WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Most Intriguing Storylines to Track on Road to PPV

WWE is ending 2017 with a bang, as a combination of surprising releases, debuts and returns has given a new look to the Raw and SmackDown Live rosters headed into the new year.

And though the promotion is just days removed from Survivor Series, there are already major angles in place that are sure to culminate in an exciting Clash of Champions pay-per-view.

Between WarGames, Starrcade and Clash of Champions, WWE has caught the WCW nostalgia bug in 2017, but these particular events tend to have more to do with WWE's vibrant future than the past.

WWE Clash of Champions on Dec. 17 should be no exception.

SmackDown Live Women's Division Prepares to Battle New Trio of NXT Stars

The big news coming out of SmackDown Live Tuesday night was yet another invading trio of former NXT stars, as Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan ambushed most of SmackDown Live's female roster.

The three mimicked a storyline featuring Paige, Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose the night before on Raw, as the attention of the SmackDown women's division has shifted from winning the SmackDown Women's Championship to fending off a gang of pugnacious newcomers.

A subplot to follow will be the vast openings for Carmella. The Money in the Bank holder will figure to have opportunities to go rogue and take advantage of a potential future attack on Charlotte instead of fighting against a common enemy.

Carmella has had the Money in the Bank briefcase since June, and it's only a matter of time before she cashes in. Pouncing after a gang attack wouldn't be a bad idea for the rising heel.

Tensions Between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon Continue to Grow

Everything is not hunky dory between SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan and brand commissioner Shane McMahon, stemming from SmackDown Live's "under siege" attack in October.

Bryan has publicly expressed disappointment in being left out of the executive decision to invade Raw, and tensions have continued to boil over as Bryan recently upended McMahon's decision to fire Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens.

There continues to be a growing possibility that Bryan, or even McMahon, could turn heel as a result of these tensions, which could also give way to Bryan's previously unlikely in-ring return.

Bryan has been vocal about undergoing thorough testing in an attempt to not only get cleared for in-ring competition but also to get cleared to compete for WWE, something he most recently told Sam Roberts on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast (h/t Doric Sam of Wrestling Inc).

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Continue to Feud with Shane McMahon

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens made their presence felt Sunday at Survivor Series when they attacked Shane McMahon in the climactic moments of the Raw vs. SmackDown main event.

Though Shane McMahon was left with no shot to win in a one-on-three scenario, both Owens and Zayn were blamed for SmackDown Live's loss. The pesky duo is well past the point of no return in an ongoing feud with the SmackDown chief, if they weren't already.

Zayn and Owens' anti-authority heel gimmick figures to lead to some type of match against Shane McMahon, possibly with their jobs on the line. This could set the stage for the aforementioned heel turn of Daniel Bryan, who could make for an entertaining addition to the best-friend battery of Owens and Zayn.

Is The Bludgeon Brothers' Gimmick Going to Catch On?

On paper, and even through some of those campy vignettes, The Bludgeon Brothers don't seem to have much of a ceiling as a tag team. Still, Harper and Rowan have proved to have chemistry in the past as members of the Wyatt Family and make a formidable duo as a big-man tag team. 

The tandem overachieved on their debut. Not only did they defeat The Hype Bros in convincing fashion, but they seemed overly committed to their characters, which is a must when it comes to somewhat questionable gimmicks of this nature.

"Bludgeon Brothers" is easy to chant, and Luke Harper carries enough internet wrestling street cred for this gimmick to work as a guilty pleasure.

It may be a reach to consider Harper and Rowan tag team contenders at this juncture, but if they continue their winning ways and tireless commitment, we could have the next incarnation of The Natural Disasters.

Will Jinder Mahal Raise the Crown Again?

For the second time in a month, WWE rescheduled a SmackDown Live match that was set to involve AJ Styles.

The night Styles won the WWE Championship in Manchester, England, he was originally scheduled to face Rusev. At Survivor Series, it was announced Mahal would receive his championship rematch on SmackDown Live, but those plans were also changed, with Styles now set to take on The Modern Day Maharaja in the main event of Clash of Champions.

It's anybody's guess where WWE stands on Mahal. Will he regain the WWE Championship, thus resuming the ongoing push of the hit-or-miss Maharaja? Has WWE moved on the way it has done with 90 percent of WWE Superstars who become first-time world champions?

WWE's continued change of direction has inadvertently added endless drama to the eventual payoff of the Styles-Mahal feud come December.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.