WWE SUMMERSLAM 2017 5 MATCHES WE'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT

WWE SummerSlam 2017 is a pivotal pay-per-view that must continue Raw's momentum and turn things around for SmackDown.

Credit: WWE.com
Credit: WWE.com

One brand has Brock Lesnar defending the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe while the other has Jinder Mahal competing for the WWE title. That really sums up the difference in quality between WWE's two flagship shows in recent months, with Raw on a massive viewership upswing and SmackDown continuing to see its numbers struggle despite being on the road to the No. 2 pay-per-view of the year.

There are rumors of another "Superstar Shakeup" coming after SummerSlam and chatter that John Cena is likely moving to Raw, and with football season approaching and WWE viewership tending plummet in the fall, the creative team must pull out all the stops in order to make SummerSlam an unforgettable show. If that doesn't happen, the red brand may see its recent hot streak come to an end while the blue brand could continue to see a sizable downturn in quality.


In addition to match quality, the success of SummerSlam will depend largely on the booking.

Here are five smart booking decisions WWE must make at SummerSlam in order to set up both Raw and SmackDown for a brighter future.

Carmella Cashes In

Credit: WWE.com
Credit: WWE.com

The controversy regarding Carmella's historic win at Money in the Bank resulted in quite the boost for SmackDown.

The post-MITB edition of SmackDown had a massive 25% increase from the previous episode while the following week's episode, which featured Carmella winning the briefcase for a second time, increased yet again to 2.603 million viewers. In fact, the latter generated the blue brand's best viewership since the April 11th "Superstar Shakeup" episode and even topped the episode that featured the highly anticipated dream match between John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Translation: Carmella's heel character has gotten over, and history suggests that having her work in a headlining role will increase viewership and pique interest in the blue brand's women's division.

Carmella is still holding onto that coveted Money in the Bank briefcase, and recent betting odds suggest that she very well could cash in that contract and become the new SmackDown Women's Champion at SummerSlam. Given the rather pedestrian feud between Naomi and Natalya, plus the buzz (and resulting viewership increases) Carmella's two MITB wins created, it stands to reason that WWE would be making a smart decision if Carmella cashes in that briefcase at WWE's biggest party of the summer.

John Cena And Randy Orton Do The Honors

Credit: WWE.com
Credit: WWE.com

At SummerSlam, John Cena will take on Baron Corbin while Randy Orton will battle Rusev in two matches that should be all about building toward WWE's future.

Considering Cena's recent comments about retiring soon and Orton's rather lackluster pay-per-view performances in 2017 (not to mention his status as somewhat of a part-timer), there is no real long-term benefit to either superstar winning at SummerSlam. Rusev is someone who has spent most of his career putting other stars over and could really benefit from defeating someone like Orton at a marquee pay-per-view while Corbin is someone WWE should be building its future around.

WWE officials had reportedly viewed Corbin as a major star who has the potential to be an even bigger star than Braun Strowman, and as someone who has yet to have a marquee win over a top star like Cena, Corbin can cement himself as a top guy by picking up a career-defining victory over Cena, who has only lost clean to 13 superstars over the past 10 years. After all, a win over Cena would be pivotal in erasing the stench of Corbin's failed Money in the Bank cash-in on last week's SmackDown, though reported backstage heat on "The Lone Wolf" may prevent that from actually happening.

A victory over Cena played a key role in the ascension of stars like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and CM Punk, and it could certainly do the same for Corbin. Likewise, Rusev pulling off a victory over Orton could go a long way toward the blue brand establishing the top heels it desperately needs.

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