The latest episode of SmackDown Live is just hours away. Last week, the WWE creative team made some interesting decisions.
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. Miz & Maryse was made official for WrestleMania 33 and Shane McMahon announced that he would face AJ Styles at the pay-per-view. The Bray Wyatt – Randy Orton storyline along with the Women’s division also saw major developments.
The mid card rumblings of SmackDown impressed to an extent as well but there is a lot of work left to be done there. American Alpha will be defending the titles against The Usos tonight, with a possible title change on the cards before WrestleMania.
When WWE brings out the next episode of their Tuesday night show, these angles and more need to be addressed, and in this list, we will be taking a closer look at the show that WWE is set to roll out.
#5 The Supernatural
The Bray Wyatt – Randy Orton feud is getting a loud booking. The segments seem over the top and though this might not be a bad idea, it would be better if WWE goes a different path this week around.
Such storylines were among the major attractions during and before the Attitude Era. But even if we enjoy the storylines while they last, most of us cringe at them when we dissect them further.
What WWE could do is add more realism to the ongoing feud. Restricting Orton and Bray to the magical world of cryptic messages might make the feud boring and this is a recurring problem when it comes to booking Bray.
A good way to refresh things would be to let Bray do what he does best: lead a pack of weirdoes against Orton.
#4 The slow rise of Dolph Ziggler
It’s sad that Dolph Ziggler is getting overshadowed by WWE’s busy buildup to WrestleMania 33. After turning heel, Ziggler has been putting together some solid performances.
Last week, he walked out of a match with Mojo Rawley and the story seems far from over. Rawley feuding with Ziggler might not sound like a great prospect, but WWE does need someone to elevate Ziggler and Rawley could be a perfect choice.
He is showing great potential as a heel and during the post-WrestleMania period, he could easily rise as the top heel on SmackDown. But then again, this is going to require some good booking.
WWE should also figure out what they will do with him at WrestleMania 33.
#3 Trading victories
The SmackDown Women’s division is currently witnessing a five-way battle. Mickie James turning on Alexa Bliss has thrown the division wide open. Last week, Becky Lynch got a win over Natalya while Mickie got the better of Bliss.
Carmella made a strong statement as well and included her name in contention for the title. More names are expected to be added ahead of the show.
Rumours suggest that Naomi could make a surprise return to the title picture and it could turn the match into a six-way tussle for the gold. Chaos is ensured with so many women involved and whoever gets the win at WrestleMania 33 will have to work extra hard afterwards to show that the win wasn’t a fluke.
#2 Battle of the couples
Maryse & Miz vs. John Cena & Nikki Bella was officially confirmed for WrestleMania 33. We knew that the match was going to be booked sooner or later and now that it’s on the card, WWE should take extra care in making the story interesting.
The initial response for the feud was underwhelming but both the couples have managed to raise the bar with excellent performances.
Miz, in particular, is stealing the show, and the match, irrespective of the result, will be a major add-on for his resume. The next chapter in this saga will probably be more personal as WWE has been taking such a route so far.
#1 The complicated situation of AJ Styles
The future of AJ Styles in SmackDown remains a big question mark. Despite being ‘fired’ and on WWE’s Alumni section on the website, Styles is advertised to appear on tonight’s show.
Shane McMahon did call out Styles for a match at WrestleMania 33, but at the same time, Styles was fired by Daniel Bryan for attacking Shane. And on top of this, there are rumours about AJ Styles heading to Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 33.
From one perspective, feuding with a member of the McMahon family is good for AJ Styles. Not many get such a chance and the chosen few are held in high regard by the WWE.
Shane might not be someone who could put together a technical marvel with Styles, but the match does have potential and once WWE sorts out the employment issues of Styles, we will have ourselves and an exciting showdown between these two.
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