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We’re well on the road to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans right now, but prior to that, the SmackDown Live crew must direct their attention towards the 2018 Fastlane pay per view which goes down on March 11th.
Considering how much uncertainty there is surrounding the matches on that card and at Mania itself, it’s hardly surprising to hear that we’re in store for a stacked episode of SD Live tonight. From high profile matches to advancements in storylines, the blue brand needs to come out swinging after Monday Night Raw put on a great show last night in San Jose.
Everyone has been talking about how Raw is wiping the floor with the opposition and has been doing so for months now, so perhaps tonight is the night we see Team Blue fight back.
With all of that being said, here’s our WWE SmackDown Live preview for February 13th, 2018.
#5 Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
We may have seen it a million times before, but alas, we’re going to see it again. Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin will square off tonight in arguably the most high profile bout these two men have had against one another, with the winner being inserted into the WWE Championship match at Fastlane in a few weeks time.
Logic suggests that Dolph will come out on top given that he’s been given more of a push as of late, although it’s not yet clear what kind of direction they’re going in with him. Neither man will be considered a favorite once they eventually reach the WWE title match, but we should still get a pretty fun war out of it tonight.
#4 Roode Responds?
Randy Orton is one of those superstars who can do what he wants when he wants, regardless of whether or not he’s a babyface or a heel. We saw yet another perfect example of that last week when he delivered a devastating RKO to United States Champion Bobby Roode, which was a move that seems to indicate a future match between the two men.
It’ll likely be wasted on either an upcoming edition of SD Live or at Fastlane, but still, we can hold out hope that these two will rightly have their title showdown at WrestleMania 34.
Regardless of what we can all but guarantee a Roode response tonight, with there being rumblings of him bringing back the US Open Challenge tonight.
#3 Tag Team Drama
The tag team division is really starting to heat up on the blue brand, and the timing couldn’t be better with Mania being just around the corner. The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers appear to be on some kind of collision course at the moment, meanwhile, two other teams are ready to throw down in Bakersfield tonight.
Gable & Benjamin will be taking on multi-time champions The New Day, in a contest which could well steal the show. Both teams have a legitimate chance of being involved in the tag titles match at the Superdome, although a loss here would likely be incredibly damaging for one of them.
But hey, at least we’ll get to see Gable do his thing.
#2 Charlotte Flair vs. Sarah Logan
Charlotte Flair sent a strong message to the Riott Squad last week after an impressive victory over Liv Morgan, and now, she seems to be setting her sights on the second of the three group members. Flair vs Logan is currently penciled in for tonight’s show, as we appear to be moving ever closer to Charlotte vs Ruby for the championship at Fastlane.
Despite how obvious that seems we’re still interested to see what Logan can produce here because she hasn’t really been given much of a chance to shine on her own. That might be because she’s just too green right now, but either way, at least we’ll get a definitive answer after tonight.
#1 Shane & Bryan Collide
Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan can’t quite seem to agree on anything right now, and for some bizarre reason, their interactions are still being portrayed as the main story on SmackDown Live. The duo has been bickering back and forth for almost a few months, and we just can’t figure out what it’s leading to.
WWE seems intent on getting us to boo the leader of The Yes Movement, but that seems like a truly foolish idea on their part. Sure, their promos with one another can be entertaining at times, but all we’re really interested in is seeing some kind of pay-off.
Either way, don’t be surprised if we get another few segments between the commissioner and the general manager this evening as we hit another stop on the road to the show of shows.
