'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
No longer will Friday Night SmackDown be the B-show anymore. WWE has obviously invested a lot of time, money and effort into making Friday nights shine brighter than ever and we're in for a new era under the leadership of Bruce Prichard.
Obviously, the Eric Bischoff era ended long before it could really take off, and from while the details about his dismissal are sketchy, the wheel keeps turning. What can fans look forward to this week, as this new era begins?
My job is to give you a glimpse of what I do know and also set the stage for the surprises that could potentially happen during the course of the said show. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Do you think Friday nights are a lot more exciting right now than Monday nights?
#5 Roman Reigns surprisingly gets an Intercontinental Championship shot
One thing that we knew for sure was that the Intercontinental Championship deserved a lot more buzz around it than it currently does. But one did not anticipate the fact that Roman Reigns, who's been the face of WWE in the modern era, would get a shot at Shinsuke Nakamura because he's always been at the top of the card thus far.
One thing that one cannot dispute is that Roman Reigns is certain to elevate the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship if he takes Shinsuke Nakamura on. In fact, if he were to capture the title and become the Intercontinental Champion, he would become the workhorse Champion of the brand especially if you consider the fact that Brock Lesnar is not going to show up every single week.
One thing that none can dispute is that Roman Reigns show up every week. And that's why WWE may want him to become the face of Brand Blue.
#4 Shorty G has a new challenger
Sometimes, there are rivalries where two men work so brilliantly with one another, that you can watch a million matches between the two men (or women). The rivalry between Shorty G and Baron Corbin is not one such feud. While the matches have been great, the WWE Universe has been screaming for something new based on how many times the two men have faced one another.
The King of the Ring tournament worked far better for Shorty G than it did for King Corbin, who was already an established player, in my personal opinion. Gable was nowhere in contention, barely getting any TV time at all, and now he's a central player on the Blue Brand. While Corbin is on SmackDown as well, I don't want to see the two men take each other on for the time being at least, and Elias could be someone who belittles Gable to such a point (no pun intended) that the short-tempered man (no pun intended again) explodes.
Remember the hilarious song that Elias sang about Shorty G not long ago? WWE doesn't always get its humor on point, but this was one occasion when the company did. Gable vs. Elias should be great!
#3 What's next for Kofi Kingston after his extremely shocking loss?
Kofi Kingston had one of the most memorable feuds of the year when he took on Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania and came out on top to become the new WWE Champion, on the grandest show of the year. He would go on to have a host of memorable feuds and a not-so-memorable one against Randy Orton as well, before losing the title in record time to Brock Lesnar on the premiere episode of SmackDown on the FOX Network.
The SmackDown roster is stacked and Kofi Kingston could certainly go on to have a lot of feuds from the crop of Superstars. One name that immediately springs to mind is King Corbin who could also get quite a rub by working against an established name like Kofi Kingston.
Or maybe he will team up with The New Day and re-enter the tag team division to take on The Revival and elevate the status of the SmackDown Tag Team Championships to no end. I strongly doubt that he's going to be inserted into the WWE Championship picture with Brock Lesnar because Velasquez is a part of it now.
Let's hope Kingston finds his footing once again because the man is a star!
#2 What's next for Carmella with R-Truth out of the picture?
Believe it or not, Carmella has been a standout performer ever since she arrived in the main roster from NXT. While Enzo and Cass did not go on to have the careers one assumed they'd have, their valet, so to speak, has gone on to become an invaluable part of the current WWE landscape. She has excelled in whatever role she has been slotted in, whether it was as a heel with James Ellsworth by her side or as a babyface, as a part of the 24/7 Championship picture.
So now that she and R-Truth are on two different brands, the question is what is next for the Princess of Staten Island. Honestly speaking, I do believe that the time may be nigh for her to step up to the Championship picture and take on Bayley. Believe it or not, because of her stint with the 24/7 Championship and the dance breaks that preceded it, she is a lot more over than many others in the women's division, at the moment.
She also has a readymade storyline with Bayley. She can certainly get over as the top babyface of the Blue Brand's women's division.
#1 The Monster Among Men goes blue
We're just so used to seeing The Monster Among Men, Braun Strowman as a part of RAW, it will be the beginning of a new age in a sense, with him on SmackDown on Friday Nights. What we know for a fact is that he's on a collision course with Tyson Fury and the two men will face one another when WWE goes to Saudi Arabia at the end of the month.
We saw the two men sign their contract on RAW, and because of this, I wouldn't be surprised if they come to blows on SmackDown Live. Whether it's in the ring or in the backstage area, it will be very interesting to see the two men come to blows.
The same could potentially happen when it comes to Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez as well but one wonders if Brock Lesnar will show up for so many weeks in a row, even if it is before a big match. A large part of Brock Lesnar's appeal stems from the fact that he's not on television every single week, and one expects this to continue this week as well.
All in all, this should be a pretty great episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news!
