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Last night on Monday Night Raw, we saw many big things. From Strowman’s Royal Rumble match cancellation to Balor winning the number 1 contender match, everything was great. And now it’s time for the SmackDown Live.
This will be the second to last episode of the show before the Royal Rumble, and there’s still a lot of things pending the WWE need to do. The pay-per-view is just a few days away, and whatever the company is planning to do, they have to do it fast.
This week’s episode will happen at the Legacy Arena, Birmingham, and considering what has transpired in the past few weeks, I think this show is also going to be mind-blowing.
Here are five things that could occur on SmackDown Live this week (15 January 2019).
#5 The Bar will ruin Shane McMahon’s birthday bash
Recently, The Miz challenged The Bar for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He did get the match, but before that, the team of Cesaro and Sheamus attacked him.
Now The Miz and Shane McMahon are going to face The Bar at the Royal Rumble, but first, the WWE needs to do something for this feud.
Shane McMahon has now turned 49 years old, and it’s his birthday!
So there’s no doubt that his tag team partner, The Miz, will throw him a birthday party. But, there’s one more thing to note. The Bar will also be in the building tonight, and it’s highly likely that the duo will try to ruin McMahon’s birthday celebration.
We could also see a brawl between these four superstars, as it’s the only ingredient needed to build this rivalry.
Could we also see a cake fight between them?
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev get into a brawl
Rusev defeated Shinsuke Nakamura a few weeks ago to win the United States Championship. This isn’t only good for him, but the title and Nakamura as well.
The Japanese superstar held the belt for a few months, but the company didn’t use him the way they should, and Nakamura lost all of his momentum. Now it seems like the company is rebuilding him and Rusev, as both superstars are now in a rivalry together.
The WWE is trying to create some hype for this feud, as last week Nakamura attacked The Bulgarian Brute backstage.
We could expect that both superstars will get into a brawl this week as well, and I think Rusev will stand tall this time. We could also see the involvement of Lana, as she also got attacked during a brawl between Rusev and Nakamura, two weeks ago.
#3 Naomi and Mandy Rose fuel their rivalry
WWE has already announced a match between Sonya Deville and Carmella for this week’s SmackDown. Mandy and Sonya are in a tag team, and it’s highly likely that Rose will be at ringside during this match.
Carmella could also bring a partner with her, in case Rose and Deville try to take any advantage. I think Naomi could be the one who comes to help Carmella handle these two superstars.
WWE is currently showing an angle between Jimmy Uso, Naomi and Mandy Rose, and maybe this match is only done to fuel up the rivalry.
Mandy has been trying to get in between the couple’s marriage, and last week Naomi attacked Deville and Rose. It seems like this rivalry isn’t going to end anytime soon, and there’s a lot left to happen.
#2 AJ Styles will show his vicious side to Daniel Bryan
Last week on SmackDown Live, R-truth attacked the WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan, and then a match between these two superstars happened. Bryan got the victory here by giving a running knee to R-truth, but as he walked out of the ring, AJ Styles came and attacked the champion. They both brawled for some time, then the security came to separate the duo.
After the show went off the air, Styles and Bryan faced each other in a match that ended via disqualification when the champion gave a low blow to AJ Styles. Now Styles could get some revenge on Bryan as it’s required to build their rivalry, as we head to the Royal Rumble.
Both superstars will face each other then, but before that, the company should let Styles show his vicious side to the ‘new’ Daniel Bryan. He has been asking for it, and now Styles could fulfill his wish.
#1 Becky Lynch puts Asuka into an armbar
Becky Lynch lost her title against Asuka at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. Paige booked her rematch against Asuka at the Royal Rumble, but it was later canceled. However, last week on SmackDown, Lynch won the number 1 contender match for the title, and now will be facing Asuka at the Royal Rumble.
The rivalry between these two superstars needs some build-up, and it could happen tonight. Both superstars will be on the show, and maybe we could see a brawl.
If the company really wants to tune fans into this rivalry, then they should let Lynch put Asuka into an armbar. This will get the attention of the fans, and it will also make Lynch look strong. If this isn’t going to happen, then the company could just do a brawl between these two superstars or maybe give us an Asuka heel turn?
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