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After a solid show of Monday Night RAW, the onus is upon the blue brand now to take the baton and give us an amazing episode of SmackDown to kick off the build-up to SummerSlam. With this being the first show after Eric Bischoff assuming the role of Executive Director of SmackDown, there are a lot of expectations from fans to see a solid show.
One of the major segments announced for tonight is the Town Hall meeting that will be hosted by the (former?) SmackDown General Manager, Shane McMahon. The only detail we have for the segment is that Shane wants to allow superstars to tell their complaints and grievances. This is the aftermath of the brutal "pipe-bomb" promo from Kevin Owens last week where he targetted Shane, with mostly the truth.
In this article, let's take a look at the three surprises that we can get during this segment on SmackDown tonight.
#3 Drew McIntyre turns on Shane McMahon
Like most of you, I was also not a huge fan of the partnership between Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon. While it did portray Shane McMahon as a decent heel with massive protection, the alliance did not turn out to be much beneficial for McIntyre.
He was just the hired muscle for Shane, maybe even just his sidekick, and didn't get the monster booking that he deserves. Even after many people considering him the next big thing in WWE, McIntyre somehow is yet to break out as a huge singles superstar.
But all that could end tonight if he decides that it's enough and turns on Shane McMahon. The town hall segment is a great time to end this alliance and could turn the fortunes for Drew's career. Shane has transformed himself into a heel whom everyone hates from the bottom of their hearts, and WWE could make use of this to put over the Scottish Psychopath.
This might not lead to a program between the two immediately, as Shane seems busy with KO, but would allow McIntyre to set free from this weird alliance. If not, we'll be again watching him protect Shane like a loyal bodyguard, only to end with zero self-worth. McIntyre deserves much more!
#2 Kevin Owens takes another chapter from Steve Austin's book
The brilliance of Kevin Owens can be seen by the fact that how he turned from a vicious heel to a top babyface within a week and managed to do justice to both the characters. His pipe bomb promo on last week's SmackDown is already considered by many as one of the best mic works of this year.
The rumors suggest that WWE is trying to turn KO into a Steve Austin like character. Truth be told, he's the best guy for this job. Not only is he a great talker, but he can also back it up with his in-ring work. We've already seen him take-up the Stunner as his new finisher, and we might just see him take-out another chapter from the Texas Rattlesnake's book.
One of the biggest highlights of Stone Cold's career was the beer bath that he gave to the then-Authority, and WWE might take us down the memory line by a similar segment from Owens tonight on SmackDown. With Eric Bischoff in charge of the show, he might want to make a major statement, and this could be a great way to announce the new Bischoff era on the blue brand.
#1 Bray Wyatt warns the entire SmackDown roster
After weeks and weeks of build-up, Bray Wyatt finally made his return to the ring this week on RAW as The Fiend when he attacked Finn Balor. The commentators exclaimed that he is here to terrorize the entire roster, and he could continue doing the same tonight as well.
With the number of efforts being put into this new gimmick of Bray Wyatt, WWE sure has huge plans for him. His actions on RAW could have consequences on the superstars on the whole roster as they might express their fear for the Fiend to Shane McMahon.
And what better than Bray Wyatt warning the entire roster in his typical style. If done correctly, this could turn into the biggest storyline in WWE, even involving Vince McMahon himself (no, not the Devil Mr. McMahon). There's a lot of potential with this new Bray Wyatt character, and WWE should not hesitate in experimenting something new with him. As unorthodox he is, the guy is talented enough to turn anything to gold, just like the Firefly Funhouse segments.
What do you think WWE has in store for us on SmackDown tonight? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
