10 Major Problems WWE Faces After SummerSlam 2017

The road to SummerSlam has been a bumpy one, with several “plotholes” along the way. The main event of WWE’s second biggest show of the year is a blockbuster featuring four monsters vying for the Universal Championship, with the caveat of the current champion leaving the company if he’s unsuccessful. However, most of the undercard consists of matches with little backstory, competitors thrown together for fresh bouts albeit with minimal meaning.

In the case of the Raw Women’s Championship match, real-life circumstances forced a change in long-term planning. In most other instances, it seems that WWE officials were on autopilot after WrestleMania 33, forgetting to plan for the annual summer extravaganza.

The 30th SummerSlam lacks the aura of significance that it deserves. Although ratings for Raw and SmackDown were slightly up last week, fan interest feels generally low. It could potentially worsen after this Sunday in Brooklyn as WWE faces several issues regarding talent, storylines, and direction.

Hopefully, company executives enjoy the “biggest party of the summer” because they’re in for a brutal hangover once the final bell rings and the Beast is on the prowl.

The beauty of pro wrestling is when fiction blends into reality, creating a delicate balance that leaves viewers wondering what is true and what is storyline. Brock Lesnar masterfully tiptoes that line because of his legitimate fighting background. He has cultivated an outsider persona, appearing sporadically throughout the year, straying from overly scripted promos and maintaining a MMA-influenced wrestling style. By standing out from the other sports-entertainers, he has become a special attraction – his contract negotiations are more closely studied than Shakespeare’s works.

Fans are aware that Lesnar’s current contract expires at WrestleMania 34. It’s become tradition to speculate whether he’ll re-sign with WWE or jump back to UFC, where he could face UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Although the two elite athletes have jaw jacked about a possible fight, it’s very likely that Lesnar is playing up the drama to gain leverage in contract negotiations with Vince McMahon.

Here’s where the reality weaves into storyline: Paul Heyman has vowed that if Lesnar loses at SummerSlam, he (and his advocate) will leave WWE. Regardless of whether that pledge is fact or fiction, WWE officials need to prepare either to appease 'The Beast' or for a future without him.