WWE No Mercy 2017: Updated Match Card, Predictions for Biggest X-Factors

This is supposed to be the slow part of the year—that inevitable lull between SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble before WrestleMania season kicks into high gear.

And yet, somehow, here we are, three weeks away from No Mercy, and there's a doubleheader main event that could headline the biggest show of the year. Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman. Roman Reigns vs. John Cena. One would hope that WWE has a comparative follow-up come April.

Here's all the matches (so far) for No Mercy on Sept. 24 in Los Angeles, and the X-factors that could affect their outcomes.

Updated Match Card

Credit: WWE.com

• Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman (Universal Championship)
• John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
• Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Raw Tag Team Championship)
• Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. Emma (Raw Women's Championship)
• Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
• Neville vs. TBA (Cruiserweight Championship)

How Long Will the Cena/Reigns Feud Last?

John Cena and Roman Reigns have, for the past two weeks, created some incredible cringe-worthy television. Worked shoots have the tendency to do that; the two of them have taken every internet dirt sheet hypothesis about the two of them and turned it into great drama.

But long can they keep this up? Because if this is a one-off confrontation, then Roman should win at No Mercy to cement himself as the top guy in the company.

But if they're planning to stretch this beef into the fall, then Cena should come out on top and give Roman something to chase after. Cena has been winning the war of words; a Cena win would logically follow from that and depict Roman in a much-needed sympathetic light.

Is It Going to Be Demon Balor or Leather Balor at No Mercy?

Finn Balor is facing Bray Wyatt at No Mercy. And WWE is doing the traditional Bray Wyatt build. Lots of creepy promos. Lots of pseudo-religious trash-talking in the dark. But will The Eater of Worlds actually back up what he's saying this time? Or is this another in a long line of high-profile humiliations?

It probably depends on which version of Balor shows up at No Mercy. If it's regular leather-clad Balor, then Wyatt has a shot at evening things up and forcing a rubber match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.

But if it's supernatural demon Balor? Then Balor is probably going 2-0. That gimmick has been extremely well-protected, and WWE is not going to throw away its mystique that easily.

Is Emma Foreshadowing a Swerve?

In the Fatal 4-Way for the Raw Women's Championship, Emma is definitely the fourth wheel. Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss have history dating back to NXT. So do Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. Emma predates all of them, and from the way she's been booked, it appears that she's in the bout as an afterthought—lucky, rather than deserving.

But the women's tag match on this week's Raw had an interesting finish. Emma tagged herself in and took credit for her team's win after her partner, Nia Jax, did most of the hard work.

Granted, this is classic heel shenanigans. But it might also be a foreshadowing of the Fatal 4-Way at No Mercy. If Jax, Bliss and Banks get distracted by their personal feuds, it's entirely possible that Emma could fly under the radar, steal the win and clinch the title.

Does Brock Lesnar Have Non-WWE Plans for the Fall?

Could this be it? Could this finally be the moment when Brock Lesnar loses the title? Braun Strowman is a viable candidate. He's taller, heavier and stronger than Lesnar. And he's extremely over with the crowd; when he threw Big Show through the cage on this week's Raw, the gasps and cheers were loud. He's not so much a heel or a face as a force of nature.

If Lesnar has non-WWE plans in the fall or is going away for a long stretch, then Strowman should win the title at No Mercy. It'll be better to have a fighting champion on Raw every week than to have one who disappears for months at a time.

But if he's sticking around? Then Lesnar should hold on to the belt for awhile longer. Strowman can still look strong in defeat, and Lesnar is so well protected that even a competitive loss to him can get a young wrestler over.