WWE SummerSlam 2017: Matches Sure to Cause Controversy Among Fans

WWE won't be able to escape Sunday's 2017 SummerSlam without controversy. 

So it goes, though, when the promotion builds an outstanding card, perhaps one of the best fans have seen in years. Fans can't help but take sides in the majority of these matches, and best of all, there's a sense anyone could emerge the victor in most of them. 

This is a payoff pay-per-view rolled into one looking toward the future. High-profile rivalries will reach conclusions at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, then branch off as WWE kicks into overdrive for the remainder of the year. 

Here's a look at the card: 

(P) Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz and The Miztourage

(P) Akira Tozawa (c) vs. Neville (Cruiserweight Championship)

(P) The New Day (c) vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

Big Show vs. Big Cass

Randy Orton vs. Rusev

John Cena vs. Baron Corbin

Sheamus and Cesaro (c) vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins (Raw Tag Team Championships)

Naomi (c) vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)

Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman (Fatal 4-Way, Universal Championship)

Fans know it's a hefty card when WWE has to slap two title matches on the pre-show—where the stars involved could steal the show outright. 

When it comes to controversy, though, a few matches stick out. Below, let's look at the matches sure to have fans engaged in heated debates for the foreseeable future. 

Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)

A contingency plan featuring two wrestlers with gigantic, loyal fanbases? Yeah, this one is sure to create a stir no matter how it pans out. 

After Bayley's unfortunate shoulder injury, WWE went the safe route and had Sasha Banks emerge as the top contender to Alexa Bliss' Raw Women's Championship. The two haven't had much of a build thanks to the unexpected developments, but these two aren't exactly strangers to putting on a good match. 

Bliss and Banks go way back, years ago working together in NXT. Both have blossomed into brand-headlining acts of their own right, so most fans won't mind the lack of a lengthy build here. 

The two won't have a problem putting on an entertaining show and telling a notable story in the ring as they go. Who deserves to win and how fans will react, though? It's going to create a buzz. 

There's no wrong answer here. Banks winning another title would create a great moment. The summer of Bliss continuing after her dominant arrival on the brand smacks of a solid booking outcome as well. 

No matter which way it pans out, though, fans rooting for the loser will become the vocal majority in a hurry, providing the women's division plenty of momentum looking ahead. 

Randy Orton vs. Rusev

The fact this match sits on the SummerSlam card in the first place almost registers as controversial. 

Rest assured the finish will fall under the same umbrella. 

The comments about Bliss-Banks lacking a proper build have nothing on the build here—Rusev cut a promo, Randy Orton hit the RKO out of nowhere and away we go. 

This build makes it feel like the impending clash is nothing more than filler to get both names on one of the bigger cards of the year. Which, of course, naturally leads fans to point out guys missing from the card like Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler, among others who could've given an interesting build and perhaps a better match. 

But there is another side to this coin, with one of these men perhaps poised for something much bigger a little down the road, hence the quick sandwiching in of this one on the card. This idea has its own natural consequence—controversy will stem from the outcome. 

This one might not feel so meaningless in hindsight. 

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Imagine, for a moment, Bray Wyatt's eerie persona walks to the ring under the glow of his buzzards again and takes yet another pay-per-view loss, delivering another hit to his aura and possibly his credibility as a threat. 

Or, for a moment, imagine Finn Balor brings out The Demon in spectacular fashion, synchronized with the crowd and gets steamrolled by the bigger Wyatt, sending the credibility of Balor's alternate ego barrelling off a cliff. 

Both scenarios likely irked one side of the WWE fanbase or the other, if not both. 

This is the Catch-22 WWE has built into a dream encounter between supernatural Superstars. One guy has to lose, and even if they make each other look like a million bucks (and they will—Balor with his agility and quick-hitting ways, and Wyatt with his stunning in-ring prowess while flirting with the 300-pound mark), the eventual winner and loser will sit on opposite sides of a noticeable line in the sand. 

Maybe WWE uses the result to push this feud further. But scrubbing the loss for either guy from the memory banks on such a grand stage won't be easy to do, even if it is finally giving fans a long-awaited encounter. 

Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

Shinsuke Nakamura isn't a stranger to legendary Brooklyn performances. 

Jinder Mahal isn't a stranger to flipping what fans think they know about WWE on its head. 

Mahal spent years dwindling in the midcard before beefing up and taking down Randy Orton at Backlash, making him the headline act of SmackDown Live since. Nakamura? He's been on a tear since arriving, taking down notable names before going over John Cena clean to establish himself with fans who might not know him as main event material. 

Everything about this match—outside of two of WWE's best atmospheric entrances—will reek of controversy. We haven't seen these two in the ring before, so the match itself might find itself unfairly judged by what sort of expectations fans slap on it going into Sunday. 

Who takes the win might cause a few groans, too. Mahal surprising yet again means more time with the title around his waist and an unknown direction for Nakamura. If it goes the other way, Nakamura might be looked at as a guy pushed too high, too soon. How Mahal keeps his head above water after losing the belt wouldn't have a clear answer either—and either result could end up meaning these two keep feuding for a while. 

This title bout has the feel of a serious turning point for both guys, and it can't possibly please everyone. 

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman

Slotting Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in the same ring with a title at stake has dream match written all over it. 

The rightful winner, though, is an eye-of-the-beholder ordeal. 

Keeping the title on Lesnar goes both ways. Some will love he gets to keep acting as the final boss; others will hate that the Universal Championship keeps making only brief appearances on Raw. With Reigns, a portion of the fans will love he beats the odds and runs his yard; others will groan at his attaining top-dog status again. 

This balance applies to the perceived underdogs, too. Strowman winning the title would seem deserved after the unforgettable moments he's created this year. Many might argue, though, he doesn't need it to keep doing what he does. And while Joe almost took down Lesnar on his own recently, detractors might simply want a more familiar face holding the title above his head by the end of the night.

Good luck figuring out which way it goes. Paul Heyman and Lesnar threatening to leave WWE if he loses because the company stacked the deck against him so much gives the bookers options, at least. He doesn't have to eat the pin to lose the title and leave for a while before another potential big comeback. Then again, it could be a misdirection to make it seem like Lesnar will go down before he emerges as the winner.

Other things to keep in mind here is the sheer level of hate in the feud between Reigns and Strowman. It's blinding, perhaps enough to make both guys take their eye off the prize. Joe, too, is the type to capitalize after a melee takes out some of the competitors. 

WWE has a great thing on its hands when nobody has any idea how the main event of a major show will pan out. That doesn't mean the finish, how the Superstars get there and what it means for them moving forward won't stir up controversy. 

In WWE, that's the good type of controversy.