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The past week’s episode of SmackDown Live ended on a bizarre note. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn took out Shane McMahon in a brutal attack. On the other hand, the Bludgeon Brothers continued their wrath on the tag-team division.
A lot is expected from this week’s edition of SmackDown as the blue-brand closes into WrestleMania. Here are the predictions for the upcoming episode of SmackDown Live.
#1 Daniel Bryan becomes the sole decision maker
Daniel Bryan will return this Tuesday night. Also, Shane McMahon mentioned that he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence. This makes Bryan is the only policymaker on Tuesday nights.
Daniel Bryan has already favored both Owens and Zayn a couple of times in the past. He made a fast-count at the Clash of Champions last year to ensure Owens and Zayn don't get fired from WWE and further, he made the WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble a Handicap match with the two facing off against AJ Styles.
Hence, Owens and Zayn can expect a better road (and a better match rather than facing each other) to WrestleMania.
#2 AJ Styles and Nakamura vs Rusev and Aiden English
AJ Styles told Shinsuke Nakamura last week that he didn't need his help during the beatdown on the WWE Champion by Rusev and English. Nakamura replied saying he is helping only until WrestleMania.
It would be good to have a match this week featuring AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura against Rusev and Aiden English. This would be an opportunity for Styles and Nakamura to showcase their capabilities to each other firsthand.
It would also put both AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura in a tough situation. It will be interesting to see whether they can put they differences aside and focus on the task at hand.
Can the WrestleMania opponents co-exist?
#3 Jinder Mahal’s WrestleMania prospects
Jinder Mahal has beaten Randy Orton and Bobby Roode in the last two weeks. However, Orton struck Mahal with an RKO after Mahal pinned Roode last week. Despite the fact that Jinder Mahal is not on the WrestleMania match card, he has managed to keep himself "relevant" .
Mahal’s caddies have proved to be crucial in his wins. However, it doesn’t discount the fact that he pinned both Bobby Roode and Randy Orton. These two are scheduled to compete against each other for the US Championship at WrestleMania.
Hence, it seems inevitable that the US Championship match at WrestleMania will be a Triple-Threat affair and will include the Modern Day Maharaja.
#4 Asuka in action
Last week, Asuka and Charlotte Flair shot a promo ahead of their WWE Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 34. It is going to be a classic match at WrestleMania featuring the "Queen" and the "Empress of Tomorrow".
This week we expect to see Asuka compete on SmackDown Live and our bet is on Carmella to be the opponent for Asuka. Carmella has a recent history with the other half of the Championship match, Charlotte Flair and it would make perfect sense to have her face Asuka this week.
Not to mention, Carmella also holds the "Money in the Bank" briefcase, which she would love to cash in at WrestleMania.
#5 Bludgeon Brothers continue their dominant run
Bludgeon Brothers have turned out to be the ultimate force in the tag-team division in the last one week. They interfered in the Tag Team Championship match at Fastlane, attacking both teams, and decisively defeated Jimmy Uso and Big E last week.
The two must continue their dream-run to WrestleMania this week. They will face either the New Day or the Usos in a tag-team match this week. Further, the Bludgeon Brothers must come out victorious. This will sustain their momentum heading towards the 'show of shows'.
SmackDown Live must feature a six-man tag-team match at WrestleMania for the Tag Team Championships. It is almost certain that this match, if made, is going to be a very physical affair.
#6 Shane O'Mac responds
When SmackDown Live went off the air last week, Shane McMahon was in a lot of pain thanks to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. According to the statement released by WWE, Shane has suffered "trapezius and rhomboid strains". However, the WWE Universe knows that Shane is a "Daredevil" at heart. Hence, the Prodigal Son must respond this week.
Not only should he announce that he will compete against Owens and Zayn at WrestleMania 34, we can also expect Dolph Ziggler to be announced as his tag team partner. Notably, Ziggler is still not on the WrestleMania match card.
It will be an icing on the cake if Daniel Bryan makes himself the special guest referee for this proposed WrestleMania match.
