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We are all set for the first episode of WWE SmackDown after Hell in a Cell 2020, which took place last Sunday. At the PPV, two titles from the blue brand were contested inside the monstrous structure. While Roman Reigns successfully managed to retain his Universal Championship, Bayley couldn’t retain her title.
Her historic title reign came to an end after Sasha Banks won their epic battle to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship. Now that HIAC is in the history books, the promotion is set to turn its attention towards the next PPV, Survivor Series.
In this article, we will take a look at things that can unfold on WWE SmackDown this week. Hence, without further ado, let’s begin.
#1 Roman Reigns looks beyond Jey Uso on WWE SmackDown
At Hell in a Cell 2020, Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against Jey Uso after the latter was forced to say ‘I Quit’. Now that Reigns has established himself as the ‘Tribal Chief’ he is expected to look in the way of his next challenger on WWE SmackDown. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if WWE want to wait for a few more weeks and focus on Survivor Series instead.
Earlier this week on RAW, it was confirmed that WWE Champion Randy Orton would face Universal Champion Roman Reigns as the latter will represent WWE SmackDown at Survivor Series. The two Superstars will lock horns in a champion vs champion match at the upcoming PPV.
Despite the fact that Roman Reigns is the biggest heel on WWE SmackDown right now, it’s widely expected that he will lead the blue brand into the upcoming brand wars. However, WWE could also book him as someone who wants to win only for selfish reasons while someone like Seth Rollins or Kevin Owens is trusted with the responsibility of leading WWE SmackDown at the upcoming PPV.
We will eventually learn more in the coming weeks when both brands will start invading each other. But irrespective of his role at the Survivor Series, Roman Reigns will turn out to be one of the most important names on the match card. With four weeks to go, let’s wait to find out what’s in store for the Tribal Chief at WWE SmackDown.
#2 WWE SmackDown's Survivor Series teams to be announced
Following Hell in a Cell, RAW named three members of their Men’s Survivor Series team and all the members of their Women’s Survivor Series team ahead of the brand wars. AJ Styles, Sheamus, and Keith Lee were named in the team that would represent RAW Men’s division. On the other hand, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, and Lana. Now it’s the turn of WWE SmackDown to announce their teams.
This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown is expected to reveal most of the names that will represent the blue brand. The likes of Otis, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Seth Rollins, Murphy, Rey Mysterio, and more could be in action. The women’s division might see Superstars like Bayley, Bianca Belair and a few others teaming up ahead of the upcoming pay-per-view.
Apart from Roman Reigns vs Randy Orton, two more matches have been confirmed for Survivor Series. The Street Profits and Sasha Banks will represent WWE SmackDown as they will take on The New Day and Asuka respectively. It will be interesting to see if any title will change hands in the next four weeks.
#3 Sasha Banks addresses WWE SmackDown’s Women’s Division
Sasha Banks defeated Bayley in a brutal Hell in a Cell match to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time in her career. Although Banks is set to face Asuka at the upcoming Survivor Series PPV, it is highly unlikely that her feud with Bayley on WWE SmackDown has come to an end.
On this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, the new Women’s Champion of the blue brand is expected to address the rest of the roster. We will hopefully see some fresh bookings where Banks will have the opportunity to defend her title against Superstars other than Bayley. But the latter could still be around and may definitely pull off sinister acts to make her presence known.
A couple of hours ago, Bayley posted a picture of Instagram in which Banks is lying down, and Bayley is standing tall inside the ring. She is certainly teasing yet another altercation between these two former best friends. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for both Banks and Bayley on WWE SmackDown moving forward.
#4 Daniel Bryan eyes the Intercontinental Championship on WWE SmackDown
On the last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Kevin Owens invited Daniel Bryan as a guest on The Kevin Owens Show. He also used the opportunity to put forth an interesting proposal as he suggested that he and Bryan should team up together. KO has never won the tag team championship in WWE and wanted to see if he could have a shot at those titles alongside Bryan.
The latter denied KO’s request by merely stating that KO has always betrayed his friends. While Bryan was clear that he wasn’t keen on forming a tag team, he revealed his other exciting intentions. Bryan confirmed that he has his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship and wants the title to be represented every week on WWE SmackDown.
We all know that Sami Zayn isn’t the biggest fan of this idea and he is expected to share his response tonight. After successfully defeating AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy to become the ‘undisputed’ IC Champion on SmackDown, Zayn will be eager to find himself in well-booked storyline. Over the last few weeks, he was involved in a few altercations with Otis, but WWE are yet to turn into something significant.
#5 What’s next for Otis on WWE SmackDown
Watching Otis lose his Money in the Bank contract to Miz after he was betrayed by Tucker at Hell in a Cell left the fans with mixed feelings. Now, Otis neither has his love Mandy Rose, nor his best friend Tucker, by his side on WWE SmackDown.
With no MITB contract or tag team, Otis will now most likely enter the singles competition. While he is bound to compete for mid-card titles on WWE SmackDown eventually, it will be interesting to see his reaction after the disastrous events at Hell in a Cell. Moreover, he will now look for a few allies whom he can trust on the blue brand.
Otis is also expected to be in the team that will represent WWE SmackDown at Survivor Series. Over the course of the next few weeks, brand invasions will allow him to come face-to-face with Tucker and avenge the betrayal for the sake of the brand wars. But apart from that, will Otis once again receive the push that he got earlier this year? Let’s find out.
