'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It has been a fantastic week for WWE. Stomping Grounds was a great show and the RAW after Stomping Grounds delivered a good episode. The expectations were high from the blue brand.
The company already announced two matches for Extreme Rules on RAW this week, while two new Extreme Rules matches got confirmed on SmackDown Live this week. WWE Champion Kingston will face Samoa Joe at Extreme Rules. Dolph Ziggler made an attempt to make it a triple threat match but Kingston beat Ziggler on SmackDown Live. Alexa Bliss will face Bayley in a rematch after Nikki Cross pinned the champion this week.
Trending
With the help of Shane McMahon, Elias defeated The Miz in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. The New Day and Heavy Machinery stood tall after overcoming Daniel Bryan, Erick Rowan, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in an Eight-Man Tag Team match. Moreover, Sonya Deville pinned Ember Moon in a singles bout.
Here we discuss three things WWE made clear on SmackDown Live this week:
#3 Carmella and Ember Moon could form a new team
Ember Moon returned to the squared ring after a long time on SmackDown Live. The former NXT Women's Champion locked horns with Sonya Deville but a distraction from Mandy Rose allowed the latter to pick victory. Prior to the match this week, Moon had a backstage brawl with Rose and Deville last week.
Carmella, on the other hand, has been a part of this rivalry. Though Carmella is involved in the 24/7 Title picture, she is also having a feud with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. The former SmackDown Women's Champion fought both Deville and Rose in the past couple of weeks.
Judging by the storyline, Ember Moon and Carmella could join hands to take on Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in the coming weeks. The Women's Tag Team division needs some new names and both Carmella and Moon could be propelled well as a team.
#2 Nakamura could be set for a push
Finn Balor did not have a match at Stomping Grounds. The Intercontinental Champion last defended the prestigious championship at Super ShowDown where he defeated Andrade. As expected, Balor appeared on SmackDown Live this week and he had a backstage interview. When Balor was asked about his next opponent, Shinsuke Nakamura confronted him and touched Balor's title.
The segment made it clear that Nakamura has his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship. The two men had a great rivalry in NXT, moreover, they were also familiar with each other in Japan. Nakamura is likely to challenge Finn Balor at Extreme Rules next month.
Nakamura had a spectacular start to his main roster career as he won the Royal Rumble match last year. Subsequently, he competed for the most coveted prize of the blue brand at the Grandest Stage of Them All. It has been a subpar run for the King of Strongstyle after WrestleMania 34. Though he grabbed the US Title twice, the title run wasn't significant.
Since Balor is expected to challenge Nakamura, the latter could rejuvenate his career. We could see Nakamura as a top guy of the blue brand if Balor and Nakamura manage to bring the best out of each other.
#1 The brand split has virtually ended
The eyebrows were raised when Alexa Bliss became the number one contender for Bayley's SmackDown Live Women's Championship at Stomping Grounds, despite Bliss being a RAW Superstar. The blue brand has a talented pool of women, so, a RAW Superstar facing Bayley did not make sense. Furthermore, Bliss will be facing Bayley in a rematch at Extreme Rules.
Samoa Joe, on the other hand, will be facing Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules. Similar to Alexa Bliss, Joe is also a member of the red brand and he is challenging for the most coveted prize of the blue brand. The scenario suggests the company might have decided to end the brand split.
Earlier, Vince McMahon announced that only four Superstars will be allowed to show up on the other brand, however, the reality has been different. More than four Superstars have been using Wild Card Rule every week. WWE is also not mentioning the term Wild Card Rule in recent episodes of RAW and SmackDown Live.
