James Ellsworth. This was the major talking point of last week’s SmackDown. While WWE played their trump card (James Ellsworth in case you lost hold of the situation) and eliminated John Cena out of the situation, it opened up the door for shifting the focus back to Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles.
Elsewhere, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon went on to challenge Monday Night Raw for traditional Survivor Series matches.
There were some developments in the SmackDown mid-card as well in the week that went by. And as SmackDown does not have a brand specific pay-per-view to build up, whatever they do in this week and the upcoming weeks would have an impact on Survivor Series.
Here is a look at the things that they could come up with on this week’s SmackDown Live.
#5 Kane in Wyatt Family?
The tag team match involving Randy Orton, Kane and the Wyatt Family headlined last week’s SmackDown. At one point of the match, the lights went out and when it came back, Kane was missing from the apron.
Luke Harper was standing in his place and this helped the Wyatt Family get a win. No explanations were given to the disappearance but this week could be different.
A good angle that WWE could come up with is Kane joining the Wyatt Family. Kane needs something fresh to be relevant in the roster and the same applies to the Wyatt Family. Bray is best when he plays the role of a stable leader and having Kane in the Wyatt Family would capture everyone’s attention.
#4 The mid-card developments
SmackDown has some storylines to address in the mid-card. First of all, there is an ongoing scuffle between the Usos and American Alpha.
Last week, the feud had a singles match to be busy and this week, something different could be expected. The absence of Becky Lynch needs to be addressed as well. She is not going to return soon and in her absence, the women’s division could use some changes.
Carmella is riding on some impressive momentum and deserves to be pointed out. Baron Corbin is another superstar whose luck change at No Mercy. He will also need a direction this week on the show.
#3 The Survivor Series challenge
Last week, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon had issued a challenge to Monday Night Raw. The blue brand challenged Raw to three traditional Survivor Series match and this week on Raw, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley accepted the same. With three huge matches to build-up, Bryan and Shane would now be responsible for filling in the slots.
Three teams need to be made on the road to Survivor Series and as SmackDown does not have a brand specific pay-per-view to build up to, the brand could focus on building up towards these three matches without keeping their superstars busy elsewhere.
#2 Miz chasing Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler winning the Intercontinental championship and saving his career was one of the best moments of No Mercy. He outclassed many obstacles in the process and Miz threw one more into Ziggler’s path this past week on SmackDown.
Ziggler successfully overcame the handicap match against his former Spirit Squad members and got some helping hand from Rhyno and Heath Slater in the post-match segment.
The next logical step from WWE would be to put these six men in a six-man tag team match on SmackDown this week. Spirit Squad could turn out to be a good challenge for Slater and Rhyno as the team needs a heel challenge after their win over the Usos.
#1 James Ellsworth gets his title shot
The story of James Ellsworth has been a fairy tale. He first came in a jobber to Braun Strowman and soon, his popularity sky-rocketed in the wrestling universe. Though he is a veteran in the wrestling business, the fans see him as a rookie that came in and took the business by storm.
After last week’s huge win over AJ Styles, Ellsworth now has the biggest match of his career on this week’s SmackDown.
He will be going up against AJ Styles for the WWE championship and the funny fact is, the man he first jobbed to on WWE, Braun Strowman, didn’t even have a clear cut shot at any mid card title, a jab at Monday Night Raw maybe. Either way, the match would be one to watch out for and even if Ellsworth loses, he will win hearts.
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