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We are all set for this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown. So far, three segments have been confirmed for the show. Roman Reigns is set to sign a contract for his upcoming title match. The Intercontinental Champion Big E will make his return to the Blue brand. Kevin Owens will also be back with his talk show that will host two interesting guests.
In this article, we will take a look at things that can transpire on WWE SmackDown later tonight.
#1 Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan meet for contract signing on WWE SmackDown
Last week on WWE SmackDown, Daniel Bryan defeated Jey Uso in a brutal Steel Cage match to earn a title opportunity. He is now set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the upcoming pay-per-view, Fastlane. The two Superstars previously faced each other for the title last month at Elimination Chamber.
Daniel Bryan felt that the champion had an unfair advantage in their last match. He called out Reigns for always taking the easy way out, and that did not sit well with The Tribal Chief. Soon, we saw Bryan involved in a brawl with Reigns and Jey Uso on WWE SmackDown, which eventually ended with Bryan inching closer to a championship opportunity.
Reigns had asked Jey Uso to ‘finish the job’ inside the ring, but the latter couldn’t get the better of his opponent. Bryan finally has a title match, and Uso might have to bear the consequences for losing on WWE SmackDown last week. But before that, Reigns will once again rely on his consultant Paul Heyman to add a favorable clause or two ahead of tonight’s contract signing.
As has been the case in all of Roman Reigns’ previous contract signings on WWE SmackDown, the champion is expected to play his final card. He might get an exciting stipulation added to the title bout. He could even delay the contract signing to add more to Bryan’s frustration with Reigns and his entourage.
We could also see Bryan, Reigns, and Uso involved in another physical altercation during this segment on WWE SmackDown. It will be interesting to see if Edge will also make an appearance. The Rated-R Superstar chose to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania and now has a vested interest in the latter’s Fastlane match.
#2 Big E set to return on WWE SmackDown
Last month on WWE SmackDown, Apollo Crews brutally attacked Big E, and the Intercontinental Champion was forced to leave the ThunderDome on a stretcher. Following that, Big E missed the show for a couple of weeks, but he is now set to return to the Blue brand later tonight. There is a lot for him to address upon his return, and he will likely start with Crews.
This attack on Big E cemented Crews as a heel on WWE SmackDown. During the champion’s absence, Crews also adopted the gimmick of a 'Nigerian Prince' and demanded the roster respect his position. He believes that he can get his hands on the title, but Big E has already defeated him on several occasions in the past.
That said, Big E would want to avenge the attack on him, and we could soon see both these Superstars fighting for the title on WWE SmackDown. Shinsuke Nakamura has also been involved in the IC title scene recently. It will be interesting to see if the creative is planning to build towards a triple-threat match at Fastlane scheduled for later this month.
#3 Kevin Owens to host Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair on WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, and her WrestleMania challenger Bianca Belair, are set to make an appearance on the Kevin Owens show tonight. Before these two Superstars prepare for their title match at The Grandest Stage of Them All, they have to team up for a match at Fastlane.
Banks and Belair are scheduled to challenge Nia Jax and Shanya Baszler for the women’s tag team titles at the upcoming pay-per-view. Kevin Owens will help the fans take a better look at the current equation shared between Banks and Belair. Everything was fine until last week when Belair and Baszler battled in a singles match.
Banks was present at ringside, and Reginald decided to follow the champion. His distraction almost cost Belair the match, but she managed to pin Baszler. Even though Belair picked a victory, she blamed Banks and her relationship with Reginald for the momentary distraction.
Both Superstars would want to clear the air tonight on WWE SmackDown. However, we also expect Jax and Baszler to make an appearance. Interestingly, Reginald joined them on RAW this week after being fired by Carmella on the previous episode of WWE SmackDown. Considering all these factors, we are looking forward to a good segment that can help build-up two storylines simultaneously.
#4 Cesaro extends his feud with Seth Rollins on WWE SmackDown
Cesaro is currently enjoying a good run on WWE SmackDown. Several fans expected that he could be the next Superstar to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Unfortunately, that did not happen, but Cesaro has found himself involved in a rivalry with Seth Rollins. The latter had attacked Cesaro following his return to the Blue brand, and the two have been feuding ever since.
Last week on WWE SmackDown, we saw Cesaro defeat Murphy in a singles match to send a strong message to Rollins. Interestingly, Murphy had gone up to Rollins earlier that night and asked for an opportunity to rekindle their ‘Messiah-Disciple’ relationship. This certainly left the fans confused as everyone wondered about his equation with Aalyah and the entire Mysterio family.
Rollins did not accept this proposal, but he still took notice of Cesaro’s victory. The two Superstars are close in real life and they could have a great long-term feud on WWE SmackDown. Cesaro will look to make Rollins pay for his actions while the latter will once again try to convince a fellow Superstars to ‘follow his path’. We might see this turn into a WrestleMania feud in the coming weeks.
#5 Who will be the next challengers for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships?
The WWE SmackDown Tag Team division was rather quiet until recently. The last few weeks have seen Rey and Dominik Mysterio compete exclusively as a tag team. We also saw Chad Gable and Otis confirm their heel turn following their attack on the Mysterio family. The Street Profits are not involved in a particular feud, but they will always pose a threat to the champions.
The creative might want to bring new teams into the title picture. Thus, we could see Otis and Gable face Rey and Dominik Mysterio to get a shot at the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Even Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode might get back inside the ring to engage in a match that will help identify their next challengers.
We even saw Sami Zayn discussing a potential alliance with King Corbin. Unfortunately for him, the latter was not in favor of the idea and made his intentions clear on WWE SmackDown last week. The new teams have opened rooms for new feuds, and hopefully, we will soon see the tag team titles at the center of an exciting rivalry.
