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On December 15th, TLC, WWE's last pay-per-view of the year, will take place and some of the show's plot points are already being implemented. That should continue on this week's edition of SmackDown which comes live from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, NC.
Last week's episode of SmackDown was fun, to say the least. It was fast-paced and was centered around Universal Champion 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt. Although it hasn't been officially announced, we are now pretty certain that The Fiend vs Daniel Bryan is happening at TLC, after Bryan accepted Wyatt's challenge.
Towards the end of the show, however, The Fiend burst through the ring and removed what looked to be Daniel Bryan's hair. Therefore, we might see the leader of the Yes Movement sport a different look this Friday Night.
In other news, last week's SmackDown was full of Superstar returns as Elias, Alexa Bliss, and Sheamus returned to WWE programming. Expect to see a clearer picture this week on where these Superstars stand ahead of TLC.
Also, last week, Lacey Evans stood up to Sasha Banks and Bayley. This week, we should expect some storyline development on that front.
With all of that in mind, let's take a look at the five biggest things we could see on this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
#5 Sheamus interrupts an intense Nakamura/Braun Strowman face-off
With TLC fast approaching, there is no clear view on who will challenge Shinsuke Nakamura for the newly designed Intercontinental Championship. This week, however, we might get some hints.
We could see 'The Monster Among Men' Braun Strowman entering the Intercontinental Championship picture. Strowman hasn't had a full-fledged feud for a while now and a championship opportunity might help get him back on track.
Also, we might see a returning Sheamus interrupt Strowman, which would also directly insert him into the SmackDown mid-card battle. Also, with his former tag team partner Cesaro in Sami Zayn and Nakamura's faction, Sheamus already has someone with whom he has some unfinished business.
#4 The New Day issue another open challenge & The Usos respond
Last week, to everyone's surprise, The New Day made an open challenge to the SmackDown locker room. With the SmackDown Tag Team Championships up for grabs, Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro responded last week, but The New Day ended up retaining their titles.
This week, we could see something similar happen, only this time The Usos just might answer the challenge. Jimmy and Jey Uso haven't been on WWE programming for a while now, but an open challenge like this would be the perfect opportunity for them to make a buzz-worthy return.
#3 Alexa Bliss gets into the SmackDown Women's Championship picture
Alexa Bliss made her much-anticipated return on last week's SmackDown after she saved Nikki Cross from a potential beat down at the hands of Fire & Desire. With the Women's Tag Team Championship belts currently being heavily featured on RAW, there aren't many things for Bliss and Cross to do as a team.
This week, we might see Bliss insert herself into the SmackDown Women's Championship picture by confronting Bayley. 'The Goddess' returned as a face last week and there is a good possibility that she could be given another opportunity to win one of SmackDown's biggest prizes.
#2 Cracks start to appear in the relationship between Sasha Banks and Bayley
Last week when Lacey Evans laid out Sasha Banks in front of Bayley, the SmackDown Women's Champion just stood there gazing at Lacey, instead of taking revenge for what she did to her best friend. Was that little segment planned to lay the seeds for a Banks vs Bayley feud in the near future? It's quite possible.
'The Boss' surely won't be happy with Bayley for her actions from last week and we could see more relational cracks begin to take form this week. This could either happen in a promo segment or a backstage segment, but when it does, it's sure to get the entire wrestling world talking.
#1 The Fiend attacks Daniel Bryan again, The Miz comes to the rescue
One of the most intriguing things about SmackDown is the feud between Daniel Bryan and The Fiend. Also, everyone knows how much The Miz hates Bryan, but 'The A-Lister' is still worried about Bryan going up against The Fiend.
When the new look Daniel Bryan inevitably appears this Friday night, we might see The Fiend try and secure another Mandible Claw on the leader of the Yes Movement, but Bryan could see help from an unlikely ally. Long-time rival The Miz might come out to rescue the helpless Daniel Bryan. This would really make things interesting and we could soon see how The Fiend does against not one, but two Superstars.
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