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SummerSlam came and went, bringing along with it a host of unexpected developments and Title changes.
Also Follow: WWE SmackDown Results August 22nd, 2017, Live Updates and Commentary
There was almost a sense of let-the-chips-fall-as-they-may during the riveting show, but when SmackDown Live veers into town on Tuesday, there will be time for taking stock and reflecting on the grandest event of the summer.
Jinder Mahal, yet again with a generous assist from the Singh Brothers, managed to retain his WWE Championship. But how will Shinsuke Nakamura react to losing his first match on the main roster?
The SmackDown Live Women's Champion didn't have as much luck as her male counterpart though, as Natalya defeated her to become the first ever woman to win the Divas Championship and the top prize on the Blue brand.
And if the New Day were thinking that their Tag Title run would be as smooth as their record-breaking endeavor on Raw, they were in for a rude awakening as the Usos reclaimed the SmackDown Live Tag Titles in a closely fought encounter.
How will the winners celebrate their respective victories? And how will the losers rebound?
Read on as we run through all that and more in our preview of this week's episode of SmackDown Live.
A show of Hart
One of the chief detractors to Charlotte Flair waltzing into the Blue brand and receiving a straight Title shot was Natalya, and now we know why.
By defeating Naomi for the SmackDown Live Women's Championship at SummerSlam, the Queen of Harts lived up to the steep expectations of representing the Hart dynasty in style.
But it only gets harder for her from here.
With Money in the Bank winner Carmella and a whole host of other Superstars waiting in the wings, there is no shortage of opponents for Natalya to contend with on SmackDown Live.
Not to mention, Naomi would be absolutely itching for a rematch too.
The Usos fight back
If the New Day thought that their run with the SmackDown Live Tag Titles was going to be a walk in the park, their dreams were dispelled with authority at SummerSlam.
Wound up and teeming with purpose, the Usos brought them crashing to earth when they defeated the New Day to win back the Tag Titles that they had lost.
By virtue of capitalizing on their rematch clause against the New Day, the Usos are honour bound to offer the same courtesy to the former Champions.
But will they be willing to risk it all against the team they've already lost to once?
And will the Power of Positivity help the New Day get back on their feet and regroup, so they can have another crack at the belts?
A bitter pill to swallow
If Kevin Owens has anyone to blame for his loss to AJ Styles, it's himself.
After using Shane McMahon as everything from a smokescreen to a human shield, KO still couldn't get the job done against AJ Styles when he failed to win back the US Title at SummerSlam.
Be rest assured, however, that the irate Prize Fighter would not be happy with the way things went down.
Will Kevin Owens take out his frustrations at being unable to capture the US Title on Shane McMahon? Or will he be gracious enough to accept that the better man won on the day?
Moreover, Bobby Roode dropped the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Brooklyn III and was even seen backstage during yesterday night's RAW but wasn't used during the show. The main roster call-up is evident for the former Champion and it would be a spectacle to watch him face The Phenomenal One on SmackDown tonight, which might very well happen.
Something tells me that this tryst between KO and Shane is far from over and that AJ might have a new rivalry on his hands.
Never poke a Viper in the eye
In the WWE, you get as good as you give.
That's a sentence that must be ringing uncomfortably in Rusev's head as the Bulgarian Brute found out at SummerSlam, much to his disappointment.
Having ambushed Randy Orton from behind before the bell for their match had even been rung, Rusev paid dearly for his ill-conceived enterprise when he ate an RKO out of nowhere that laid him out for the three count.
And after being defeated by John Cena at Battleground, the last thing that Rusev needed was to have that loss compounded by another to a top-level opponent.
Will the burly Bulgarian be able to bounce back from his defeat to gain a measure of respectability, and indeed, revenge on Randy Orton?
Or is the Viper simply too slippery a customer for him?
The King has revenge on his mind
Jinder Mahal's modus operandi is very simple.
Show up, muscles rippling and all, try his best and fall agonizingly short...at which point, his glad-handing cronies would interfere in the match, take his beating for him, and cause enough of a stir for him to capitalize on a distracted opponent to pick up the win.
And sure enough, at WWE Summerslam, Shinsuke Nakamura was subjected to the same old shtick that Randy Orton suffered against time and again.
When will it end? Will it ever end?
Well, considering how enraged Nakamura ought to be right now, Jinder and co. can expect swift, hard-hitting retribution on Tuesday.
But will it be enough to deter the Modern Day Maharaja from employing nefarious tactics to retain the WWE Championship again?
Tune in to this week's episode of SmackDown Live to find out!
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