What’s the story?
Two matches have been announced for tomorrow night’s (May 16th) episode of SmackDown Live. AJ Styles will take on Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin will fight the WWE Champion Randy Orton on the go-home show for Backlash.
In case you didn’t know...
Tomorrow’s episode will be the last episode of SmackDown before the SmackDown Exclusive pay-per-view, Backlash this Sunday in Rosemont, Illinois. The following are the matches announced for the show this Sunday:
Randy Orton (c) vs. Jinder Mahal – WWE Championship
Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles – United States Championship
The Usos (c) vs. Breezango – SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Naomi, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
No other matches have been announced for the show, but Corbin vs. Zayn is one that could be announced tomorrow.
The heart of the matter
SmackDown’s viewership has dipped in the past three weeks, so tomorrow’s episode could determine the show’s momentum.
One of the biggest reasons for the viewership decline has been the NBA playoffs which will continue tomorrow. Game 2 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors will start in the middle of SmackDown and may result in a drop in viewership.
What’s next?
Tomorrow will be SmackDown’s last chance to announce any other matches for Backlash. Tune in tomorrow to see how the blue brand builds up their feuds one last time before their first post-WrestleMania pay-per-view.
Author’s take
The announcement of these matches is definitely intriguing as neither match has a clear cut winner going forward.
Both Styles and Mahal cannot afford a loss heading into their championship matches. On the other hand, Orton probably will win to look strong heading into Backlash, but Mahal’s possible interference could lead to the Viper losing the match.
Whatever the WWE have in store for SmackDown tomorrow, hopefully, it’s good enough to retain enough of their viewers against the NBA playoffs.
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