5 burning questions going into WWE Clash of Champions

After the Survivor Series came to an end, a number of stories began to develop which kicked off a rather interesting chain of events going into SmackdownLive's next pay per view. Becky Lynch is off television due to an attack by the Riott Squad, Charlotte and Naomi remain the only faces in the division, and Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina have taken on different roles.

The New Day has once again emerged as a threat to the tag titles, but Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin appear to be slotted to move up in the division.

Fans saw the split of the Hype Bros and the rise of the Bludgeon Brothers as a threatening and formattable duo. Bobby Roode appears primed to contend for the United States championship, but what does Dolph Ziggler have to say about that?

We also saw Jinder Mahal has laid waste to his allies Sunil and Samir Singh. A number of questions are developing, and many of them may not be answered until after the event draws to a close.

Here are five burning questions going into Clash of Champions.

#5. What is Ziggler's status after recent comments?

After recent comments about being unhappy, will that affect Ziggler's future after Clash of Champions?

There is no denying that Dolph Ziggler time and time again steals the show. He isn't one to simply rest on his laurels, he wants to be more. And as a former World and Intercontinental champion, Ziggler has proven that he is capable of and deserves more. Recently Ziggler has aired his thoughts on his current status, and his displeasure with where he is.

While in context there isn't anything wrong with what he said, one has to doubt his inclusion in this match suggests even the remote possibility of his walking away as the United States champion. Unfortunately, by even Ziggler's admission, fans see him and already know he is ultimately losing.

For talent, wins and losses don't matter as long as their story is progressing and they are being used in a way that best showcases their talents. In the case of Ziggler, one wonders if that will materialize.

#4. Can Benjamin and Gable rise to the top of the Tag team division and put it on lock?

Will this be the visual after Clash of Champions?

Since Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin has been put together as a team, it was clear that these two solid collegiate performers were going to be effective in that role. The problem was there wasn't much focus on them, with most of the attention in the division paid to The Usos and New Day.

It has been clear for a long time that the division has been built around those teams but now has come the time for a new team to emerge.

What has developed over the course of the past few weeks is an edge on the part of Gable and Benjamin. They have chemistry as a duo, and that should be prominently featured. With Benjamin in the role of mentor to the younger Gable, it appears as though the combination has hit their stride, and Clash of Champions could be their opportunity to walk away as the Smackdown Live tag team champions.

#3. Will Bobby Roode become the United States champion?

Will a championship grace the waste of the Glorious one at Clash of Champions?

Since he joined the Smackdown Live roster, fans have been wondering what will happen with Bobby Roode. As talented as he is in the ring and on the microphone, his only storyline so far has been his rivalry with Dolph Ziggler. However, after Roode and Corbin had an altercation on Smackdown Live a few weeks ago, the result has been Roode challenging Corbin for the United States championship. True to form, the heel Corbin said no, leaving people already questioning him as a champion.

Roode had a successful NXT championship run, and in that role was a convincing heel champion, never backing down from an altercation and typically coming out victorious in the end.

There is no reason that couldn't be duplicated here. He is believable in that role, and it is one that he relishes. His time to rise and become the champion appears to be soon. One has to wonder if that will be the result of Clash of Champions.

#2. What happens to Mahal if he loses against AJ Styles?

Could this be the last visual Mahal see's at Clash of Champions?

AJ Styles captured the WWE championship from Jinder Mahal a week before the Survivor Series. It was a great moment for those in attendance and led to the pleasure of seeing him face Brock Lesnar at the Survivor Series. However, since the Survivor Series, Mahal has fed his men Samir and Sunil Singh to Styles, which has been met with less than stellar results.

After Styles defeated the Singhs in a handicap match, Mahal came into the ring and attacked the two men that have shown him nothing but an unswerving loyalty and support. He mercilessly beat them both down, hitting his finisher, the Khallas, as Styles headed to the back.

Will the Modern Day Maharaja recapture the title, or is there another plan for Mahal? We don't yet fear that he won't be used effectively in the event that he loses, but aren't sure what the plan for him will be since the WWE championship was what he was primarily booked around.

#1. What does the future hold for Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn after Clash of Champions?

What will happen to these two brothers after Clash of Champions?

The ongoing bickering between Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Shane McMahon suggests that their blow up with one another will involve Daniel Bryan as well. It is clear that tension has developed between McMahon and Bryan, as often McMahon's personal feelings about Owens and Zayn, due to what they have done to him time and time again, have affected his decision making.

How far will this go, and what will ultimately come of it if McMahon feels undermined by Bryan? It may be that Bryan sincerely wants to ensure that the best product is put on television.

McMahon's character has forgotten that and it has become less about competition and defeating Raw in the ratings but instead ensuring that Zayn and Owens are punished, or even terminated.

It has been an intriguing series of events taking place, and something big will surely happen, we just aren't sure if that would be Bryan returning to the ring, or a heel turn for either McMahon or Bryan, perhaps due to an alliance of Bryan with Zayn and Owens. Regardless of what the end result will be, fans will ultimately be the ones taken on this rollercoaster of a storyline.