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The latest episode of WWE SmackDown Live will take place in Evansville, Indiana on Tuesday.
The big news ahead of the show surrounds the WWE Championship, with SmackDown GM Paige set to announce a new #1 contender to face AJ Styles for the title at SummerSlam.
Elsewhere this week, Becky Lynch will earn a SmackDown Women’s Championship opportunity if she can defeat Carmella in a non-title match, while the Tag Team title #1 contender tournament kicks off with SAnitY vs. The New Day.
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There are also big questions surrounding the future of the Rusev Day tag team, with Aiden English and Rusev yet to discuss that incident from Extreme Rules, and we can expect to see significant developments in the Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz and Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy storylines as we move closer to SummerSlam.
In this article, let’s take a look at seven last-minute predictions ahead of the episode.
#7 Will Rusev turn against Aiden English?
Aiden English attempted to help Rusev in his WWE Championship match against AJ Styles at Extreme Rules. However, his decision to remove a turnbuckle ended up working in favour of Styles – not Rusev – and “The Bulgarian Brute” was thrown into the exposed steel towards the end of the match.
Following English’s apology to Lana, Rusev’s wife, on last week’s SmackDown Live, many fans are predicting that the two-time United States champion will turn against his sidekick in the not-too-distant future.
However, something tells us that this storyline will continue to run in the months to come, and this week’s episode might feature another incident similar to what we saw at Extreme Rules, with English inadvertently costing Rusev, as opposed to a definitive split between the two men.
Prediction: Aiden English proves a liability again
#6 Who will progress in the Tag Team tournament?
SmackDown GM Paige announced on social media over the weekend that The Usos, SAnitY, The Bar and The New Day will battle it out over the next three weeks to determine who will face The Bludgeon Brothers for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam.
This week’s match will see SAnitY face The New Day in a rematch from Extreme Rules, with the winners progressing to take on either The Usos or The Bar in two weeks’ time.
Given that The Bludgeon Brothers have already laid waste to The New Day on multiple occasions in 2018, let’s go for main-roster newcomers SAnitY.
Prediction: SAnitY
#5 Who wins between Carmella and Becky Lynch?
Becky Lynch won her seventh SmackDown Live match in a row last week, defeating Mandy Rose via submission, and she will become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship if she defeats Carmella in a non-title match on Tuesday.
With James Ellsworth at ringside, there’s always a chance that this match will end in some controversy, especially after the shenanigans we saw “The Chinless Wonder” pull in the matches involving Asuka at Money In The Bank and Extreme Rules.
That being said, “Becky Balboa” is in the form of her life and there aren’t any SummerSlam matches set in stone on the blue brand at the moment, so let’s back her to get the win.
Prediction: Becky Lynch becomes the #1 contender
#4 How will Andrade “Cien” Almas respond to his defeat?
Andrade “Cien” Almas followed up his victories over Sin Cara with a defeat against AJ Styles on SmackDown Live last week, but the outcome of the fast-paced match really didn’t matter.
“El Idolo” proved once again why he is the future of the blue brand with an impressive showing against the WWE champion, leaving us all wondering exactly what plans WWE will have for him going forward.
Realistically, he’s not going to be in the WWE title picture so soon after losing to Styles, while the United States title storyline is already jam-packed right now, so he’s much more likely to get back to winning ways this week against an easier opponent (Tye Dillinger, perhaps?) as he continues to adjust to the main roster.
Prediction: Andrade “Cien” Almas picks up another win
#3 What next in the Daniel Bryan-Miz storyline?
The Miz’s ‘funeral’ for Team Hell No on last week’s episode of SmackDown Live descended into chaos when Daniel Bryan attacked his rival from behind before striking one of the pallbearers with his trademark Running Knee.
As interesting as it would have been to see WWE stretch this storyline out until WrestleMania 35, it feels like the right decision to book the long-awaited Bryan vs. Miz match for SummerSlam, which seems to be the plan right now.
After Bryan’s actions last week, “The A-Lister” will surely have a trick up his sleeve to gain the upper hand again this Tuesday. Perhaps they’ll engage in a heated war of words on the set of Miz TV? Or Miz will interfere in a Bryan match? Either way, expect the eight-time Intercontinental champion to get some revenge.
Prediction: The Miz stands tall against Daniel Bryan
#2 What will Randy Orton do next?
Randy Orton made his return to WWE television at Extreme Rules by kicking Jeff Hardy in the groin after his United States Championship defeat to Shinsuke Nakamura.
Then, just as Jeff looked set to regain his title in a rematch against “The King of Strong Style” on SmackDown Live last week, Orton brought an abrupt end to the match by brutally attacking “The Charismatic Enigma” at ringside.
It’s tough to predict what this sadistic version of Orton will do next, but it was interesting that he shouted “Where’s Shinsuke?” during his attack on Jeff last week, which seemed to suggest that he also has a problem with the new US champ.
Prediction: Randy Orton hits Shinsuke Nakamura with an RKO
#1 Who will Paige name as AJ Styles’ next challenger?
It was revealed last week that Paige will announce a new #1 contender for AJ Styles’ WWE Championship on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Looking through the blue brand’s roster, there aren’t too many obvious contenders to face “The Phenomenal One” at SummerSlam, with Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy all involved in other storylines right now.
That leaves Andrade “Cien” Almas and Samoa Joe as the only standout roster members who could go one-on-one with Styles, but would Paige really name Almas as the #1 contender after last week’s loss? Probably not, so let’s go with Joe.
Prediction: Samoa Joe
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