What will the crew from SmackDown Live come up with at No Mercy that will not only leave fans excited about the remainder of the year but will make a statement as the final two months of the year heat up?
The current state of WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship continues to be the hot topic on the blue brand, with AJ Styles hoping to retain his coveted title. History might be made if John Cena can capture his 16th world title, tying Ric Flair for the all-time record.
What SmackDown has right now is momentum. The fact Monday Night Raw cannot seem to get itself out of a wet paper bag and its problem with promoting the United States Title as a bigger belt than the Universal Heavyweight Title plays perfectly into Shane McMahon’s hands.
If No Mercy is to deliver once more – which means quality matches with solid storytelling and an eye for what the fans want, there must be a repeat of last month at Backlash. Can the blue team deliver another left jab to its red brother and widen the gap between sibling rivals?
Here are five things that could happen on Sunday night at No Mercy.
#1 The Usos win tag team gold
The story of Heath Slater was a solid program for Backlash, not reality sets in and it’s time to move on. Jimmy and Jey Uso didn’t turn to the dark side to become jobbers for two mid-card performers. The brothers will capture tag team glory again.
I will be interested to see how WWE plans to use Slater and Rhyno after the pay-per-view. Do they remain a tag team or does the company have bigger plans for the former Nexus member? The Usos are the brand’s best tag team and should enter into a program with American Alpha after Sunday.
#2 History in the making
I think it’s a foregone conclusion that John Cena will capture his title No. 16 on Sunday night. Like many, I am not happy about it. The biggest record in this business is about to be broken – with Ric Flair’s blessing no less.
Cena’s importance to the SmackDown Live brand is out of necessity. He still delivers on a nightly basis. While it is Styles who has to retain his title, the wild card in all of this is Dean Ambrose, who has been solid in this program, but is kind of a side note. If anyone other than Cena wins on Sunday night, I will be shocked. If the company plans to keep the belt on his waist for a lengthy amount of time, I will be even more surprised.
#3 The return of the family
Had this been last year, the idea of Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt in a match would have rocked any arena. Now, it might be more of a side show. WWE is proving once again it has no idea how to promote Wyatt and it is toying with Orton, who may never get another WWE title shot.
While Orton has looked better in promo work, there is no real place for him right now in the promotion. At some point, Wyatt will challenge for the WWE World Title, if the creative team can finally see the potential in a title run by the Eater of Worlds. What if Bray is joined by Luke Harper or Erick Rowan at some point in the match? At least that would make things more entertaining.
#4 Ziggler has left the building
Things are getting a bit desperate for Dolph Ziggler in his quest to once again wear WWE gold. In an emotional promo, the former world champion put his career on the line against The Miz and the Intercontinental Title.
What this means is the current champion more than likely drops the belt, only to retain it again next month. I liked the idea of these two in a program since the brand split – matches helping strengthen their hold as fringe main event stars. But what if Ziggler loses and is forced to leave? Will there be some kind of stipulation that keeps the Show Stealer from walking away from the McMahons and the blue brand?
#5 Alexa Bliss wins
It could happen. Despite the fact putting the SmackDown Women’s Title on Becky Lynch was one of the smartest things WWE could do, Bliss has shown she is more than capable of carrying the gold. Bliss won a Fatal 5-Way elimination match to win this opportunity. Would WWE pull the plug on Lynch’s title run so quickly? Could this be the lead rivalry of the blue brand for years to come?
I suspect Lynch wins the match but there is some controversy, which leads to another run in the ring with these two. The women’s division on the blue team isn’t as deep as the red brand. Lynch and Nikki Bella must carry the torch until Bliss and Carmella are fit to lead.
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