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Following an eventful week, we are now set for an exciting episode of WWE SmackDown that has a stacked match card in store for us. From an elaborate tournament to crown a new champion to the added element of mystery, the Blue brand is exploring several themes of story-telling. The same pattern will continue this week.
On this week’s SmackDown, we will witness the return of AJ Styles, who is fondly remembered as the Superstar ‘who built SmackDown’. He will be taking on Shinsuke Nakamura in a much-anticipated bout. In other news, we will see a champion vs. champion clash unfold, which might act as a catalyst in the budding rivalry between two best friends.
This week will also see the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, the New Day, return to action. In addition, there’s an interesting mixed tag -team match scheduled for the show.
In this article, we will take a look at things that can happen on SmackDown tonight. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 AJ Styles set to face Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown tonight
Over the last few weeks, we have seen several WWE Superstars make an appearance on other brands as a part of the brand to brand invitation. Given the fact that the NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair is on all the three shows and Baron Corbin recently squared off against Drew McIntyre, it’s not too surprising to see a top RAW Superstar scheduled to make an appearance on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
As a part of the long tournament designed to crown the new Intercontinental Champion on SmackDown, AJ Styles will square off against his long-term rival and the former IC champion, Shinsuke Nakamura. It is expected that the Superstars will deliver a great match, as they share a long-standing history that dates back to the time before either of them were a part of WWE.
While Styles will look to make the best of this opportunity by trying to move ahead in the tournament by defeating Nakamura, the King of Strong Style has his own set of reasons motivating him to give his all in this upcoming bout. After all, it is only Nakamura who really has the support of Sami Zayn while the latter remains absent from SmackDown tapings.
As a safety precaution during these challenging times, Zayn decided to stay in quarantine. As a result, he was forced to relinquish his title. He has publicly criticized WWE for hosting a tournament to determine the new Intercontinental Champion. As unhappy as Zayn may seem, this situation has created the opportunity to see the former WWE Champion AJ Styles return to SmackDown – a house that he built.
#4 Charlotte Flair and Bayley to square off at SmackDown
Last week, we saw the NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair make an appearance on SmackDown where she shared the segment with the two other horsewomen – Bayley and Sasha Banks. It is important to note that The Queen’s comments during this segment looked to have a significant impact on the budding rivalry between the two best friends.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley is enjoying her title reign on the Blue brand that has seen her triumph over all of her challengers, barring her best friend. It appears that WWE are now finally building up to the much-anticipated feud between the two Superstars, but before that, Bayley has another challenge to attend.
As confirmed on last week’s episode of SmackDown, tonight, we will see Bayley and Charlotte squaring off inside the ring in a huge champion vs. champion match. It will be interesting to see how this match unfolds and if Banks will have any role in it. After all, she seemed to be affected by Charlotte’s comments previously, and we could see her showing clear signs of a betrayal sometime soon.
#3 Otis and Mandy Rose to team up in their match on SmackDown
The storyline involving Otis, Mandy Rose, Dolph Ziggler, and Sonya Deville has had its fair share of twists and turns – thanks to the SmackDown mystery hacker. Ever since WrestleMania 36, all of them have been involved in grudge matches. But tonight, we will finally see all four Superstars battling it out inside the ring.
As confirmed by WWE, Otis and Mandy Rose will team up to take on Dolph Ziggler and Sonya Deville on SmackDown this week. Ever since her fallout with her former tag team partner, Deville has found a new friend in Ziggler, and both of them are doing remarkably well in their portrayal of heels with respect to this storyline. Hopefully, it will help them prove their worth so that they can earn a well-deserved push in the future.
As for Otis and Rose, they have been immensely over with the crowd. In fact, Otis’ growing popularity saw the SmackDown Superstar walk out with the Money in the Bank briefcase this year. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for this one-half of Heavy Machinery. But for now, his love story with Rose has earned him everyone’s attention.
#2 Jeff Hardy to extend his rivalry with SmackDown Superstar
Following his return to WWE, Jeff Hardy has found himself feuding with Sheamus. Although Jeff faced Cesaro at Money in the Bank, it appears that he will now be engaged in an extended feud with Sheamus on SmackDown. Both Superstars are set to battle it out for a spot in the semi-final of the tournament to determine the new Intercontinental Champion.
Their feud began when Sheamus openly expressed his frustration about the fanfare associated with Jeff’s return to SmackDown. The one-half of Hardy Boyz looked determined to establish his comeback, and in the process, he even attacked Sheamus. Hopefully, they will be booked in a compelling storyline that will give a much-needed direction to their singles run.
Both Sheamus and Jeff are talented Superstars who have kept the fans thrilled with their in-ring maneuvers. Their rivalry seems interesting on paper and could deliver a feud beyond one’s expectations. Hence, irrespective of the result of their match tonight, the WWE creative must have both these Superstars lock horns in the coming episodes of SmackDown.
#1 What’s next for Braun Strowman on SmackDown?
At the Money in the Bank PPV, we saw WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman retain his title against Bray Wyatt in an interesting encounter. Following that, we saw him take a risk and team up with Otis on last week’s episode of SmackDown as the powerful duo took on the team of The Miz and John Morrison.
After having successfully defended his championship against Bray, it is expected that the Monster Among Men will now have a good number of title defenses before he loses his title. Thankfully, WWE are not using Strowman as a transitional champion, which means that we can see him stumble across his next challenger on SmackDown.
Even if no one from the Blue brand challenges for the Universal Champion, SmackDown can extend an invitation to the Superstars from other brands who might be involved in a one-off encounter with Strowman. Since he has already clarified that he wants to be a fighting champion, we might soon find out who will be Strowman’s next challenger.
