After beating Monday Night Raw with their last episode of 2016, SmackDown Live will be back in action this Tuesday night with their latest episode. Monday Night Raw delivered a great show to open their account in 2017 and now, SmackDown will probably feel the pressure to deliver as well.
With the seeds that the company planted last week, SmackDown is bound to be a show stealer this time around as well. The show has guaranteed title matches, contract signings and much more, and in this list, we will be taking a look at the segments that we could expect from the first SmackDown Live of 2017.
#5 Wyatt Family to split?
The Wyatt Family suffered a huge setback last week when they dropped the WWE Tag team championships to American Alpha. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan winning the title was met with positive response from the fans but what concerned them more was the friction that Luke Harper and Randy Orton showcased.
Could the Wyatt Family be heading into a split?
SmackDown will give us some answers. It would also be interesting to see whether American Alpha will feud with the Wyatt Family for the titles or if WWE would give The Usos a run for the gold. Either way, the tag team division deserves our attention.
#4 Who is La Luchadora?
The mysterious La Luchadora cost Becky Lynch her title match last week on SmackDown live. The identity of Luchadora had been a major topic of debate throughout this past week and we might get an answer on the upcoming episode of SmackDown live.
A lot of interesting names have been thrown around, including that of Mickie James but recently, fans seem to have confirmed that its Deonna Purrazzo based on the shape of her nails. But WWE need not reveal the same woman meaning that we could be in for a surprise.
The rumors going around suggest WWE may introduce Mickie James as the superstar under mask, irrespective of the fact that Purrazzo may have played the role last week. The first week saw Becky under the mask, followed by Purrazzo according to speculation. This time around, we may see the former WWE Women’s Champion James return to the main roster as La Luchadora.
#3 Corbin goes up against Dolph Ziggler
WWE recently had a poll on its website which asked the fans who they think would be the breakout star of 2017. Baron Corbin led the poll at the time of writing the preview and this indicates that Corbin has the fans firmly behind him.
He has been showing some great improvements throughout his journey with the WWE and he made good use of the opportunity he had last week in the Triple Threat match involving AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler. Corbin might’ve been unsuccessful in capturing the WWE championship but he will be back this week to give Dolph Ziggler some nightmares.
#2 Lunatic going for the title
The way WWE played out the Miz – Dean Ambrose storyline was impressive. All it took was an interview from Renee Young and people wanted to see Ambrose beat up The Miz. The backstage segment involving Miz and Ambrose added fuel to this feeling and just two weeks later, we are going to see these two fight in a title match.
The crisp booking that SmackDown has been delivering is on showcase here and when Ambrose and Miz battles for the title on SmackDown, the presence of Renee Young and Maryse will also be something to watch out for.
Renee recently expressed her interest in getting into the ring to wrestle and it wouldn’t be a surprise if WWE uses this title match to set up a mixed tag team match involving all four Superstars involved.
#1 The contract signing
John Cena’s return was one of the biggest highlights of last SmackDown. Without wasting any time, Cena made his intentions clear and AJ Styles didn’t hesitate as well. A showdown between these two is set for Royal Rumble and on SmackDown, the contract will be signed.
Considering the history that WWE has with contract signings, this one cannot be missed. Rumours have been reported suggesting a face turn from AJ Styles and as Cena recently teased a heel turn, we might be in for a big surprise when these two step inside the squared circle to put their signatures on the contract.
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