Who Will Leave SummerSlam 2017 As WWE Champion? Ranking The ‘SmackDown’ Contenders

Brock Lesnar will likely defend his WWE Universal Championship against multiple members of the “Monday Night Raw” roster in the SummerSlam 2017 main event, though the belt with the most prestige still belongs to “SmackDown Live.” Jinder Mahal has been the WWE Champion since he defeated Randy Orton for the title at Backlash, but keeping it through SummerSlam could prove to be difficult.

Who will hold the WWE Championship when the pay-per-view concludes on Aug. 20 at Barclays Center? Let’s rank all the possible contenders.

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1) Baron Corbin

Corbin might not even be on the SummerSlam card on the night of the PPV, but that won’t matter much. He holds the Money in the Bank contract, giving him the opportunity to fight for the WWE Championship any time he wants. There have been two successful cash-in attempts at the last six SummerSlams, and the stage is set for another one in 2017. Some might argue that Corbin isn’t yet ready to be the top champion on “SmackDown Live,” however, the same thing was said about Jinder just a few months ago.

2) Jinder Mahal

Heading into Battleground as the WWE Champion, Jinder can’t be any lower than No.2 on the list. He’s a heavy favorite to retain his championship in a third meeting with Orton, and WWE has been fully committed to making him the blue brand’s top heel, at least for the time being. It’s no secret that Jinder was given the belt in part because of WWE’s hopes to gain popularity in India, and it would make sense for him to be WWE Champion for an extended period of time.

3) John Cena

With 16 world title reigns on his resume, Cena is never far from the WWE Championship picture. Despite his new part-time status, he’s still the biggest star on “SmackDown Live,” and there’s a good chance WWE will want him in a title match at their biggest remaining show of 2017. Prior to his match with AJ Styles last year, Cena had fought in the WWE Championship Match at SummerSlam in five straight years. Don’t be surprised if he faces Jinder for the belt, only to have Corbin cash in.

4) Randy Orton

With a title shot against Jinder at Battleground, Orton makes the list, though his chances of leaving SummerSlam with the WWE Championship are very slim. He’s had no success since winning the belt at WrestleMania 33, losing a non-title match to Bray Wyatt and two straight championship matches to Jinder. Orton is never too far from WWE Championship contention, though it could be a while before he holds the belt again.

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5) Rusev

There might have been a time a few months ago when WWE was considering putting the title on Rusev. That’s what appeared to be the case when he demanded a WWE Championship Match at Money in the Bank. WWE changed course soon afterward, giving the belt to Jinder, but they might still have high hopes for Rusev in the future. If he somehow is able to defeat Cena at Battleground, it would make sense to give him a title shot at SummerSlam.