'%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,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwb/2gAIAQEAAAAAlV//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAA//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAEDEAAAAFP/xAAiEAACAQIFBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwEEBQAGERJCEyEiUYL/2gAIAQEAAT8AIbci7r61noEVNKh5NlEGUMFG72ccwj5wOXbY8YctzEAzzFUUiz2RPHXXvj//xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAIS/9oACAECAQE/ANJaf//EABcRAQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBABH/2gAIAQMBAT8AgKPbN//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week, WWE will be looking to give the fans much more than just regular entertainment, as we gear up for Christmas. The final episodes of NXT and SmackDown for the year will take place this week, and the company will be looking to give the fans the gift of some great bookings.
While we expect to have a shorter episode of NXT with a couple of matches already announced, SmackDown will give fans some good matches set up towards the new year and Royal Rumble.
Keeping that in mind, there's a lot the company could do this week to give the fans a treat to end the year. In this article, we'll look at 4 things NXT and SmackDown must do this week to end the year on a high.
#4 Damian Priest takes down Keith Lee and Lio Rush
Damian Priest has been a sort of wildcard on NXT lately. He’s emerged out of nowhere and delivered some great performances which have helped him make a big statement. He was also made part of Team NXT at Survivor Series, something fans weren’t expecting, as they thought they’d see Dominik Dijakovic at the event.
Recently, he scored huge victories over former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne, and the mammoth Killian Dain.
This week, he will be partnering with former Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese to take on the new fan-favorite Keith Lee and his partner Lio Rush. While fans will be looking to watch Lee manhandle his opponents in the match, the company should allow Priest to shine instead, as he is looking like a future megastar for the company.
Priest has taken down some big Superstars lately, and he should be rewarded with a grand performance against a man NXT is looking to push to the moon. This will allow them to develop another mega rivalry between two great stars, and we could watch Lee and Priest go head to head for weeks before one gets pushed into the NXT Championship picture.
#3 Dominik Dijakovic answers Roderick Strong’s open challenge
On the Christmas Special of NXT, Roderick Strong is set to issue an Open Challenge to anyone in the NXT locker room for his North American Championship.
Dominik Dijakovic is an absolute beast in the ring, and a big prospect for WWE if he’s handled correctly. Even though he’s had a lot of mixed bookings in the past, he did incredibly well when he entered the ring to join Team Ciampa for WarGames, and singlehandedly wiped out Undisputed Era.
Even though Dijakovic was kept out of the game at Survivor Series, NXT should bring him back this week to answer Strong’s Open Challenge.
Dijakovic is yet to have a one-on-one match for any Championship in NXT and has already had his differences with the members of Undisputed Era. Since he has been portrayed as a babyface recently, the company should build him up by throwing him into a match with one of NXT’s best athletes.
Even if Dijakovic comes up short in the match, a good performance will help him move further up the card on NXT. The company could also controversially end the match, giving Strong a rivalry to last for a few weeks.
#2 The Lady defeats The Boss
Three weeks ago, Lacey Evans insulted Team SmackDown’s captain Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley for SmackDown’s embarrassing loss at Survivor Series. She then laid down Banks with the Woman’s Right after a heated exchange.
Last week, Evans saved Dana Brooke from a beatdown at the hands of Bayley and Banks, challenging The Boss to an impromptu match.
However, the match ended in a no-contest as the fight spilled over to the floor and Banks taunted Evans’ daughter who was in the crowd, before getting beaten down by The Lady.
This week, the company should book a rematch between Evans and The Boss, and allow The Lady to score a victory over Banks.
This will help build Evans for months to come as she has been involved in some mixed bookings. It will also help her progress as a babyface and work with the audience, as she recently turned face after playing a heel for over two years.
With Royal Rumble on the horizon, the rivalry between the two women should continue and spillover to the Women’s Rumble match where we could watch some great spots and one of the women eliminate the other.
Evans and Banks both need a solid rivalry to get across as threatening competitors, and this could work really well to their advantage.
#1 The Miz goes over Daniel Bryan and Baron Corbin
The Miz had a chilling encounter with Bray Wyatt at TLC. However, Miz was against the fun-loving Wyatt of the Firefly Fun House rather than the evil Fiend.
After a good battle, Wyatt was able to lay down The Miz and bag a victory before being commanded by The Fiend to smash the A-lister with an oversized mallet.
Thankfully for Miz, Daniel Bryan arrived to save the day in a new look. Next week, we'll watch Miz, Bryan, and King Corbin go head to head to determine who will take on Wyatt at Royal Rumble.
Corbin has earned his place in the match after defeating Roman Reigns at TLC and not getting pinned on SmackDown last week in a tag team match with Dolph Ziggler against Miz and Bryan.
Now that the triple-threat match is set, and it seems like Bryan is on his way to another incredible match with The Fiend, SmackDown should make fans wait a little more, pulling off a swerve, and allowing Miz to go over Bryan & Corbin in the match.
This will allow the company to protect Bryan for a match against The Fiend at WWE WrestleMania while ensuring that Corbin doesn’t enter the Universal Championship picture once again only to pick up another loss.
We could watch Reigns make an appearance in the match to take down Corbin, and the circumstances could allow Miz to take advantage, picking up the win while protecting The Planet’s Champion.
