Coming off a momentous and historic Backlash pay-per-view, we move on from the Windy City to the Huntington Center in Ohio for the fallout episode of SmackDown Live!
Follow our Live coverage of SmackDown Live! here.
Obviously, the headlines will be hogged by the newly crowned WWE Champion Jinder Mahal who’s planned to throw a Punjabi style party to celebrate his shock victory against Randy Orton at the pay-per-view. Rid of his title, however, the Viper – one suspects – would be in no mood for festivities.
After Natalya tapped out Becky Lynch at Backlash, the Irish Lass Kicker teams with her trusted friend Charlotte in tag team action against Natalya and Carmella, in an attempt to gain some measure of retribution for her humiliation. But let’s face it, it’s only inevitable that Naomi and Tamina get involved in the match too.
And as always in the WWE, we don’t pause to catch a breath and reminisce... the proverbial wheel, as they say, just keeps on turning. But how would the gears in Shane McMahon's head be turning as he makes an all-important announcement for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view?
To visit all these topics and more, read on as we preview this week's episode of SmackDown Live!
#1 A Phenomenal fight back?
The Phenomenal One was left worse for wear, trying to ascertain just how much damage had been done to his leg after Kevin Owens managed to sneak through with a count-out victory at Backlash.
Will the US Champion’s nefarious tactics leave AJ Styles out of action for an extended period of time?
Or will the Champ that runs the Camp make a quick turnaround and return to action with revenge on his mind? Surely, a fierce competitor like AJ Styles wouldn’t have liked how the match petered out with a count out and will be raring to have another go at the US Title.
#2 ‘Beck’ing the trend
Natalya and co. scored one more against the team of Charlotte, Naomi and Becky, as she tapped out the Irish Lass Kicker at Backlash with the patented Sharpshooter. Thus far, the Welcoming Committee has been nothing but dominant against the babyfaces... and that doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.
But Becky does have a shot at redemption when she teams with her aide and good friend, Charlotte, to take on Natalya and Carmella on SmackDown Live! Will the bond between two of the former Horsewomen prove to be strong enough to disrupt the momentum that Natalya and co. have gathered lately?
Or will the Welcoming Committee keep moving from strength to strength, seeing off this challenge as well? And you can almost swear that it is a question of when and not if the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, Naomi, and Tamina, to get involved in the mix.
#3 Dominance of the Usos
The Usos reiterated their dominance over the SmackDown Live Tag Team division with a hard-fought victory over Breezango, but not before almost falling for their clever tactics in the process.
Who will step up next to challenge the Tag Team Champions? Will Breezango lick their wounds and make another tilt at the titles themselves? Either way, the Usos have definitely set the bar on SmackDown Live! as the team to beat, with their performance at BackLash.
And if there is one thing absolutely necessary for a division to flourish, it’s a dominant champion. And the Usos seem to bear every indication that they’re all that and more.
#4 Shane’s surprise
Having successfully checked off BackLash on the calendar, SmackDown Live can now move full speed ahead towards the next marquee pay-per-view of the year, Money in the Bank. As is the WWE’s wont, resting on their laurels is just not how they do things.
And the ever-progressive and forward-thinking commissioner of SmackDown Live, Shane McMahon, is the perfect embodiment of that.
Unsurprisingly, he’s decided to motor along from BackLash on road to MITB almost immediately. What manner of an important announcement, then, does he have in store for the Blue brand?
Will it be something to do with the traditional MITB ladder match? Or will it be something to do with a bigger prize, like the WWE Championship, perhaps?
Speaking of which...
#5 The Maharaja’s Court
Jinder Mahal capped off a historic evening for himself and the country of India as he managed to defeat Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, becoming the 50th person in history to get his hands on the industry’s top prize.
Despite receiving a generous measure of help from his sidekicks, the Singh Brothers, his meteoric rise in the WWE of late has nonetheless been something special to behold.
Unsurprisingly, the Maharaja has organised a Punjabi style celebration to commemorate the occasion, to – no doubt – show the WWE Universe that they are lucky to be under his rule.
Knowing Randy Orton, however, one can almost predict that his mind is teeming with nothing but malicious thoughts of vengeance for being screwed out of his Title at BackLash.
Will The Viper be the only party-pooper that Jinder Mahal has to contend with? Or could there, perhaps, be someone else looking to announce himself on the WWE Title picture as well?
Tune into SmackDown Live! to find out...
