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In this week's episode of WWE SmackDown, the company has to get us excited for The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, the final pay-per-view before SummerSlam 2020. And the best way to make SmackDown a memorable show is to fill it with a bunch of surprises, that could make the upcoming WWE pay-per-view a highly anticipated affair indeed.
So, what are 5 surprises that could potentially happen on this week's episode of WWE SmackDown? I do not have a crystal ball or tarot cards, but I have a good understanding of what WWE needs to do so that SmackDown becomes the talk of the town, just as, say, Dark on Netflix is.
So, here are 5 surprises that may or may not happen on this week's edition of SmackDown, but they should. If you disagree or even agree, tell me why in the comments section below.
#5 Daniel Bryan returns to SmackDown to challenge the Intercontinental Champion to a match
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are far from done with one another and they could put on a showcase for the ages at Extreme Rules, in my personal opinion. Or if Matt Riddle wins the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown this week (more on this later), he could tear it up with Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules 2020. Basically Daniel Bryan's absence has been felt in the roster and it's time for him to return and make his presence felt on SmackDown again.
The Intercontinental Championship is known as the workhorse title and Daniel Bryan can really elevate it by mixing it up with the likes of AJ Styles and Matt Riddle in various permutations and combinations. Just adding him to the Extreme Rules card should revive interest in the product once again, I feel.
#4 Matt Riddle becomes the new Intercontinental Champion on WWE SmackDown
Have you heard this interview with current SmackDown superstar Matt Riddle on Sportskeeda's YouTube channel? If you haven't, please take a minute after you're done reading this article to check it out because it's definitely worth a listen, in my personal opinion at least.
Matt Riddle will be going into the biggest match of his life on SmackDown this week when he takes on AJ Styles in a singles match for the Intercontinental Championship. Of course, there's a chance that WWE will go all the way with the Matt Riddle push on SmackDown and so, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually decide to put the Intercontinental Championship around his waist.
SmackDown is more the "worker's" show than RAW is right now, and it always has been, in my personal opinion at least. RAW has always been the more 'sports entertainment' show and so Matt Riddle should have a variety of opponents to face if he does become the Champion this week on SmackDown.
What are your thoughts?
#3 Sheamus forms a new SmackDown heel faction with Miz and Morrison
On last week's show, we saw that Miz and Morrison are helping Sheamus out on SmackDown to advance his feud with Jeff Hardy. I wonder if we could see a faction being formed with Sheamus as the leader, with Miz and Morrison as his cohorts, coming together as a heel alliance on WWE SmackDown.
The New Day will need new opponents after Extreme Rules, irrespective of whether they defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the show or not. And we all know that Xavier Woods is due for a return on SmackDown soon and they will need a trio to face upon his return.
While this may seem like a weird alliance at this point in time, if the Undisputed ERA does come to SmackDown in due course, they will need a team to clash with as well before they go to the money feud with The New Day. Sheamus, The Miz, and John Morrison could be the perfect first feud for the collective.
#2 A new SmackDown babyface tag team walks up to Sasha Banks and Bayley
Last week, we saw Lacey Evans turn heel on SmackDown after the whole SmackDown Karaoke segment. Another thing that we noticed is that Tamina is still a babyface and so is Naomi. So now we know that Sasha Banks and Bayley have singles opponents at SummerSlam, but it is difficult to imagine who will step up to challenge them for the Tag Team Championships next. I think it could very well be the team of Naomi and Tamina from WWE SmackDown.
Naomi and Tamina have a lot of history when it comes to being a cohesive unit considering that they were both a part of Team BAD once upon a time. The fact that they will be confronting Sasha Banks, who was also a member of the faction (provided this surprise actually takes place) adds a whole new dimension to the overall proceedings.
And yes, they could certainly be the team that can take the titles from Sasha Banks and Bayley after confronting them this week on WWE SmackDown.
#1 Braun Strowman takes Otis out on SmackDown so that he can't cash in during the Wyatt Swamp fight
There aren't a lot of firsts left in WWE anymore, because we have seemingly seen it all in the company already. But one of the things that we haven't seen yet is a cash-in during a cinematic match, and the setup for the same could happen on this week's edition of WWE SmackDown.
I just think that Otis has lost a lot of steam from not being a part of SmackDown over the last few weeks and everyone has that niggle in the back of their minds that he could certainly become the brand new Universal Champion at Extreme Rules.
However, we all know that it is far too soon to put the title around his waist, so WWE could pull off an angle where he cannot show up during the pay-per-view, to explain his absence from the match. This could involve Braun Strowman beating him to a pulp on SmackDown this week to prevent a potential cash in.
To get you excited for SmackDown, we have a Nikki Cross interview up on our YouTube channel for you fine folks.
