura and build the program on Mahal's desired rematch?

Prediction

Nakamura has created magic in Brooklyn before. His victory over Samoa Joe in 2016 not only elevated his star on the NXT roster, it made him one of the hottest stars in the entire industry. The unforgettable entrance, the crowd's reaction and the in-ring product came together to create one of the more memorable moments of the entire SummerSlam 2016 weekend.

Expect a similar atmosphere, and similar results, Sunday night.

Nakamura will look to spark some creative juices for SmackDown as he defeats Mahal and captures the WWE Championship in what may be one of the only major title changes at the summertime spectacular.