#i should no longer be surprised by the caliber of guest stars on this show. and yet

[gilligould]

BRYAN CRANSTON CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM?

[summerslam2017-blog]

WWE SummerSlam 2017 predictions: Picks for all 13 matches on the card, kickoff show

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- SummerSlam is here. WWE's second-biggest show of 2017 is going down Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. ET with a kickoff show starting two hours earlier at 5 p.m. ET. The monstrous card includes matches from both Raw and SmackDown and with nearly every title the company has to offer being defended on the six-plus hour program. Check out our full slate of predictions for SummerSlam along with a complete match card below. Be sure to stay with CBS Sports the entire weekend as we go in-depth on SummerSlam live from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Be sure to subscribe to my podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where I break down everything you need to know each week. There will be instant analysis of SummerSlam immediately after the show. 2017 WWE SummerSlam predictions Jason Jordan & The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz & The Miztourage (Kickoff Show) Adam Silverstein: Added on Thursday, this match is a good way to get these guys on the show and provide some additional entertainment as fans are filing in. At this point, it's worth showing up and starting to watch at 5 p.m. ET as you will get two title matches and the intercontinental champion in a match with one of the best tag teams in WWE history. Pick: Jordan & The Hardy Boyz win Brian Campbell: The recent injury to Scott Dawson of The Revival seemed to shelf The Hardyz' original SummerSlam plans, making way for a last-minute switch. Seeing the intercontinental title relegated to this usage, however, feels like a major downgrade. The Miz was simply too good in the build up to WrestleMania to be cast off. Pick: Jordan & The Hardy Boyz win Cruiserweight Championship -- Akira Tozawa (c) vs. Neville (Kickoff Show) BC: Tozawa's victory on Raw provided a nice surprise moment during Monday's go-home episode of Raw. But this remains Neville's division and "The King of the Cruiserweights" is still operating at a level above everyone else. Tozawa has looked good in recent weeks and this feud has done well to legitimatize him, but there are more talented 205-pound performers who better deserve to be the long-term successor. Pick: Neville wins the title AS: The rise of Tozawa has been impressive, and WWE fans are buying in. Neville is so versatile and obviously ready for a return to the main roster. It's a shame that crusierweights are relegated to only fighting those weighing 205 pounds or less because he really should have a hybrid role. It's time for the division to move on with fresh blood. Pick: Tozawa retainst he title SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The New Day (c) vs. The Usos (Kickoff Show) AS: While it's a travesty a match and feud of this caliber is on the kickoff show, it was obviously moved to give them the 20-plus minutes necessary on a jam-packed card. Originally, I expected New Day to retain their titles, but in announcing the competitors beforehand, I think they're tipping the hand here towards a title change. Pick: The Usos win the titles BC: Provided they are given the time, this one has all the potential to be a memorable match. The extracurricular action outside the ring has also been increasingly physical in this rivalry. There's no reason to stop this feud anytime soon. Pick: The Usos win the titles Big Show vs. Big Cass with Enzo Amore Enzo Amore will hang above the ring in a shark cage BC: Here's to hoping we see more of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in this one as potential new stablemates for the heel version of Cass. Outside of that, this hasn't been the strongest build. Cass has already proven in multiple weeks that he can handle both Big Show and his former teammate Amore at the same time. Unless WWE is banking on a hometown pop for the New Jersey native Amore, look for Cass' singles push to continue. Pick: Big Cass wins AS: Why is this match happening? And why is WWE using the shark cage gimmick for the third time in nine months? Pick: Big Cass wins Randy Orton vs. Rusev AS: Why is this match happening? If Orton does not put Rusev over -- and after doing the job to Jinder Mahal so often, I'm not sure he's going to -- what is the point of this? Rusev could be a legitimate mid-carder in WWE, but they have slogged him down with this awful gimmick and have nothing planned for him. Pick: Orton wins BC: Despite the tremendous collective talent in this match, WWE has done a poor job giving us a reason to care about who wins or why they were paired together in the first place. That's about the nicest thing that can be said at this point. Pick: Rusev wins SmackDown Women's Championship -- Naomi (c) vs. Natalya BC: The best way to describe Naomi's title reign might be underwhelming at best. Some of that blame can certainly go to how she was booked, of course. Either way, this seems like the perfect setup for Carmella to cash in her Money in the Bank suitcase and create her SummerSlam moment. Pick: Carmella wins the title AS: It really is the perfect situation for Carmella to cash in for a victory, but it now seems too obvious -- and WWE would have no more MITB briefcase holders just a couple months after the event. WWE has done an awful job booking Naomi's championship run with multi-women No. 1 contender matches and pushing Lana as her only competitor for no reason. There will be a title change, though. Pick: Natalya wins the title John Cena vs. Baron Corbin AS: Some believe that Corbin's failed cash-in on SmackDown will result in a win over Cena at SummerSlam to help him get heat back. That's not how I see it. I think WWE realized it made a mistake giving the briefcase to a guy who is just OK in the ring and absolutely awful on the mic. Corbin is not ready for the WWE title anytime soon. Maybe the United States championship? Cena is not going anywhere at the moment. There's no reason to give Corbin this victory unless you're going to extend their feud one more month because you have nothing better to do with either. Pick: Cena wins BC: Some much-needed buzz was added to this match when Cena's distraction played a role in preventing Corbin from successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase Tuesday on SmackDown. Expect an angry Corbin to seek revenge in a big way and look for this match to serve as a litmus test for future of "The Lone Wolf." If WWE still has huge plans for him, anything but a victory doesn't make sense. Pick: Corbin wins Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt BC: Wyatt capped his clean victory over Balor on Raw by pouring a bucket of blood over his head, thus guaranteeing we see the return of Balor's Demon character. That doesn't mean an automatic Balor victory comes with it, however. Wyatt has consistently gotten the upper hand in terms of the mental and supernatural warfare exchanged between both. If he's successful once again, could we see Balor bring his spiritual powers to the dark side along with Bray? Pick: Wyatt wins AS: This match is actually being billed as "The Demon" Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt, which is strange because they dropped "king" from the nickname and have completely ignored the gimmick since his return from injury. There is a surplus of singles talent on Raw, but Wyatt has actually won plenty recently, which I believe was done to set up a loss that will not hurt him in the least (for a change). You can't have Balor put on the demon gimmick and lose. Period. Pick: Balor wins Raw Tag Team Championship -- Sheamus & Cesaro (c) vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins AS: Sheamus & Cesaro are a great tag team and have done a tremendous job as champions, but it's time for a change. The Ambrose-Rollins duo is hot, and unless WWE is going to pull a fast one and have Ambrose turn on Rollins immediately here -- which would be a mistake and not draw nearly the heat a longer-term tag team would -- they will win the straps. There is money in a rematch, and there are too many heel tag teams on the Raw roster at this point. There is more money in a full Shield reunion. Expect an extended reign and an eventual split. Pick: Ambrose & Rollins win the titles BC: Just the tease alone of this partial Shield reunion has consistently produced gigantic pops one each and every Raw episode throughout the build. There's no reason not to give the people what they want with a tag team title victory to pair with it. While a long-term breakup feels all but guaranteed, let's enjoy the ride for now. Pick: Ambrose & Rollins win the titles Raw Women's Championship -- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Sasha Banks BC: The shoulder injury to Bayley turned out to be a blessing in disguise for WWE. Bliss and Banks, the two best women on the Raw brand, simply belong together on a showcase this large. This match also offers WWE a chance to finally give "The Boss" the kind of serious push she received in NXT but has only flirted with on the main roster. Pick: Banks wins the title AS: What he said. It's time for Banks to get her time in the sun with the title and the spotlight to herself without Charlotte Flair around. There are good feuds to be had with Bliss, Nia Jax, etc. Pick: Banks wins the title United States Championship -- AJ Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee AS: While Owens is great, his time as U.S. champion has run its course. The gimmick grew stale rather quickly, and he is so versatile that he does not need a title to get over. We have been screwed out of the Styles-Owens match we've wanted to this point, but SummerSlam is an opportunity for them to get it right while setting the stage for a future Owens-McMahon money match, possibly at Survivor Series More Details. Pick: Styles retains the title BC: The quality of these two performers alone gives this potential to eclipse a four-star rating with ease. But adding McMahon as referee just makes it feel that much more important and special. In the end, Styles deserves to be the one retaining his belt, regardless of whether this match produces further heat between Owens and McMahon. Pick: Styles retains the title WWE Championship -- Jinder Mahal (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura AS: Conventional wisdom would have Mahal retaining the title as WWE is set for a tour of India soon. That's not how I see it. It would be rather difficult to imagine WWE elevating Nakamura to this level so quickly only to have him lose the biggest match of his career to a perennial jobber in Mahal. Rather, I think Nakamura gets the win -- and a massive, massive pop from the Brooklyn crowd -- only to lose the title to Mahal in a rematch while WWE tours in India. Nakamura losing overseas -- particiuarly with Mahal getting help form The Great Khali again -- would not hurt him one bit back here. It would also reaffirm Mahal as a champion despite him not deserving it. Pick: Nakamura wins the title BC: Nakamura's run as WWE champion is coming ... just not yet. Mahal will cheat to win one more time, largely for business purposes as WWE continues their move into India. No matter how great a Nakamura win in Brooklyn would be -- as Adam alluded to -- it's just not the time. Pick: Mahal retains the title Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe Lesnar and Paul Heyman will leave WWE if Lesnar loses the title BC: The expectation for violence and big spots in this one is off the charts. Simply put: You know a Fatal 4-Way match has a chance to be great when you make strong cases for all four participants to come out of the match with the championship. While WWE has done well to work the real-life talk of Lesnar entertaining a UFC return against Jon Jones into his wrestling storyline, adding a stipulation that Lesnar and Heyman would leave WWE with a loss, in the end it feels like a bit too quick and convenient. Look for "The Beast" to exit with the belt and (hopefully) a spinoff feud with Strowman. Pick: Lesnar retains the title AS: Stole my thunder here, BC. Absolutely agree that WWE only put in place that stipulation once it confirmed with Lesnar that he would not be returning to UFC, otherwise it would be just way too convenient for that to happen. But kudos to WWE for playing off the hype of a Lesnar-Jones match that may happen one day but just not now. There's only two ways this match goes. Either Lensar retains the title, as we predict, or Samoa Joe gets the strap. He's done a tremendous job since being elevated to the main event, and WWE cold probably squeak out one final Reigns-Strowman match next month before moving on. Lesnar-Strowman is so money, but I see it going down a bit later at Royal Rumble. Pick: Lesnar retains the title