SummerSlam looks like a changing-of-the-guard moment for WWE

Every once in a very rare while, there’s a show that changes the landscape of the WWE in a real and impactful way. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s legendary promo after winning the King of the Ring tournament in 1996. The Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series in 1997. Shane McMahon buying WCW live on RAW in 2001. John Cena beating John “Bradshaw” Layfield to win his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21. There’s been dozens of other such shows in company history — and it’s starting to feel like SummerSlam 2017 is going to be another one of those moments.

WWE has had a problem in recent years of having too many shows that should feel big, but wind up holding too much to the status quo of the time. We’ve seen shifts and changes, but most of the time they’ve been slow and gradual, and too often coming too late to make the impact they needed to. This Sunday during SummerSlam, WWE has the chance to effect a lot of change in one night, and while we probably won’t see it take every opportunity, there’s enough chances here to wind up with a very different landscape than the one we had just a few short weeks ago.

We already started to see some signs of that change earlier this week, with Akira Tozawa winning the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on RAW in a shocking upset over longtime (and seemingly unbeatable) champion Neville. Then on SmackDown, Baron Corbin tried to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on WWE Champion Jinder Mahal — only for his bid for glory to get spoiled and wasted by his SummerSlam opponent, John Cena.

Both men have a chance to make huge statements at SummerSlam — Tozawa by cementing his first WWE reign by beating Neville again, and Corbin by putting himself firmly on the map of major WWE stars by besting a living legend in Cena to get his revenge.

But those two are far from the only ones with major opportunities on Sunday. The Fatal Four-Way for the WWE Universal Championship features a pair of wrestlers itching for their first title on the WWE’s main roster, with Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman standing as easily two of the best uncrowned wrestlers on the roster. But there’s a feeling that if Strowman wins the title, it could kick off the young giant’s career in a big, big way and turn him into a true monster in the WWE on a scale we’ve yet to see from a big man in the company.

Another big man with the possibility of a big future is Big Cass, who’s going one-on-one with one of the most iconic big men in the WWE’s history: the Big Show. (Yeah, WWE has a thing for the whole “Big” hook.) Cass has slowly morphed into one of RAW’s best villains in the last two months after turning on his longtime tag team partner Enzo Amore, and a dominating performance over Big Show with Amore dangling over the ring in a cage could be a real statement of his intent to become one of the biggest stars in the company a lot sooner than people think.

Then there’s Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt, two extremely talented wrestlers who have seen their stars fall due to injury and circumstance, respectfully. With Balor’s Demon persona expected to emerge for the first time since his shoulder injury exactly one year ago when he won — then had to quickly vacate — the Universal Championship, these two could easily put on a classic that vaults both men back up the standings, both in the eyes of fans and those in charge of the WWE.

Also needing a boost is Rusev, who returns to in-ring action against Randy Orton. Rusev’s career once looked bound for greatness, but he’s never really recovered from losing his undefeated streak and U.S. Championship to Cena at WrestleMania 31. A win over Orton (who won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33 this April) could finally get him back on track and back to being taken seriously as a threat in the WWE. The big Bulgarian has the talent. Now it’s just a matter of seizing his opportunity.

Alexa Bliss also has an opportunity at hand to cement herself as a major star in the WWE. Yes, she’s already had long reigns with both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships — and is the first performer to hold both — but she’s rarely been seen as a “real” champion by many fans given her heel alignment. She’s facing a fans’ darling in Sasha Banks for her RAW Women’s title for the second straight pay-per-view, and another win over the beloved member of WWE’s Four Horsewomen would cement Bliss’ place as a truly dominant woman in the company.

This year’s SummerSlam has a deep and varied card, but there’s one consistent theme throughout it: major opportunities for up-and-coming stars without a ton of time in WWE and some serious chances for guys who need some momentum. Come the end of the night on Sunday, the WWE could look a lot different than it did just one week ago. If it does, it can only be a good thing for a company that needs some shaking up, and it’s exciting just to think of the directions it’d be able to go after this weekend.