WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Full Card Predictions After Survivor Series

Not long after SmackDown's stars emerged from the brand war at Survivor Series, they will have to battle each other at WWE Clash of Champions 2017.

Sunday's pay-per-view pitted Raw against Smackdown. On Dec. 17, normalcy returns for the blue brand. Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, Natalya and others will go from fighting Team Raw to taking down members of their own roster.

For Corbin, that means a new challenger for his United States Championship. Natalya will be looking to reclaim a prize she owned until very recently. And after limping out of a collision with Brock Lesnar, Styles will have to fend off the man beat out to get that match in the first place.

Looking at the results of Survivor Series and projecting where current SmackDown storylines head next, the following is a predicted card for the blue brand's next big show. 

The Usos vs. Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)

The Usos are fresh off outlasting the Raw tag team champs The Bar at Survivor Series. The brothers can now saunter back into SmackDown with even bigger egos.

Their next opponents are likely to be familiar ones. 

Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin earned tag team title shots against The Usos a few weeks back. When they finally cashed in that opportunity, the bout ended in a no-contest. The anti-climactic nature of that bout suggests a rematch is on the way. That fact that Gable went after Jey Uso's knee with a nasty chop block in their last meeting only adds to that.

Factor in the limited supply of babyfaces teams on the roster and it's a safe bet Gable and Benjamin are the ones clashing with the champions come Dec. 17.

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. The New Day

Credit: WWE.com

Punishment is coming Owens and Zayn's way. The two heels invaded Survivor Series' main event and attacked SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon.

And playing a hand in Team Blue's eventual loss is certain to have repercussions.

McMahon has already battled Owens himself, but he could look to The New Day to lay a beating on KO this time around. The trio led the way during SmackDown's invasion of Raw. McMahon pitting them against Owens and Zayn is easy to imagine.

The two-on-three disadvantage against a team pissed off about losing to The Shield will be one of the ways Shane-O-Mac pays back Owens and Zayn. 

Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Charlotte Flair is front and center in the Clash of Champions promo, so it's clear WWE plans to showcase her at the event.

She'll enter the PPV with rising momentum thanks to a win over Alexa Bliss at Survivor Series. Following that submission victory, she's poised to have to fend off an old foe once more.

Natalya is sure to get at least one crack at The Queen. She's the woman Flair won the title from just before Survivor Series. And dethroned champs usually get a rematch to try to regain their gold.

Plus, WWE's heel options to pit against Flair are limited. Tamina isn't a strong enough performer to rely on in this spot. Carmella's Money in the Bank contract makes her a better fit as the villain lurking near the action, not the challenger herself. That leaves a clear path open for Natalya to step up to Flair, extending a feud that began back at NXT.

Baron Corbin vs. Bobby Roode (United States Championship)

Corbin made his mark on Survivor Series by charging through The Miz. The United States champ took down the intercontinental titleholder before taking shots at the crowd on the mic.

What's next for The Lone Wolf?

Unlike several other SmackDown stars, he's already finished off his current rival. Corbin decisively took down Sin Cara in a title bout days before the PPV.

That's not a feud that has the legs to continue. WWE will have to point Corbin in a new direction. Bobby Roode is a solid option.

The Glorious One clashed with Braun Strowman, Triple H and others in Sunday's final traditional elimination match. Like Corbin, he's seemingly through with his last feud. Roode pushed past Ziggler to make it onto Team SmackDown.

And now two men on similar parts of the card are poised to tangle with each other as Roode tries to claim his first title on the main roster. 

The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Hype Bros

The Bludgeon Brothers are coming to destroy anything within hammering distance.

The repackaged pair of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan has been the subject of introductory vignettes for weeks. And WWE announced last week that they will debut on the first SmackDown after Survivor Series.

The company is going to want to showcase its new monsters. As SmackDown's resident low-card act, Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder are likely to be who WWE feeds to Harper and Rowan.

In addition, this could advance the ongoing storyline about The Hype Bros' frustrations leading to tension between them. A throttling at the hands of The Bludgeon Brothers could easily the means for Rawley and Ryder to finally combust. 

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

At Survivor Series, WWE teased what match may lie ahead for Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania: a showdown with Finn Balor.

As for Clash of Champions, a hoss potentially stands in his way. After tangling with Jinder Mahal several times for the WWE Championship, the company hasn't given him a clear direction. But he did cross paths with Rusev and Aiden English last month, offering a possible clue for what's ahead for him.

Rusev has been pushed down the card, made to be the stepping stone for guys like Randy Orton. Nakamura's turn could be next.

The former NXT champ will be in need of a fresh foe and a way to regain some of the momentum he lost falling to Mahal. The Lion of Bulgaria is set to taste a Kinshasha or two.

AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship)

Styles not only seized the WWE Championship from Mahal during the leadup to Survivor Series, he stole his spot opposite Brock Lesnar at the PPV.

The Maharaja isn't going to just let that go. And Mahal isn't going to fade away after dropping the WWE title. The company spent months building him as a top-tier star. 

He'll get his rematch at Clash of Champions and may very well reclaim his crown. After all, a tour of India is on the way and Mahal holding tight to the gold at that point will create buzz over there.

Plus, their last collision was excellent. A rematch has some solid appeal despite all the anti-Mahal energy among the WWE Universe.