Predicting Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan's Roles at WWE Clash of Champions 2017

Confusion reigns supreme when it comes to Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon's involvement in Sunday's WWE Clash of Champions main event.

Having a storyline with multiple possible paths is usually the sign of a story being told well, and the writers on SmackDown Live have certainly ticked that box when it comes to the next step for Bryan and McMahon.

Though they are not directly competing in Sunday's bout, which sees Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fight for their WWE careers against Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton, they are bound to be heavily involved.

Both are guest referees for the match, a stipulation which leaves open the possibility of a turn somewhere along the line. That could be from Bryan, it could be from Shane, or it could even be from one of the four men involved in the match itself.

Here's a look at Bryan and McMahon in closer detail, though, and a prediction as to what we can expect from both men this Sunday.

Daniel Bryan

One thing it's fairly safe to assume is that heading out of Clash of Champions, the foundations will be firmly in place for Bryan to feud with McMahon.

While there has been no direct conflict between the two in recent weeks, their actions certainly suggest to the casual WWE fan that they are headed in different directions.

For weeks, it looked inevitable that McMahon would be the one to turn heel to ignite this rivalry. Now, Bryan's own recent conduct has left a question mark hanging over his head going into Clash of Champions.

Here is a guy who, while he adamantly insists he has Shane McMahon's back, has inserted himself into the match as one of the two referees. If McMahon had Bryan's full trust, surely the GM would feel no need to get involved.

He has made his feelings about keeping Owens and Zayn on the SmackDown Live roster well known, despite the obvious anarchy the pair has caused since Zayn's heel turn at Hell in a Cell.

Bryan counting the pin for Owens only further suggests he could do whatever is necessary to keep their careers alive on Sunday, but this could easily be a swerve in itself by WWE.

One would hope the company has learned its lessons of a few years ago, when a Bryan heel turn was met with a fair amount of negative reaction, leading him to turn back pretty quickly.

Bryan will certainly still have Owens and Zayn on his roster after Sunday, but the likelihood of him turning heel to make that happen seems remote. He'll stay babyface, but probably count the winning pin.

Shane McMahon

For that scenario to play out in that fashion, effectively having a babyface count a win for the heels, McMahon needs to do something pretty extraordinary on Sunday night.

But bank on him to deliver.

McMahon is the smarter, safer bet to turn heel this weekend. After all, he is a McMahon.

But how does it happen? Given Bryan's ongoing fight to get cleared to wrestle, it's obvious he's in a situation where if someone puts their hands on him, it's a pretty big deal.

So, to have Bryan come close to counting the winning fall for Owens and Zayn, only for McMahon to interfere and let his own personal agenda get in the way, seems a likely path.

Bryan then tries to move him out of the way and count again, only for Shane to interfere and take things a step too far.

Now clearly, this has to be done with severe caution and care. Bryan is not in a position to be on the receiving end of any serious moves, nor would WWE willingly let him take a risk like that on their watch.

But if Shane pushes Bryan to the floor in a way the GM can oversell it, then it does create the shock factor and allows Shane to snap.

That anger can lead to him being attacked by Owens and Zayn and Bryan, incensed by the betrayal of his supposed friend, counts the win to only further infuriate Shane.

Conclusion

The smartest outcome this Sunday seems like a heel turn for Shane McMahon.

While Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn could either win or lose cleanly, with the road to WrestleMania just around the corner, it seems highly likely WWE is planning something different in Sunday's main event.

Bryan turning heel would be a huge gamble, one the company has taken before in its recent history. Right now, if the plan is for Daniel Bryan vs. Shane McMahon, turning Shane is the best way to do things.