Booking the perfect WWE SummerSlam card

The makeup of this year's WWE SummerSlam card is lacking a certain je ne sais quoi, which is discouraging when taking into account that the event is billed as the company's second-biggest show of the year behind WrestleMania.

Thankfully, we're here to pick up the ball and run with it by constructing a lineup befitting such a spectacle. Even with a four-hour run time and two-hour pre-show, there will be some noteworthy superstars left out in the cold.

Here's what SummerSlam 2017 should look like:

WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

The announced main event is fine as is, so it doesn't need any sprucing up.

All four monsters have been booked exceptionally well in recent months, and with the stipulation of Lesnar leaving WWE if he drops the title (powered by his apparent desire to step back inside the octagon), there's that added sense of intrigue that wasn't necessarily needed, but is definitely welcome.

WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal (c) vs. John Cena

The Modern Day Maharaja squaring off with the franchise player in Cena would boost his stock, and isn't that really the sole purpose of his title reign? WWE's efforts to sink its teeth into the Indian market rely heavily on Mahal's success, and thus far, the results have been mixed.

If this experiment comes to a premature end, though, Cena would end up making history with a 17th championship win. Baron Corbin could have emerged with his Money in the Bank briefcase to shake things up at the top of SmackDown Live's pecking order, but dropped the ball Tuesday night.

WWE United States Championship: A.J. Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Watch their epic encounter at the Tokyo Dome for New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 10, and if you're still not convinced that Styles and Nakamura need to be feuding in WWE, then keep watching until it sinks in.

It's technically a "dream" match since we haven't seen it play out on American soil. Those fortunate enough to have caught their classic overseas yearn for more, and if there's any crowd you can count on to be especially appreciative of seeing the Phenomenal One and The King of Strong Style duke it out once again, it's the one in Brooklyn.

WWE Raw Women's Championship: Alexa Bliss (c) w/ Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks

Poor Bayley. The timing of her separated shoulder couldn't have been worse, as she would have been a shoo-in for this contest, whether it be the one-on-one against Bliss as originally booked, or with multiple competitors.

The Boss is a more-than-suitable replacement, and will probably get the better match out of Bliss following their underrated bout at Great Balls of Fire.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

The tease of a Shield reunion has had a slow burn to build anticipation for the giant payoff when the pair inevitably touch fists in their trademark salute, which they wound up doing Monday.

We could have still gotten to that destination with Rollins and Ambrose fighting at SummerSlam. This shouldn't imply that WWE needed to rush the storyline, because the slow and steady path was well executed. They have impeccable chemistry as opponents, so convince the audience they need to let off some steam for Rollins to continue earning The Lunatic Fringe's trust back, and then carry on from there.

Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt (Raw) vs. Randy Orton and Rusev (SmackDown Live)

It's a friendly reminder that Raw and SmackDown Live are "trying" to be competitors in a storyline sense. That's easy to forget since you rarely hear a peep of that on television anymore.

Balor-Wyatt and Orton-Rusev are merely stocking stuffers by themselves. Rather than waste those pairings in singles matches that no one is invested in, why not book an interpromotional tag with unknown stakes? Fans would be curious to see which set of adversaries could co-exist, while also creating fresh matchups they wouldn't normally get because of the brand extension.

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon

If his WrestleMania 33 opener with Styles taught us anything, it's that Shane-O-Mac doesn't need to be falling 30 feet to his doom to have a memorable match. He needs someone standing across from him to lead him by the hand, so to speak, but it's possible without the frills of an extreme stipulation.

McMahon will still do his mandatory dive off the top rope through an announce table, and perhaps do a flip or two like he did at 'Mania with his incredible shooting-star press. The promos between him and Owens would likely be superior to the in-ring work, but that's not to say they couldn't tell a captivating story between the ropes, which they almost certainly would.

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Sheamus and Cesaro (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz

We've seen it a billion times in 2017, so to give this feud a shot in the arm, let's have Matt and Jeff Hardy finally emerge with their Broken/Woken personas (let's pretend their lawsuit isn't a thing ...) and set the wrasslin' world into a frenzy.

What an intoxicating moment it would be. The seven deities approve.

WWE SmackDown Women's Championship: Naomi (c) vs. Becky Lynch

There's a ringside seat with your name on it, Cris Cyborg.

Kickoff Show

• WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. The Usos
• WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Akira Towaza (c) vs. Neville
• Big Show w/ Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass