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WWE has provided fans with plenty of matches we never thought we’d see in 2017.
From the unbelievable moment when Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe collided in the main event of SummerSlam, to the unexpected when Jinder Mahal won the WWE title from Randy Orton at Backlash, it’s certainly been a year to remember.
With 10 weeks to the event, there are plenty of high-profile matches in the pipeline to get fans excited heading into Survivor Series and all the way through to January.
Not including NXT, which will see the return of War Games in November, we’ve taken a look at five of the biggest matches we could still see in WWE this year.
#1 The Shield vs. The Club
WWE has patched together the makeshift team of The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman and Kane to take on The Shield at TLC… but then what? Of all the potential matches Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns could have together as a trio, they simply have to face The Club.
The main reason WWE decided to break them up in 2014 was due to a lack of opponents, and unless any of the trios taking part in NXT TakeOver: WarGames are quickly brought up to the main roster, they could face the same problem as they did three years ago.
There’s a simple solution to that: The Club. Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have barely interacted with each other since all three guys began on Raw and a Bullet Club reunion -- or Balor Club, as they’d undoubtedly be known -- would be great to see.
Finn surely has to move on from his feud with Bray Wyatt soon, while The Club haven’t been involved in a major storyline since WrestleMania 33, so a Shield vs. Club match could easily happen before the end of 2017.
#2 Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal
Who would’ve thought at WrestleMania 33, where Brock Lesnar won the Universal Championship and Jinder Mahal featured in a kickoff show battle royal, that these two would be going one-on-one in the headline match of Survivor Series?
Over the last six months, Brock and Jinder have demolished everyone in their path to retain their Universal and WWE titles respectively and it makes sense for the two most dominant champions of 2017 to square off at the one PPV of the year where Raw and SmackDown battle for supremacy.
While it’ll be billed as a Champion vs. Champion mega match, don’t expect either title to be on the line. There’s more chance of Brock forming his own 3MB faction than Jinder losing the WWE Championship just a month before the company visits his homeland.
#3 Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles
Jinder may have had the best year of any Superstar in WWE. Not only will we see him take on Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, but “The Modern Day Maharajah” is set to defend his WWE Championship against AJ Styles before 2017 is out.
The PPV matches Mahal had with Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura were underwhelming, but if there’s one man to get a high-quality match out of the WWE champion, no matter what the outcome is going to be, it’s Styles.
Jinder has Lesnar to concentrate on right now while AJ has said that, if needed, he’ll lend a hand to Shane McMahon in his battle with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. But once those feuds are out of the way, expect Styles to earn a title match at December’s Clash of Champions PPV.
#4 Sami Zayn vs. Shane McMahon
The last SmackDown PPV began with everyone talking about Hell In A Cell and finished with us talking about the heel outside the cell. That heel, of course, being Sami Zayn, whose attitude shift over the last couple of weeks has been brilliant to watch.
Shane McMahon has been off TV since jumping 20ft from the top of the cell, but his feud with Kevin Owens and Zayn is set to resume when he returns next week. Assuming Shane is cleared, the rivalry is likely to result in a match against Sami or a tag match involving AJ Styles.
Whether we see it this year or not, it’s bound to happen at some point. Survivor Series may be a little too soon if a Raw vs. SmackDown elimination match takes place, but don’t rule out the possibility of Shane getting some revenge at Clash of Champions in December.
#5 Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe
Injuries seem to come at the worst possible times for WWE Superstars. Samoa Joe was more popular than ever after SummerSlam and, according to reports, was set to head into a major feud with the new Raw recruit John Cena.
However, a knee injury ended that rivalry before it really began and he hasn’t been seen on WWE television since teaming with The Miz to face Cena and Roman Reigns on August 21, despite initial reports stating that he’d only miss six weeks.
There’s not much time left in 2017 to build to a Joe vs. Cena match but, assuming the “Samoan Submission Machine” is back sooner rather than later, we could still see a blockbuster battle with Braun Strowman before the year is out.
Joe and Braun are the only two men from the SummerSlam main event who have never faced each other one-on-one, so perhaps a storyline built around their unfinished business from earlier in the year could be picked up when Joe returns from injury.
