SummerSlam 2017 is just around the bend! Sunday, August 20^th event will be loaded with high-flying talent and heavy-hitters, unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time! With such a huge card of talented wrestlers, it gets exceedingly difficult to predict who will walk away as champions.

If you want to get an idea of which WWE superstars will win, a great place to start is by having a look at the real betting markets to see who is favored. You can research these odds on trusted sites like Bovada & 5Dimes. So, let’s have a look at the odds as of today and see if we can’t decipher who will be holding the mic and spitting their animated rhetoric and who’ll be crawling away down the main aisles in defeat.

The Fatal 4-Way

There have been rumors abound that Brock Lesnar is actually penciled in to walk away with the win over Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman. But is there any truth to this supposed leak? I really doubt there has been any legitimate leak … because sportsbooks are known to pull their betting lines as soon as a storyline is verified as being leaked out to the public on Reddit or other forums. However, the odds do coincide with a Lesnar victory. Here are the odds:

Brock Lesnar Wins Fatal 4-Way Match -280

Field Wins Fatal 4-way match                +200

Samoa Joe Wins Fatal 4-Way Match     +300

Field Wins Fatal 4-way match              -99999

Roman Reigns Wins Fatal 4-Way           +800

Field Wins Fatal 4-way match              -99999

Braun Stroman Wins Fatal 4-Way        +1100

Field Wins Fatal 4-way match              -99999

Inherent value

So, what does this all add up to? Well, for those of you who are new to reading betting odds, a MINUS (-) sign designates the amount of money you would have to bet to win $100. Conversely, a PLUS (+) sign designates how much you would potentially win by betting $100 dollars. Though it should be noted that any dollar amount can be used.

Looking at the numbers laid out for the Fatal 4-Way match we see Lesnar as a clear favorite, coming in at -280 (wager $280 to win $100) and I really can’t imagine any other outcome. Jon “Bones” Jones just called out Brock Lesnar after his victory against Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 …  and you have to think that raising Lesnar’s stock is in the WWE’s interest. Even Jon Jones pointed out that he is aware that Lesnar could be using him as leverage in contract negotiations.

“I could see it being a leverage point to get paid the bigger bucks to stick around (with WWE) or come over to the UFC. Either way, I think it would be great if he comes over to the UFC to get a gigantic payday, probably his biggest UFC payday. Now he has this as a leverage point from whichever direction he decides to go in. Good for Brock to have options.” – Jon Jones via MMA Junkie

Either way, what seems to be best for both brands is Brock Lesnar being the Universal Champion.

SummerSlam Prediction: Brock Lesnar Wins Fatal 4-Way match (-280)

WWE Women’s Championship: Banks vs. Bliss

Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss recently in the Great Balls of Fire event. However, Banks did not finish Bliss in the ring, winning only by a 10-second count-out, thus not taking the title from Bliss.

The oddsmakers at 5Dimes have listed both WWE divas at -120, giving equal opportunity to both women. To continue in the vein of the drama of rematches and rivalry, you have to think that Bliss gets a sneaky win in SummerSlam and retains the title. It won’t be a superior victory … they’ll want to keep us waiting and ready for an any-given-Sunday type rematch with trade-off wins.

SummerSlam Prediction: Alexa Bliss (-120)

WWE Championship: Mahal vs. Nakamura

This match intrigues me! The lines clearly favor Shinsuke Nakamura but the general consensus seems to be that Nakamura as the Champion this quickly would be devastatingly bad for the WWE brand.

Jinder Mahal             +250

Shinsuke Nakamura -350

Neither of these two was on anyone’s radar just a couple of years ago. But in just what seems like a few months, both have blasted through the ranks of SmackDown. It’s difficult to think that Jinder Mahal can beat the guy who recently bested Cena, but I believe the WWE is building this one up for a surprise plot twist and let down. The ‘unthinkable’ happens and the dog has his day.

SummerSlam Prediction:  take the Underdog, Jinder Mahal (+250)