WWE SmackDown Preview: 20th November 2018

Is the Dragon back?
Is the Dragon back?

This is going to be an interesting one. As you're probably well-aware by now, SmackDown Live faced a crushing defeat at the hands of RAW at Survivor Series, losing in a 6-0 clean sweep (they seem to conveniently ignore the tag team Kickoff Show win for the blue brand, but moving on).

Daniel Bryan, for one, put on a valiant effort against the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. He took it to Lesnar as few had before and came seconds away from victory. Unfortunately for him, The Beast Incarnate just proved to be the better competitor on the night.

Charlotte Flair snapped after her match with Ronda Rousey. The announcers suspected that Charlotte felt she was unable to beat Rousey and in frustration, assaulted her with a kendo stick, thus ending the match in a DQ loss. However, it was the beat down after the match that shocked everyone. Charlotte Flair showcased an edge to her that had never been seen before.

However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still the WWE title change and controversial actions from Daniel Bryan last week that need to be addressed. So without looking any further, let's see what's on the cards for SmackDown Live tonight.


How will SmackDown respond to the humiliating defeat?

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We'll say it only one more time: SmackDown Live lost 6-0 to RAW. Shane McMahon and Paige are not going to be happy people and they're really going to have to sit and assess what went wrong for them.

Shane McMahon and his ego may not even be able to handle it and for all we know, it could be the moment he too snaps and brings back the old attitude...the heel turn.

What's going to be the fallout of the crushing defeat at Survivor Series?

The New Day take on The Bar and The Big Show in a Thanksgiving Feast Fight

The first-ever matchup of this stipulation
The first-ever matchup of this stipulation

The New Day won their Survivor Series match while The Bar suffered a defeat to RAW Tag Team Champions AoP in the most bizarre manner. However, they put that behind them and the two teams collide for the second time in two weeks. However, this time it's different. It's going to be a Thanksgiving Feast Fight - The first match of its kind!

Since SmackDown 1000, The Bar has clearly had The New Day's number and The Big Show has been a clear difference maker. However, The New Day isn't going to sit back and take it and are going to look to beat The Bar and Big Show to insert themselves back in the SmackDown Tag title picture heading into TLC.

Expect a lot of antics and crazy shenanigans this Thanksgiving!

Will Charlotte Flair reveal why she snapped?

Charlotte Flair assaulted Ronda Rousey on Sunday
Charlotte Flair assaulted Ronda Rousey on Sunday

This past Sunday at Survivor Series, Charlotte Flair replaced Becky Lynch in a last-minute dream match at Survivor Series. The match was intense and absolutely incredible for every minute that it went on. The two proved to be more than just even competitors and their chemistry was evident right off the bat.

However, a frustrated Charlotte Flair then ended the match by hitting Rousey with a kendo stick and DQing herself. She then assaulted Rousey and showed the attitude of hers that we haven't seen since early 2017.

It could be argued that she showed an even more ruthless side than before. It's going to be interesting to see what The Queen has to say about what happened. Did she genuinely believe she couldn't beat Rousey? What snapped in her? Let's hope Charlotte Flair explains her actions on SmackDown tonight.

What's next for Shinsuke Nakamura?

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United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura took on Seth Rollins in another dream match at Survivor Series. As expected, the two didn't disappoint and put on what can best be described as a technical masterclass.

The bout was a true display of two superstars with years of experience. From the feeling out process to keeping their distance to slowly increasing the pace, it was one of those match-ups where any of the two could win at any given time. Nakamura too came extremely close to finishing Rollins but it was a moment of genius from Rollins, who got Nakamura in the right spot to land the curb stomp, thus picking up the win.

The two clearly have respect for each other, but back on SmackDown, what's next for Nakamura? He hasn't exactly been welcoming of challengers, believing he's too good for them. Will Nakamerica come to a crashing halt?

Daniel Bryan to explain his actions from last week?

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First, let's just address the fact that Daniel Bryan put on a valiant effort against Brock Lesnar (in yet another dream match). He took Lesnar to the limit as a few have before and was extremely close to winning.

However, back to weekly television, let's go back to last week. Bryan somehow found his way into a WWE title shot and it was a great match, all until Bryan used the moment the referee was down to hit AJ Styles with a low blow. He used the distraction to land the running knee and win his fourth WWE title.

He then assaulted Styles after the match, leaving everyone to ask why he suddenly decided to change his attitude? It's been the most anticipated answer all week and tonight, the WWE Champion himself will finally address why he did what he did. What's going to be even more interesting is AJ Styles' response.


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