WWE SmackDown Live Preview: August 1, 2017

As we veer into SummerSlam month, will the Blue brand up their game to match the giant strides that Monday Night Raw has managed to take in the weeks past?

One way of doing that is having Shinsuke Nakamura square off with John Cena in a first time ever dream match. And there's much more than pride at stake as the winner gets a shot at Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship at the biggest event of the Summer.

Not to be outdone, Kevin Owens hopes to conjure up yet another memorable moment when he exercises his rematch clause to take on AJ Styles for the US Title in singles competition.

Will Chris Jericho, however, have a say in this encounter again?

And how will the New Day rebound after being laid to waste by a vicious ambush from the Usos?

Combing through all of these tantalizing storylines, here is our preview of this week's episode of SmackDown Live.

WWE SmackDown Live Results, Updates And Commentary

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#1 A 'Stiff' test

Will Jinder Mahal get his wish of facing John Cena?

Shinsuke Nakamura has taken the WWE Universe by storm ever since progressing up the ranks from NXT, but faces his greatest threat that the company has to offer when he goes one on one with the "Face that Runs the Place" John Cena.

And it's more than just a marquee bout that fans are eager to witness, as the winner earns an opportunity to pit their prowess against the Modern day Maharajah (and his cronies) for the WWE Title.

Will the match play out without any interruptions? Or will Baron Corbin, who's got no qualms about crashing a match of any magnitude, let his presence be known?

Whatever happens... Jinder Mahal is in for a stiff test - no pun intended - at SummerSlam.

#2 Usos Angry

A sign of things to come?

The New Day, in celebrating their triumph over the Usos to win the SmackDown Tag Titles, completely underestimated the gumption of the former Champions.

Never ones to be outdone, the Usos retaliated with a vicious beatdown on the trio, ambushing them during their entrance. Such was the ferocity and the suddenness of the attack that even having the numbers game on their side couldn't save the Champions from the wrath of the brothers.

Will the New Day retaliate in kind on the face of the Usos' vicious mean streak? Or was last week just an indication of what we can continue to expect from the dethroned former Champions?

#3 A marriage of convenience

Who will prevail?

Becky Lynch has been upstaged by Carm-ellsworth of late, and the fiery Irish Lass Kicker has revenge on her mind.

And SmackDown Live Women's Champion Naomi has to reckon with the formidable threat of Natalya, even before she faces the third generation Superstar in a Title match at SummerSlam.

Naturally then, it affords both the babyfaces an opportunity to lay down a marker when they team up to take on Natalya and Carmella in a tag team match on SmackDown Live.

Will they be able to work together to overcome two former members of the Welcoming Committee? Or will the chemistry between Natalya and Carmella prove to be too much to undo?

#4 Ready, willing and Gable

Will Rusev be able to crush Gable?

How poetically ironic is it that it was Jason Jordan, and not the former Olympian Chad Gable, who was revealed to be Kurt Angle's long lost son?

But despite the rude shock he received at the announcement, and losing his Tag partner to Raw, Chad Gable will be eager to rebound and assert himself on SmackDown Live.

And who better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) to do it against than a pissed off Bulgarian in Rusev?

Rusev will have revenge on his mind after losing the Flag Match to John Cena at Battleground and will likely exercise no discretion whatsoever in destroying anyone and anything in his path.

Has Chad Gable bitten off more than he can chew?

#5 A new Face for America?

Which way will the momentum swing this time?

Kevin Owens is a very, very unhappy man right now.

Don't get me wrong. He's prickly at the best of times. But clearly, he does not cope well with losses. And that's exactly what AJ Styles handed him when he defeated him (well, Chris Jericho technically) in a Triple Threat match for the US Championship last week on SmackDown Live.

Incensed, Owens demanded a one on one rematch for the belt this week and the powers that be acceded to his request.

But will he be able to defeat Styles and regain the belt that he views as rightfully his? Or will AJ Styles retain the belt and put a stop to the see-sawing that the US Title has encountered recently?

Tune in to this week's episode of SmackDown Live to find out!