WWE SummerSlam 2017 Prediction: Title Change Likely For ‘SmackDown Live’ Championship

With WWE SummerSlam 2017 less than a week away, it’s looking more and more like there will be a world title change at Barclays Center on Aug. 20. Jinder Mahal is expected to lose his WWE Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura, relinquishing his spot as the top champion on “SmackDown Live.”

There are a few reasons to believe Nakamura will win, among them being the latest betting odds. The challenger is a 4/11 favorite just five days before the match, via Paddy Power, and Jinder is a 15/8 underdog.

Ever since he debuted on “SmackDown Live” following WrestleMania 33, Nakamura has been booked stronger than anyone on the blue brand. He’s yet to get pinned as a member of the main roster, and he even defeated John Cena clean to earn his WWE Championship opportunity at SummerSlam. Nakamura did lose consecutive NXT Championship matches to Bobby Roode prior to WrestleMania 33.

Jinder Mahal has been the WWE Champion since Backlash on May 21. He defeated Randy Orton for the title and has since successfully defended the belt twice against The Viper.

Jinder’s title reign came largely out of nowhere. He had never held a belt in WWE and was largely viewed as a jobber before he earned his title shot shortly after WrestleMania 33. Having needed help from The Singh Brothers and The Great Khali to beat Orton in all three championship matches, it’s easy to envision him getting pinned by Nakamura in Brooklyn.

Even if Nakamura does win the title match, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll leave SummerSlam as the WWE Champion. Baron Corbin holds the Money in the Bank Briefcase, and he’s had a feud of his own with Nakamura for the past few months. Corbin was disqualified for using a low blow against Nakamura at Battleground, and he attacked the No.1 contender for the WWE Championship after his recent victory over Cena.

Corbin will face Cena in a singles match at SummerSlam. If The Lone Wolf loses to the 16-time world champion, it might be a sign that he’s going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract later on in the night.

While it might be surprising to see Jinder still holding the WWE Championship at the conclusion of SummerSlam, there isn’t the same level of certainty that the pay-per-view will produce a new WWE Universal Champion. Even though Brock Lesnar will put his belt on the line against three other wrestlers, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the fatal 4-way title match.

The WWE Universal Championship Match will almost certainly be the main event of the PPV. Samoa Joe is considered to be the second favorite in the match, and he has an outside chance to pull off the upset. Roman Reigns isn’t expected to get the pinfall, nor is Braun Strowman.

Paul Heyman has said that Lesnar will leave WWE if he loses his title. If Lesnar doesn’t end up winning the match, don’t expect him to be the one that gets pinned or submitted.

It's been three years since the WWE Championship changed hands at SummerSlam. Lesnar defeated Cena for the belt in 2014, and Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship from Cena in the previous year.