WWE SummerSlam 2017: 5 Possible endings to AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (with Shane McMahon as special guest referee)

I think we can all unanimously agree that John Cena's US Open Challenge was a legendary run in his career. Not only did he dispel the myth that he couldn't wrestle, he also elevated the Title and every Superstar that walked out to challenge him for it.

But just when it seemed like Cena's run with the Championship would be an impossible act to follow, along came Kevin Owens.

Entitled to a fault, belligerent on the microphone and capable in the ring, the Canadian quite nicely filled the void that was left by the Leader of the Cenation.

Was the Title made to look as important as it did when Cena was putting on weekly wrestling clinics? Perhaps not. But you can't deny that Kevin Owens constantly kept it in the news with the 'New Face of America' run.

Only, he had a generous measure of help along the way from another man too.

One quick look at Wikipedia and you'd realize that the two most prominent names on the list of United States Champions ever since John Cena lost it, have been Kevin Owens and AJ Styles.

The two have shadowed one another for quite a while now, challenging each other in the ring and cementing the US Title as, perhaps, the most important Championship on SmackDown Live today with their closely contested rivalry.

Add a dash of magic from Chris Jericho once in a while, and you full well understand why - despite being passed on from one man to another like a hot potato - the US Championship match at SummerSlam between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens still feels like a big deal.

And the inclusion of Shane McMahon into the mix, as a special referee, only augments that.

Will AJ Styles be able to retain the US Championship and restore a degree of stability to the Title picture? Or will Kevin Owens' assertion that dubious refereeing was the only reason why he isn't still Champion be proven true?

While we wait with bated breath till Sunday to find out, here are 5 possible endings to the AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens US Championship Match at WWE SummerSlam.

Y2J returns

Could Chris Jericho return to claim his revenge on Kevin Owens?

We were informed in the aftermath that Chris Jericho's return to SmackDown Live was a one-off.

But what if it wasn't?

Widely regarded as being in the middle of his best run yet (quite frankly, this notion gets bandied about everytime he makes a return), another surprise Y2J come back at SummerSlam cannot be ruled out completely.

He did mention on SmackDown Live that he has a bit of payback left to dish out to Kevin Owens for putting him on the shelf, and what better way to exact his pound of flesh than at SummerSlam?

He could cost Kevin Owens the US Title match and be just as easily written off programming without any storyline repercussions.

Besides, nothing like a roof-raising return to steal the headlines at SummerSlam, is there?

Clean AJ Styles win

Can AJ hang on to his US Title?

This would ensure that a measure of stability and status quo is afforded to the US Title and also allow Kevin Owens to move on to other feuds.

AJ Styles is the US Champion and quite frankly, in the face of John Cena tapering off to a part-time schedule, he absolutely needs to continue holding down at least one important Title belt on SmackDown Live.

Given that an air of unease hangs over just how effective this WWE Championship experiment with the likes of Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura will be, it's all the more important that AJ Styles - a dependable babyface that the crowd can get behind - serves as a rallying point for the Blue brand.

And a clean win over Kevin Owens to retain the US Championship will go a long way towards ensuring that.

Kevin Owens reclaims his US Title

Looks like it belongs, doesn't it?

As likely an outcome as the previous scenario, Kevin Owens rolling out of the SummerSlam ring, US Championship clutched tightly to his chest, is a very real possibility.

Ever since he's been called up to the main roster, KO has done nothing to disprove the immense amount of faith put in him by Triple H.

Right from defeating John Cena in his first ever main roster match to hardly ever going a respectable period of time since without one Title or another strapped around his waist, Kevin Owens has established himself as a mainstay of the New Era.

Also, with it being clear in the build-up to the match that he is only entering SummerSlam without the US Title due to a spate of unfortunate refereeing decisions, do not be surprised if he emerges from the pay-per-view 15 pounds heavier to the good.

Shane screws over KO

Shane McMahon's relationship with KO has always been strained

Not only did Kevin Owens' attempt to incite friction between special referee Shane McMahon and AJ Styles spectacularly backfire on the go home show of SmackDown Live...but he also ended up revealing his hand well before the Title match at SummerSlam.

If Kevin Owens was banking on Shane McMahon coming to blows with AJ Styles due to their checkered history, that Hail Mary was dealt a damning blow when he himself inadvertently superkicked the commissioner last week.

For his part, Shane McMahon promised to both men that he will retaliate in kind if he was attacked during the match and now, privy to Owens' scheme, will be straining a particularly careful eye on the Prizefighter.

One false move and Kevin Owens may find himself on the wrong end of a disqualification or worse, a feral revenge-minded attack, courtesy of Shane O'Mac.

Shane turns heel

Shane, after all, is a McMahon. And you can never trust a McMahon.

This would be from hard left field, even as far as unexpected twists go, but why not spare it some thought?

Raw has thrived without the Authority looming over it and while everyone awaits Triple H and Stephanie to return and resume where they left off, having Shane turn heel and exert similar influence over SmackDown Live would be a swerve that they just won't see coming.

And like Shawn Michaels shoving Marty Janetty face first into the Barbershop window or Seth Rollins slamming his former Shield brothers with a chair in the back, the turns that you don't see coming are often the most remembered.

Shane McMahon has all the storyline incentive in the world to take out both Kevin Owens and AJ Styles after being attacked by them these past two weeks and him turning heel would also add a new must-see wrinkle to the Blue Brand.

After all, as long as it's good for business, never say never in the WWE right?