WWE News: Two matches announced for SmackDown Live next week

What’s the story?

Next week’s episode of SmackDown Live will feature a championship match and the last qualifying match to determine the final wrestler for the SmackDown Survivor Series team.

The Usos will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin, and AJ Styles will take on Rusev in a Survivor Series qualifier.

In case you didn’t know...

The men’s SmackDown Survivor Series team comprises of team captain, Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode, with the fifth spot to be determined.

The Usos are scheduled to face the Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in a non-title, champions vs. champions match.

The heart of the matter

The Usos were interviewed backstage regarding their upcoming match against Raw Tag Team Champions but were interrupted by Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. Gable and Benjamin told The Usos that Shane McMahon booked a championship match between the two teams.

Later in the show, Rusev and Aiden English approached Shane McMahon and requested that "The Bulgarian Brute" be added to the Smackdown Live Survivor Series team. McMahon responded by informing Rusev that he and AJ Styles would battle for the final spot on the men's Survivor Series team.

What’s next?

Both of these matches will have major implications for the Survivor Series pay-per-view and could drastically change the card.

If Rusev defeats Styles, then the former WWE Champion would have no one to compete against at Survivor Series unless the WWE plans to book Styles against Finn Bálor for the second time.

Gable and Benjamin winning the Smackdown Tag Team Championships would remove a highly anticipated match from the card.

Author's Take

With no championship matches on the horizon, the WWE are giving title matches away on television and its making for a much more interesting show.