WWE SmackDown Live Preview: March 13, 2018

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AJ Styles will be going to WrestleMania as WWE Champion

After a momentous Fastlane pay-per-view that saw AJ Styles retain his WWE Championship to set up a WrestleMania dream match against Shinsuke Nakamura as well as Randy Orton become a Grand Slam Champion and Asuka challenge the blue brand's Women's Champion, tonight's SmackDown is surely a must-see as we're on the home straight on the road to WrestleMania.

As always in WWE, though, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Will they be answered on tonight's show? Here's a preview of what you can expect to see when tuning in tonight.


#5 Shane McMahon to make a WrestleMania announcement

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Shane O Mac has something big in store

Shane McMahon was spotted on last night's Raw, but it was his actions on Sunday at Fastlane that shocked the WWE Universe when SmackDown Live's Commissioner prevented Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn from capturing the WWE Championship.

Shane O Mac was arguably provoked, though, as Kevin Owens had seemingly unintentionally superkicked the SmackDown Live Commissioner. The pair does have a storied history though, including a hellacious Hell In A Cell Match that saw McMahon jump off the structure and straight through a table.

It was no surprise, then, that the Commissioner showed no remorse for his actions on Talking Smack, with KO taking to Twitter immediately after Fastlane.

WWE.com have confirmed that Shane McMahon will make an announcement regarding WrestleMania on tonight's show, hinting that it may directly involve the "Yep!" Movement, or rather cryptically, that it may be a complete surprise for the WWE Universe.

With rumors speculating that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn's WrestleMania involvement may purely be in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, this will be very interesting indeed. Could WWE swerve us all?


#4 Asuka will make her first SmackDown Live appearance

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After defeating Ruby Riott to retain her SmackDown Women’s Championship on Sunday, Charlotte's WrestleMania challenger was revealed in spectacular fashion as undefeated Raw Superstar and Women's Royal Rumble winner Asuka declared that she would NOT be facing Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania, but was actually challenging Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Ahead of Charlotte Flair defending her championship against Asuka’s undefeated streak in New Orleans, The Empress of Tomorrow's blue brand debut has been confirmed for tonight.

Will we see Asuka be given the opportunity to extend her streak on SmackDown Live, or will we see her go face-to-face with 'The Queen'? This is a match that essentially needs no build-up, but I'm sure we'll see some tension arise between two of WWE's most dominant women on the road to WrestleMania.

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#3 The dream match is on!

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After successfully defending his WWE Championship in an incredible Six-Pack Challenge at WWE Fastlane, the match was made for Mania - The Phenomenal One will take on The Rockstar for only the second time in history, and the first time in the United States, when AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura go one-on-one for the WWE Championship on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

WWE posted a video after Fastlane of AJ Styles stating his plans for the former NXT Champion at New Orleans, but will Nakamura respond tonight?

And after Shane McMahon prevented Owens and Zayn from capturing the title at Fastlane, will they have something to say to Styles? One thing is for sure after Sunday, nothing will stand in the way of Styles and Nakamura getting in the ring at WrestleMania to make history.

#2 How will Randy Orton deal with the target on his back?

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Randy Orton became a Grand Slam Champion on Sunday

There's no doubt that Randy Orton is one of the most decorated men in sports entertainment, and 'The Viper' added another accolade to his incredible resume when he defeated The Glorious Bobby Roode at WWE Fastlane to capture the one belt that had alluded him in WWE - the United States Championship.

Orton didn't have time to celebrate, though, as the Grand Slam Champion was confronted by former rival Jinder Mahal who arrived to confront 'The Viper'. Orton and Mahal have a storied history which even saw them compete in a Punjabi Prison Match where The Great Khali ensured a victory for Mahal.

With the new champion, the Modern Day Maharaja and Bobby Roode all exchanging unpleasantries over the past few weeks where RKO, Glorious DDT and Khallas have been frequently traded between the trio - it seems like Orton may have a mountain to climb with a huge target on his back ahead of Mania.

Will we find out whether Roode, Mahal or both men will challenge for the United States Championship at WrestleMania? The former United States Champion and the "uncrowned" United States Champion will both be looking to stake their claim to win the belt at Mania.

#1 Can anyone stop The Bludgeon Brothers?

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The Bludgeon Brothers are destroying everyone in sight

With The New Day and The Usos being laser-focused on each other in recent weeks, both teams seemed to completely overlook WWE's most brutal tag team in the run-up to their Fastlane match.

Well, The Bludgeon Brothers made sure that won't happen again as they destroyed all five men mid-match at the pay-per-view, seemingly signaling clear intent that they're going after the Tag Team Championships to stake their claim as the top tag team on the blue brand.

Can anything stop Harper and Rowan, or will they continue on their path of destruction on the road to WrestleMania? We'll no doubt find out on SmackDown Live tonight.

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