15 feuds we could see in WWE this summer

Backlash will see the dust of WrestleMania and the Superstar Shakeup settle once and for all. From there, WWE's summer calendar kicks off, and fans are already looking ahead to see what the company is cooking up.

What feuds will take us through Money in the Bank and into the climax of the season, SummerSlam?

Some seem obvious, like the unfortunate continuation of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns as well as a story arc involving Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya, and Ronda Rousey, with the latter two likely locking horns in Brooklyn.

What other feuds will we be served up? What do we want to see? We've seen some hints over the last few weeks we can also guess and fantasize as to other possibilities.

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#1 Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

This feud has been meandering for a long time, but now that WrestleMania and the Shakeup are over, and they've both had a match with Ruby Riott in the same week, that should get things kicked off, right? Some shenanigans tonight will force things to a crisis, right?

If not, it's time to drop the angle. It's now or never.

We know Banks and Bayley can deliver. Their feud in NXT was one of the best of the decade, and though we can't expect them to equal those heights on Raw, it would be very desirable to see, and far better than the strange holding pattern they're in.

#2 Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler

The outcome of this unlikely pairing seems to be to slowly reintroduce Drew McIntyre to the main roster, washing off the 3MB stench.

Ziggler's contract remains unknown, with some reports indicating that he hasn't signed a new one and might be leaving after SummerSlam.

Either way, the pairing isn't likely to last too long. One of them will probably turn and culminate the feud around SummerSlam time.

If Ziggler can equal his heights with The Miz in 2016, it should be a fine showing, but he's been so irrelevant for so long that we can't bet on it.

McIntyre will win either way.

#3 Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley hasn't done much since his return a few weeks ago. Braun Strowman hasn't done a whole lot either, despite his popularity.

A feud would not only give them both something to do, it writes itself. Hoss fights are always fun and everyone will wonder if Bobby Lashley can suplex the Monster Among Men. A heel turn for Lashley would also be better than his current face run.

A feud between them would also do a great job to heat them both up for any potential Universal Championship challenge, whether that be against Reigns or Lesnar.

#4 The Deleters of Worlds vs. The Authors of Pain

The Authors of Pain seem content with squashing jobbers for a while and The Deleters of Worlds seem secure atop the Raw tag team division for now, but everyone expects these two teams to collide soon enough. It will likely happen at SummerSlam.

The Authors of Pain are no-nonsense killers, so it could be amusing to see how they react to the oddness of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt.

In the meantime, with Ziggler and McIntyre the only other major team on the Raw (a team which will likely break up soon), the division will be almost in a state of suspended animation.

#5 Randy Orton vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas

The arrival of Andrade "Cien" Almas is eagerly awaited. I hope it happens tonight. Given that he's keeping his manager and he has vignettes building anticipation, it's likely that the company has big plans for him.

A feud with Randy Orton certainly fits the bill and it will likely happen this summer.

Whether he wins tonight or, more likely, loses, Orton would be the perfect veteran for Almas to work with. Almas, in turn, might be able to pull a better match out of Orton than he's had in over a year.

A victory over the Viper would be the perfect way to show that Almas is a big deal.

#6 Jeff Hardy vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas

After likely retaining his title tonight, Jeff Hardy will probably await Almas at the high point in the summer.

A SummerSlam match between them is very possible. It should be a joy to see. Hardy is the perfect babyface to contrast off Almas and Zelina Vega's heel act and seeing her, in particular, go at Hardy should be memorable.

A career-defining win likely awaits Almas. It would be a great way to heat him up for an eventual main event run late this year or early next year.

#7 SAnitY vs. The New Day

This feud would be a great way to introduce SAnitY to the main roster. A first time meeting of polar opposites, it would certainly make the SmackDown tag team division must-see TV every week.

The New Day had one of 2017's defining feuds with The Usos starting at just this time, so this would be a nice time to get this one started.

SAnitY should ultimately be victorious in this feud, leading into another kind of hoss clash for WWE's biggest event of the summer.

#8: SAnitY vs. The Bludgeon Brothers

Unfortunately, the Bludgeon Brothers' feud with The New Day and Usos, and now The Usos alone, has proven disappointing.

The match at WrestleMania felt like a waste of potential and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions didn't have an impressive showing at the Greatest Royal Rumble, either. They aren't even on tonight's Backlash card.

Let's hope this feud with The Usos is over with soon. There's not much left to get out of it.

A feud with SAnitY later this summer would be just what the doctor ordered. The trio could easily prove the wild, powerhouse challengers that the Bludgeon Brothers have thus far lacked.

No pun intended the chaos of the matches would be something to see if given enough time.

#9 Nia Jax vs. Ruby Riott

Alexa Bliss will likely be in Nia Jax's rear-view mirror after tonight. That's when she'll truly have to prove her mettle as champion.

Given her poor ring and mic work, some inventiveness is needed to make her reign feel like something more than a handout.

Enter Ruby Riott. Aside from being the biggest heel in the Raw women's division after Alexa Bliss, she's good enough in the ring and on the mic to mask some of Jax's weaknesses, and if she must be tasked with carrying the Riott Squad, the company might as well take advantage of the situation to set up Nia against superior numbers.

Riott is unlikely to capture the championship at this time, but this could be more proof of her talent after an impressive match with Charlotte Flair earlier in the year.

#10 Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

If Shinsuke Nakamura is unable to capture the WWE Championship tonight, something needs to be done with him to keep him hot.

While he likely won't fall down the ladder too quickly (more on that in a moment), if ever there were a now or never moment, tonight is it. If he fails, how would he keep this newfound energy he has as a heel?

Feuding with the purest babyface in the company would certainly be the answer.

The two have already begun to work dark matches, so a clash sometime soon isn't unlikely.

Nakamura has stated that one of the reasons he joined WWE was to eventually work with Bryan, so it would be nice to see him get what he's wanted in what has been a career-defining year, even if it doesn't always feel that way.

#11 Seth Rollins vs. Jason Jordan

According to the rumor mill, Jason Jordan's return is imminent. There was clearly a heel turn in the works for the despised "gold-blooded" son of Kurt Angle, but unfortunately, injury cut him short just as he was finding his groove.

In his absence, former partner Seth Rollins became the second-most beloved figure on Raw (behind only Braun Strowman) and captured his maiden Intercontinental Championship.

A full-blown heel turn thankfully still writes itself. Given all these events, Jason Jordan can still become 2018's hottest heel.

Seth Rollins will also be out of obvious challengers after tonight, after dismissing his WrestleMania opponents one by one in the same week.

The stars have aligned. This feud could be one of 2018's best.

#12 Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

No rest for the weary.

While the details of Dean Ambrose's return are still murky, Rollins says it will happen in "late spring."

Regardless, The Architect vs. a heel Lunatic Fringe has a ton of fuel in the tank, given their long history.

If ever there were an ideal candidate to unseat the Architect as Intercontinental Champion, it would be a heel, Ambrose.

Of course, we still don't know if the turn will even happen (I suspect the company may want to keep all of the Shield members on good terms in case they need to break the glass in case of a Roman Reigns emergency), but the Lunatic Fringe will come off the injury shelf later this year.

Whether it will be before or after SummerSlam, this is a feud to look out for.

#13 Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair

They have mutual enemies to defeat for now, but no one thinks that the queen and empress are through with each other yet.

The first battle went to the Queen and ended the Empress of Tomorrow's myth of invincibility, but that doesn't mean the war is over.

Asuka will certainly want to fix the one blemish on her record. Charlotte will want to regain her confidence after being taunted and blindsided by Carmella and her allies.

Of all the potential SummerSlam matches as of today, May 6th, Charlotte vs. Asuka II is the likeliest of all.

#14 Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

A feud two years in the making, The Miz returned to SmackDown at Daniel Bryan's request so it could become a reality.

Big Cass threw a monkey wrench into Bryan's plans, but it's only a temporary one.

This is a match that has "SummerSlam" written all over it.

Until then, we should be content to watch it slowly develop. We'll certainly get more answers how that happens after tonight when The Miz's pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship is finally behind him.

#15 AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe made his intentions very clear this week. Though he'll likely lose to Roman Reigns tonight, he has such an aura about him that he seems a threat no matter what.

How Samoa Joe earns his title opportunity after tonight will be fun to watch. Perhaps a Money in the Bank win? Perhaps a triple threat feud along with Nakamura to see who the real No.1 contender is?

Either way, AJ Styles vs. Joe at SummerSlam is a distinct possibility.

By that time, the Phenomenal One will have been champion for nine months, assuming he doesn't drop the title tonight.

It will have been a great run, but Joe is the perfect choice to become the next WWE Champion.

And then, hopefully, my dream feud with Aleister Black will eventually become a reality, but that's for after the summer.