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WWE's latest SmackDown Live exclusive pay per view - WWE Battleground 2017 - is upon us with none of the pomp and circumstance that usually surrounds WWE's big events. That's because it doesn't really feel like that big of an event.
The WWE Championship scene lies in shambles with the boring feud between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton where as the rest of the card barely has any semblance of a storyline for the fans to get invested in.
Despite this bleak outlook that I just presented, it isn't all doom and gloom for the Blue Brand as WWE Summerslam 2017 fast approaches. After all, they have a legitimately great feud going on between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship.
This coupled with the return of John Cena as well as the presence of the WWE Money in the Bank briefcases on Tuesday nights mean that there is plenty of plenty of great components to build immersive storylines.
The creative team can get started on that by doing something drastic and unexpected at WWE Battleground 2017 this Sunday. So, without any further ado, here are 5 twists that can happen at WWE Battleground 2017:
#5 Lana becomes #1 Contender for the WWE SmackDown Live Women's Championship
Lana's current state of affairs in the WWE is a bit of a strange biscuit. She was introduced directly into the Championship scene on SmackDown Live but never managed to get the better of WWE SmackDown Live Women's Champion, Naomi.
What has changed over the past few weeks, though, is that Lana has enlisted the help of Tamina as her personal enforcer. Can she use this to pull off a shock upset victory in the Fatal Five-way Elimination match to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE SmackDown Live Women's Championship?
It certainly seems unlikely but you can't rule it out completely. For the record, I think this would be a terrible decision and that Charlotte Flair should win the right to face off against Naomi for the gold.
#4 Sami Zayn doesn't lose to Mike Kanellis
It seems like one of the most predictable matches on the whole card. Sami Zayn takes the upper hand against Mike Kanellis but loses when Maria Kanellis interferes on her husband's behalf. But, what if that didn't happen?
Hasn't Sami Zayn been jobbed out enough over the course of his WWE main roster career? He has proven in NXT that he has what it takes to be a main event player so why not use this as an opportunity to build up Sami instead of tearing him down in favour of the new guy.
You can build up an angle where Maria accidentally costs her husband the match or gets thrown out of the ringside area, allowing The Underdog from the Underground to pick up the unlikely W.
It's an impossible scenario, but a man can dream.
#3 Rusev defeats John Cena
Rusev has been shortchanged when it comes to his pushes. Despite his excellent performances, he can never seem to get the company to invest in him as a monster heel who dominates the main event scene.
Case in point, the angle that was scrapped earlier this year where Ru Ru was seen demanding a WWE Championship opportunity. Why was that abandoned without any explanation? Instead of that, he gets saddled with yet another anti-USA angle with Mr USA himself, John Cena.
But, what if this is a blessing in disguise and the Bulgarian Brute does the unthinkable to actually get the most improbable of victories against The Leader of the Cenation and the entire country that is the United States of America?
It could be the perfect starting point for a man who has been constantly overlooked to become the main event heel he was born to be.
#2 Randy Orton wins The Punjabi Prison match
Jinder Mahal was never supposed to be #1 Contender for the WWE Championship. Jinder Mahal was never supposed to beat Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. And, Jinder Mahal was most definitely not supposed to have held on to the title for this long.
Despite not being supposed to do any of these things, Jinder Mahal has accomplished all of them. He IS supposed to win the Punjabi Prison match at WWE Battleground 2017. Is this the point where it all goes wrong for The Modern Day Maharaja?
It would come as a real shock if Randy Orton managed to finally get one over on his most recent rival and how many times do you say that? It could happen, though. The WWE might decide that it's time for the Indian experiment to end.
Or, they could give Randy Orton the victory to accomplish our final point on this list...
#1 Baron Corbin cashes in Money in the Bank
This would absolutely shake things up on SmackDown Live. Doesn't matter if it's Randy Orton or Jinder Mahal who walks out of the Punjabi Prison match as champion, Baron Corbin could shock the world if he cashes in on the winner.
It makes a lot of sense considering how the Prison has been billed as one of the most dangerous matches in the history of the WWE and Corbin becoming WWE Champion would raise the interest levels on SmackDown Live back to 10.
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