'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
We are all set for the final episode of WWE SmackDown this year. Despite all its flaws and challenges, the year 2020 allowed the Blue brand to deliver some of the most entertaining segments, rivalries, and twists. As a result, WWE SmackDown managed to gain everyone’s attention and produced better shows than its counterparts.
In this article, we will take a look at what can happen on WWE SmackDown this week. The episode was pre-taped, and a lot of spoilers are already out. However, we have only disclosed one of them alongside a warning.
So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens in a Steel Cage match on WWE SmackDown
Tonight, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens are set to lock horns in a Steel Cage match with the Universal Championship on the line. The two Superstars have been feuding on WWE SmackDown for over a month now. Owens took the fight to Reigns over the last few weeks as he called out the Universal Champion for being a ‘hypocrite’ and a ‘coward’.
Fast forward to TLC, both these WWE SmackDown Superstars locked horns in the most brutal match at the pay-per-view with Reigns’ Universal Championship on the line. This bout also saw an interference from Jey Uso, but Owens successfully kept him silent for the rest of the match. In the end, it was Reigns who prevailed with the help of heelish antics and a devastating low blow.
Despite losing the match, Kevin Owens managed to steal the show at the pay-per-view. The entire WWE Universe praised him for giving everything he had inside the ring and taking an enormous amount of punishment. This match in itself was convinced the fans that we will continue to see both Reigns and Owens extend their rivalry on WWE SmackDown.
In a very short span of time, Owens and Reigns managed to elevate this storyline and turn it into one of the best feuds that we have seen all year. They took extremely personal shots at each other on WWE SmackDown, including their jibes at each other’s families. Now, they are both set to finally settle this rivalry inside a monstrous steel cage.
*Warning: Spoiler ahead*
In case you have managed to avoid the spoilers for this week’s WWE SmackDown, you should not read the rest of this paragraph. According to the reports, Reigns managed to win the Steel Cage match and retain his title. It will now be interesting to see if both these Superstars will continue their feud on WWE SmackDown after this week.
#2 Big E challenges Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
Over the last few weeks, we have seen Sami Zayn and Big E involved in several backstage altercations on WWE SmackDown. This also led to a match between these Superstars, but Zayn managed to pick a sneaky victory by tricking his opponent. Big E again attacked Zayn while the latter presented the Sami Awards and were engaged in a brawl yet again.
This week on WWE SmackDown, Big E will challenge Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship. The latter is finally getting his much-awaited shot at a singles championship. The recent build-up heavily indicates towards a title change, and we could see Big E walk out with the Intercontinental Championship after this match.
Ever since Big E began his singles run in WWE, there were speculations about his future on the Blue brand. Several backstage reports suggested that Vince McMahon was keen on getting Big E to have a title run with the IC Championship before he is pushed into the main title picture. Big E will look to finally put an end to Zayn’s interesting championship reign on WWE SmackDown and mark the beginning of something new for himself.
#3 Women’s tag team titles to be defended on WWE SmackDown
As confirmed on social media, newly crowned women’s tag team champions Charlotte Flair and Asuka will make an appearance on WWE SmackDown this week. Both these Superstars will put their titles on the line in a triple-threat match against the team of Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair as well as Bayley and Carmella.
Charlotte Flair returned as Asuka’s mystery partner at TLC, and they joined forces to defeat Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the women’s tag team titles. Staying true to the purpose of the titles, it looks like Flair and Asuka are eager to defend their titles across all three brands. To make things even better, all their opponents on WWE SmackDown tonight share a long, brutal history.
Sasha Banks and Bayley are best-friends-turned-enemies following the latter’s betrayal. Banks was then attacked by Carmella who recently made her return on WWE SmackDown. Both these Superstars were then engaged in a title feud. In the meantime, Bayley was involved in a rivalry with Bianca Belair.
The pairings look quite promising ahead of this triple-threat match. Although Charlotte and Asuka are not expected to drop their titles, this match will play a key role in deciding the next direction for all the Superstars involved.
#4 Jey Uso set to face Daniel Bryan on WWE SmackDown
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Jey Uso would lock horns with Daniel Bryan on WWE SmackDown. A couple of months ago, Jey Uso snapped upon Roman Reigns’ command and viciously attacked Daniel Bryan. This led to Bryan’s absence from WWE SmackDown for a few weeks. After welcoming a newborn child in his real life, Bryan finally returned to action and sought revenge against Jey Uso.
Bryan wanted Jey Uso to pay for his actions and intended to beat him once and for all. Both Superstars then locked horns in an incredible match that allowed Bryan to avenge the beatdown he had received. At the time, it appeared that both these Superstars were done with each other, but that was not the case.
We eventually saw Jey Uso and Bryan involved in a couple of backstage altercations. Once again, they are set to face each other in the squared circle in an attempt to settle their score.
It will be interesting to see if the creative will have both these Superstars continue their feud on WWE SmackDown while Reigns is dealing with his challengers. Given that Jey Uso is one of the breakout Superstars in WWE this year, he deserves to be involved in more compelling storylines where he can gain more momentum ahead of Royal Rumble.
#5 What’s next for The Street Profits on WWE SmackDown?
Before the final WWE pay-per-view of the year, The Street Profits defeated Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode to retain their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. They put on a brilliant performance at the show and walked out as the deserving champions. Having defeated their last challengers, The Street Profits will now look for the next team that wants a shot at the gold.
As of this writing, the tag team division in WWE is evidently struggling. While there a few possible options for the creative to explore, none of the names have enough momentum on their side to emerge as the next credible challengers for the tag team titles. Instead, we could see someone like Murphy and Dominik Mysterio align forces and challenge The Street Profits for the championships on WWE SmackDown.
That said, the creative might probably want to remain patient when it comes to picking the next team that should compete for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. In the meantime, we could see The Street Profits in backstage segments and they can help entertain the fans when no there’s no match going on inside the ring.
