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Clash of Champions is in the books and the focus now shifts to the Royal Rumble. The second biggest PPV of the WWE calendar ought to have a strong card and the seeds of it will be sown on tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown.
The historic Women's Royal Rumble match coupled Brock Lesnar's triple threat title defence against Kane and Braun Strowman has set the ball rolling and the fallout SmackDown episode for Clash of Champions will continue to have drastic implications on the Rumble card.
Who will be AJ Styles' next opponent? What's next in the Daniel Bryan-Shane McMahon saga? Are Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on course for a major Royal Rumble programme?
A host of burning questions cramped up in two hours of what promises to be an eventful episode, here are the five noteworthy points heading into tonight's show:
#1 Shutdown of the Uso Penitentiary?
The Usos improved on their knack of putting on quality tag team title matches with another barnburner of a bout at Clash of Champions.
One of the surprise matches of the night saw the champs successfully defend the title against two other teams, and Eddie Guererro's son-in-law, Aiden English, and the legendary Rusev.
A raucous Boston crowd celebrated Rusev Day in all its glory, so much so that the story of the match focussed on Rusev and Aiden English coming painstakingly close to pulling off a major upset.
It's a shame that their deserved title shot has been given to Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin, who will be entering the Uso Penitentiary tonight in a bid to win the titles. Will The Gold Standard win his first championship in over 7 years? Will WWE capitalise on Rusev and Aiden English's dynamic and have them play a major role in the match? We better hope the WWE Creative is listening too.
#2 An unexpected celebration
From being on the verge of leaving the company to becoming the new United States Champion, Dolph Ziggler's dwindling fortunes may be the only constant thing in the WWE.
One win is all it takes to become relevant again and the Show Off is lucky to get one right before Royal Rumble. But before the annual extravaganza comes our way, Ziggler plans on having a celebration tonight in honour of his shocking victory. We're sure there won't be any confetti involved but just Ziggler rubbing it into the fans' face. For all we know, Ziggler could be channelling his inner Naito in his current run with the title.
But it could be shortlived as the Lone Wolf and the Glorious One would be looking to crash his party tonight. Will Ziggler be able to hold onto to the title until the Rumble? Will another superstar join the equation to avoid another triple threat scenario?
The US title picture is heating up at the perfect time.
#3 Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye?
Natalya's unfortunate breakdown after her Clash of Champions loss against Charlotte has raised questions about her SmackDown Live future. The Queen of Harts feels cheated by the fans and the superstars backstage after 10 years of service in transforming the Women's division.
Up until yesterday, we believed the 35-year-old could be hanging up her boots. But then Raw happened and Stephanie McMahon dropped the monumental announcement of the Women's Royal Rumble match. There could be no possible way Natalya would want to sit this one out.
Just like the rest of the roster, the former SmackDown Women's Champion will come out all guns blazing while also displaying a more emotional side of her character in the coming weeks.
The battle for bragging rights on the blue side begins tonight in what promises to be a volatile atmosphere at the Prudential Centre in Newark.
#4 Shane McMahon vs. Daniel Bryan? Yep Yep Yep!
Daniel Bryan took his first bump since retiring from in-ring competition, however soft it seemed. He defied his boss and saved the jobs of the creators of the Yep Movement, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. All roads lead to a long-awaited in-ring return for the former WWE Champion, but no one expected it to be against Shane McMahon.
Shane O'Mac has been flirting with a heel turn in the weeks leading up to Clash of Champions and it could all come to a head on tonight's episode. How will the SmackDown commissioner react to his general manager's defiance? Is Daniel Bryan's job in danger?
Will he be forced to return to lace up his wrestling boots with his general's manager's position on the line? This feud has all the makings of a show-stealer as the business end of WWE's calendar year approaches.
#5 What's next for AJ Styles?
Jinder Mahal's surprise push finally came to an end at Clash of Champions as he symbolically tapped out to the Calf Crusher. As mentioned by AJ Styles himself on Talking Smack, Jinder Mahal will not be getting any more opportunities in the near future and it's time for a new contender to step up.
The Phenomenal One will team up with Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton in a six-man tag team match against Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn.
The next challenger for the WWE title could rise in this star-studded main event clash itself. Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Kevin Owens would particularly be eyeing the top prize on SmackDown Live. However, how amazing would it be to see Sami Zayn get a WWE title shot at Royal Rumble?
The possibilities are endless and the expectations are Phenomenally high. Will team blue deliver the goods tonight? Sound off in the comments section below.
