Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown is the go-home edition of the blue brand's show ahead of Saturday Night's Main Event XL and Evolution. General Manager Nick Aldis could make some changes to the show that could have an effect on both events.
There are two SmackDown matches at SNME, as well as an inter-promotional match involving LA Knight against RAW's Seth Rollins. At Evolution, there are also two matches from SmackDown and two inter-promotional matches, including the Battle Royal.
Let's look at five things GM Aldis could do on tonight's show:
#5. Potential stipulation for Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre
Randy Orton took out a returning Drew McIntyre with an RKO last week on SmackDown. It led to their one-on-one match being announced for Saturday Night's Main Event, their first singles bout since March 28, when McIntyre beat Orton on SmackDown in London.
General manager Nick Aldis could add a stipulation to the match to make it more interesting. It could be a number-one contender's match for the Undisputed WWE Championship, with the winner challenging for the title after SummerSlam, possibly at Clash in Paris.
#4. John Cena's next WWE appearance
John Cena has been absent from WWE television since beating CM Punk at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia last month. The Last Real Champion is currently filming Little Brother, a movie produced by Netflix. He's starring alongside comedian Eric Andre.
Cena's next WWE appearance is on July 18, and Nick Aldis may make it official tonight. The SmackDown GM might even try to have it as a face-to-face between Cena and Cody Rhodes ahead of their Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.
#3. Giulia might get removed from the Battle Royal and could defend the Women's US Title at Evolution
One of the two titles not being defended at Evolution is the Women's United States Championship. General manager Nick Aldis can change that by removing Giulia from the Battle Royal. Her participation was confirmed on this week's episode of NXT, where The Beautiful Madness was involved in the show-ending brawl.
Giulia could put her title against the winner of a potential number-one contender's match on tonight's SmackDown. But if the company wants to have more surprise appearances, the Women's US Champion can hold an open challenge for a possible returning legend.
#2. More names could be announced for the Evolution Battle Royal
If Nick Aldis removes Giulia from the Battle Royal, he will need to find her replacement. There are a couple of ways Aldis can do this, from just putting the remaining female SmackDown stars in the match to announcing a qualification bout for the same.
Aldis can put Michin and B-Fab in a match against The Secret Hervice, with the winner being added to the Battle Royal. If Alba Fyre and Piper Niven win, Chelsea Green may also be added to the match.
#1. 13 WWE Superstars could be banned from a championship match
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits are set to defend the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Wyatt Sicks on tonight's SmackDown. To prevent what happened two weeks ago, Nick Aldis could ban 13 stars from the match—Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Candice LeRae, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Nathan Frazer, Axiom, Berto, Angel, Santos Escobar, Nikki Cross, and two male members of The Wyatt Sicks.
With Erick Rowan getting the win for his team last week, the challengers will likely be him and Uncle Howdy. A stipulation like whoever gets involved won't receive a future tag team title shot should prevent any interference. It also evens the playing field in the very competitive SmackDown tag team division.
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