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Smackdown has been going on for close to 20 years now, and it is astonishing. It has been perceived as the little brother od Monday Night Raw for so long, even with the classic moments that have taken place on the Blue brand. Between the two brand splits, Smackdown was basically Raw Lite and seemed to be heading towards cancellation. Luckily, we got the roster split in 2016 and Smackdown was reborn.
It is somewhat crazy that the show has been going for almost a thousand episodes. While it does feel inferior to Raw, Smackdown has a history that is littered with some glorious moments and matches. In a few weeks, we will get a celebration of what the show has become, as it is inching towards its 1000th episode. That is certainly a milestone.
A lot of the superstars who helped make Smackdown the show that it is today have been slated to appear. With list ranging from retired superstars to former general managers, to part-timers, Smackdown 1000 promises to be a fun show. But how significant will the happenings on the show be for what is to come on the Blue brand? It could well be a mixture of both, fun nostalgia and furthering of current stories.
Here are five predictions for the happenings on Smackdown 1000.
#5 Teddy Long books a tag team match, playa!
One of the former personalities of Smackdown who are returning is the former general manager, Theodore Long. He had a pretty long tenure on the Blue brand and has had a reputation of repeating the same GM match tropes, by booking a tag team match every time.
His words have been immortalized and people today still say that they are channelling their inner Teddy Long before booking a tag team match. So there shouldn't really be much doubt that he will do it on Smackdown 1000. It is just a matter of which superstars are put in said tag match.
There are a couple of options. It could be the women, pitting Becky Lynch and the IIconics against Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Asuka. However, there are some other slightly different plans for Charlotte and Becky, who are currently embroiled in a massive rivalry over the Smackdown Women's Championship.
Perhaps it could be featuring Smackdown's top stars. Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles are set to face each other for the WWE Championship at WWE Crown Jewel but have left behind their beaten heel rivals, The Miz and Samoa Joe. They could be out for revenge of sorts in a tag team match booked by the one and only Teddy Long, playa!
#4 A stipulation match between Becky and Charlotte is booked for Evolution
As said previously, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are currently in a massive rivalry for the Smackdown Women's Championship. It actually is one of the most interesting things happening on the WWE main roster. At Super Showdown, the Irish Lass Kicker retained her title via disqualification.
We now know that Charlotte will get another title shot on the upcoming Smackdown. Look out for that to end in similar circumstances, with a murky finish. The next pay-per-view coming up on the calendar is the all-women's show, Evolution.
It only makes sense that the greatest women's feud in recent history blows off at the first-ever all-women's pay-per-view. After a couple of dirty finishes, Paige will make a blockbuster announcement by booking her two former PCB teammates in some kind of stipulation match.
It could be anything from Steel Cage to Last Woman Standing, to Iron Man. The point is that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will batter each other no ends at Evolution in what should hopefully become one of the best and most extreme women's matches in WWE history. The first step to the end of this could be at Smackdown 1000.
#3 Evolution beats up SAnitY
Recent WWE anniversary shows have taught us not to expect too much from legendary teams and stables returning for one night only. It doesn't mean much more than just the novelty of seeing legends in the ring once more before they kick the ass of an up-and-coming superstar or tag team to make them look stupid and foolish.
It has happened with the likes of Damien Sandow, The Ascension and The Revival. While there could be some potential in Evolution's reunion at Smackdown 1000 with Batista coming back after over four years, one should just expect them to do what DX and nWo have done in the past.
Sure, Batista and Triple H could begin planting the seeds of a program leading into WrestleMania, but that is still half a year away. What we are likely to see is a stable of sorts interrupting the legends, before they get taken out by the group. In this case, SAnitY is the obvious choice.
They are a heel stable from NXT and have been doing nothing since they got called up months ago. It wouldn't be ideal, but it will probably happen. Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain will get the “burial” treatment from the Game, Orton and Batista. Maybe even Ric Flair could get some offence in.
#2 Rey Mysterio will go after the United States Championship
It is official, Rey Mysterio is coming back to the WWE at Smackdown 1000. It is appropriate that one of the Blue brand's greatest ever wrestlers is returning presumably full-time to the company on its 1000th episode. It surely will be extremely exciting to see the Master of the 619 go at it with the current crop of WWE talent.
It is incredible, Smackdown's roster is stacked with names! However, there is one match that comes to mind first. The Blue brand has been short on babyfaces for a while now and therefore, the United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura has not been able to have that great a title run without many adversaries.
After hearing Jeff Hardy and Rusev, Nakamura could be met with Mysterio. This would be a great match for any card and will really make the US Title mean something much more than what it currently is. It could be a great story, as Mysterio has won every championship in the WWE besides this one.
After this, we could get to more dream matches with the likes of AJ Styles and Andrade Cien Almas among others, but this will be a fun first feud for the legend. Who knows, maybe he could win the United States title quickly and have a run with it.
#1 The Bar beats The New Day to win the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
Another thing that has happened at recent anniversary shows is that we have seen a title change. In each case, it was The Miz winning the Intercontinental Championship. Raw 1000, Smackdown 900 and Raw's 25th Anniversary all saw the Awesome One take his beloved IC Title, beating Christian, Dolph Ziggler and Roman Reigns respectively, to do so.
While The Miz is not going to get a WWE Championship match at Smackdown 1000, we should expect at least a title match if not a change. The Women's title feud will be settled at Evolution, while the US title has been taken care of previously. That leaves the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.
The New Day defeated The Bar at Super Showdown to retain their tag titles in a standard but fun match. However, Sheamus and Cesaro absolutely should become Tag Team Champions in the very near future.
Continuing from the line of title changes on anniversary shows, the Bar's time could well and truly come on Smackdown 1000. While Australia was meant for the babyfaces, it is time for another change in the Smackdown tag division. The Bar has defeated The New Day for tag team gold in the past and should do so again.
