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The go home show for Extreme Rules is upon us, and SmackDown has to gear up to build excitement for the PPV. The event marks the return of the Undertaker after his Super ShowDown bout against Goldberg.
Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch will defend their titles in a mixed tag team "Winners Take All" match against the team of Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans.
On SmackDown's side, Bayley defends her championship against Alexa Bliss, and Samoa Joe goes up against Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. Also, Aleister Black faces his mystery opponent at the PPV, and the Planet's Champions defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championship against Heavy Machinery and the New Day in a triple threat match.
WWE again introduced the two tickets for the price of one offer on the 4th of July, but the site still shows the offer at the time of writing, which indicates that the ticket sales are slow. WWE needs to put up a strong show to create excitement and avoid half-empty arenas like in Stomping Grounds.
Here are five questions that need to be answered on SmackDown before Extreme Rules kicks off.
#5 Who knocked on Aleister Black's door?
Aleister Black got redrafted to SmackDown during the Superstar Shakeup, which led him to split up with Ricochet and go solo. Since then, he locked himself up in a dark room and challenged everyone to pick a fight with him.
After weeks without any challenger, Black got frustrated and urged anyone just to pick a fight with him. Finally the knock happened, but the challenger didn't get revealed.
WWE announced that the challenger would be revealed on SmackDown. The revelation of the challenger has dragged for quite a while, and it is becoming tedious to wait another week after finally, someone knocked on the door.
Rumors are afloat that either Cesaro or Buddy Murphy would get revealed as Black's opponent. But still WWE could throw in a surprise and could present someone else as the mystery opponent.
#4 Will Kofi Kingston Vs. Samoa Joe have a stipulation?
To be honest, Samoa Joe is the first credible challenger to Kofi's reign who is believable enough to take the title off him. Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, and Dolph Ziggler were worthy challengers, but it never felt that they could defeat Kofi and win the title, given the time and stage they fought.
Samoa Joe going against the WWE Champion sparked the internet of the fans from the get-go. Kofi had a dominant run after winning the title at WrestleMania, and Samoa Joe looked dominant after ending Kofi's winning streak.
The finger gesture from Kofi Kingston in the previous episode of SmackDown did more to rile up Samoa Joe. Expect a stipulation to be added to their match on the go home show. Corey Graves claimed that it's rumored to be a ladder match, but nothing is official as of yet.
#3 Will the Tag Team Championship get its due?
WWE's tag division needs no introduction - both men and women Tag Team Championships have suffered from irregular booking. While The IIconics haven't defended their championships against a proper tag team after winning it at WrestleMania, the men's tag division on SmackDown saw a glimpse of hope when Daniel Bryan entered the division and promised to bring a difference. But the Saudi Arabian Super ShowDown disrupted their momentum as Daniel Bryan opted out of the show.
The IIconics are entertaining in the exclusive clips and backstage segments they feature on but aren't getting much TV time even after being champions.
Could the Kabuki Warriors and the IIconics come face to face after their encounter in Tokyo? Also, WWE has announced a tag team summit among the champions Bryan and Rowan and the challengers Heavy Machinery and the New Day. Could it result in a ladder match for the Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules?
#2 How will Owens' babyface run take shape?
Kevin Owens' last short run as a babyface checked all the boxes. Kevin as Big O was funny, hilarious, and likable. This stint remained short but showed Kevin's potential as a babyface.
On last week's episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens turned face and verbally attacked Shane McMahon, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler. His urge to become champion led to a tag team match for a place in the triple threat match for the SmackDown's Tag Team Championship. The team of Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens imploded during the match, resulting in their loss. Owens hit a stunner to cap off the segment.
Owens has the potential to become a top babyface. His last run was cut short after Daniel Bryan got injured; otherwise, his vignettes before his return showed his other side as a family man.
WWE might continue on the same storyline or could follow a different route altogether. WWE announced a match between Ziggler and Owens for SmackDown. Could this match transpire into a PPV program?
#1 Can Nakamura rejuvenate himself?
Nakamura was in the midst of a dream run when he won the Royal Rumble and faced AJ Styles in a dream match for the WWE Championship, but after a half-decent feud against the champion, he continued to spiral down the card. His Nakamerica gimmick fell flat, and after he lost his US title, he got lost in the tag team division with Rusev and performed as an enhancement talent.
As reported earlier, Rusev has taken time off from WWE TV. This time off from Rusev sets Nakamura free for his solo ventures. Fans expectations peaked when Nakamura cut off the Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor during a backstage interview.
WWE has announced a match on Smackdown between the two former NJPW stars. Will it start to build Nakamura again as a lethal striker, or could this be just a filler feud for Finn Balor? Could Eric Bischoff play a part in rejuvenating Nakamura?
