WWE No Mercy 2017: Projecting Match Results That Will Anger Fans

When the Raw brand rolls into Los Angeles' Staples Center for WWE No Mercy on Sunday night, it will do so riding a wave of creative momentum and with a card that looks, at least on paper, like one of the best of 2017.

With two WrestleMania-worthy main events, championship bouts up and down the lineup and a venue that has been home to some of the most unforgettable moments in recent WWE history, the show looks to be one of the most fan-friendly in quite some time.

As is the case with any show, at any given time in the internet age, there are match results almost certain to infuriate a section of the audience.

Brock Lesnar defeats Braun Strowman to retain the Universal Championship

The moment Lesnar drops Strowman with an F-5 and successfully retains the Universal Championship, there will be fans who complain about the idea of a part-time special attraction carrying the title over a full-time force of nature riding a wave of momentum.

Lesnar is a big-match performer whose existence in today's WWE can be attributed to the company's desire to promote marquee matches with his name attached. With Survivor Series, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 34 upcoming, and all signs pointing to a showdown between The Beast Incarnate and Roman Reigns, it makes sense for the seemingly overmatched Lesnar to fight from underneath and successfully retain his title.

Just by being in this position and making Lesnar look as weak as he has, Strowman has won without necessarily needing the title to validate him.

No Superstar has been as protected over the last six months as The Monster Among Men, and even in defeat, that will be the case Sunday.

That still will not silence the criticisms following Sunday's main event.

Roman Reigns defeats John Cena

Roman Reigns has not won a pay-per-view match since defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.

Last month at SummerSlam, he lost the Fatal 4-Way main event clean in the center of the ring.

Those two facts will not be enough to silence his harshest critics come Sunday night if, and when, he defeats Cena in a genuine dream match.

The Big Dog will be at the center of complaints about being shoved down the throats of fans, even if Strowman has been more heavily featured over the last six months than him. The same fans who chant "John Cena sucks" along to his theme music will complain that the franchise should not have had to put Reigns over in a match of this magnitude.

It is a foregone conclusion that fans will be outraged over the outcome, particularly if Reigns goes over clean.

That would be despite the fact that it would be only his third victory on pay-per-view in 2017 and, more importantly, despite constant cries for established stars putting over the next generation of performers.

Reigns, for all of his success to this point in his career, is still a star of the future, and a win over Cena Sunday night will only strengthen his resume and lend him credibility among the casual fans, much to the chagrin of the hardcore fanbase.

Jason Jordan defeats The Miz to win the Intercontinental Championship

There is greater uncertainty of this outcome than the previous two, but there's more guarantee of backlash should it go down.

Reigns and Lesnar are near locks to emerge from No Mercy victorious, giving fans time to prepare for those outcomes. They are also bona fide stars whose victories, welcomed or not, would make sense.

Jordan is not.

The former tag team specialist has struggled mightily in his singles run, with his role as Kurt Angle's illegitimate son not connecting with audiences. While he has proved his in-ring ability against the likes of Reigns and Cena, he has next to zero natural charisma and his character development has been nonexistent.

Meanwhile his opponent, The Miz, has been delivering some of his finest work on the mic and between the ropes, earning the respect of audiences despite his status as a heel. 

A Jordan victory would reek of another blatant attempt by WWE Creative to force a character on audiences despite all signs that he was failing to get over. Social media would explode with complaints about Jordan's ascent while his former, more interesting partner, Chad Gable, wallows in tag team purgatory on SmackDown Live.