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WWE SmackDown kicked off its road to WrestleMania 39 with a bang. The blue brand had less fallout to deal with from Royal Rumble 2023, and so began the journey to the Show of Shows in a somewhat tamer fashion.
Women's Rumble winner Rhea Ripley is yet to show up to kickstart her program with SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. Meanwhile, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns can't focus his attention on Cody Rhodes and their battle in Hollywood yet as he still has a huge Sami Zayn problem to deal with.
Elimination Chamber 2023 is the final roadblock on the Road to WrestleMania 39, and in the aftermath of Montreal, SmackDown should finally be firing on all cylinders.
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What will this mean for the blue brand? What will the Friday Night Show have in store as it progresses towards WWE's flagship show?
Here are four predictions for WWE SmackDown's road to WrestleMania 39:
#4. A beastly dream match for Gunther?
WWE SmackDown star and Intercontinental Champion Gunther can do no wrong at the moment. Amidst a stellar reign spanning more than 240 days and subsequent classic battles, The Ring General's latest act of prestige is his legendary 71-minute Royal Rumble performance. The leader of Imperium is riding high, but he still has no clear path to WrestleMania 39 as yet.
Rumors of a potential Triple Threat match against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus have been met with quite a bit of excitement since it would be a guaranteed slobber knocker. However, there is one Gunther match fans are most excited to see, him battling Brock Lesnar.
The Beast Incarnate is busy with Bobby Lashley until Elimination Chamber, but afterward, fans can imagine him storming onto SmackDown and starting a fight with Gunther.
After the staredown at Rumble and the hype it generated, WWE would want to capitalize on fans' desire to see the two behemoths clash!
#3. The Judgment Day is traded to WWE SmackDown after Elimination Chamber 2023
Judgment Day is one of the hottest acts going on Monday Night RAW, having gelled nicely in recent months after a shaky beginning. The foursome has really hit its stride and is said to be the favorite of the creative powers that be. On the road to WrestleMania 39, however, destiny seems to be pulling them towards WWE SmackDown.
For starters, Rhea Ripley used her Royal Rumble win to challenge SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair instead of RAW's Bianca Belair. Dominik Mysterio's most compelling foe is his father, Rey, who only recently joined the Friday show and is unlikely to move back to RAW.
What's to stop the entire faction from switching brands, especially if Damian Priest fails to capture the RAW-based United States Title at Elimination Chamber 2023?
#2. Dominik Mysterio finally pushes his father too far on WWE SmackDown
Speaking of Judgment Day, Dominik Mysterio has a lot of unfinished family business awaiting him on WWE SmackDown. The second-generation star has been semi-actively feuding with his father since his shocking betrayal at Clash at the Castle, much to the fans' amusement.
Besides his provocations in the Mysterio household at Thanksgiving and Christmas, Dom recently found himself on the losing end of a NASCAR race against his father, much to his chagrin.
The potential father-son WrestleMania 39 duel between the Mysterios feels inevitable, as it has been consistently teased in segments and even at the Royal Rumble.
With Rey Mysterio having left RAW "to avoid fighting his boy," Dom will most likely bring the fight to him on WWE SmackDown. We can't wait to see what Dominik does that finally convinces Rey to snap and fight back against his flesh and blood.
#1. Jey Uso swerves everybody to change Sami Zayn's WrestleMania 39 destiny
Jey Uso left the entire WWE Universe perplexed as to what his mindset was after the dramatic events that unfolded at Royal Rumble 2023. The Right-Hand Man refused to partake in the savage attack on Sami Zayn, painting a picture of an extremely conflicted person torn between two loyalties.
He was conspicuous by his absence on WWE SmackDown that followed, causing Roman Reigns a fair amount of worry. His status for The Usos' title defense tonight was up in the air until the last moment, and his standing in The Bloodline is still unclear.
Just as he came through for his brother, Jey may play a pivotal part in saving Roman Reigns by betraying Zayn at Elimination Chamber 2023 despite Reigns' orders to stay home. This will set up Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos at Wrestlemania 39 to finally end the saga. It will also set up a post-WrestleMania story about Jey freeing himself from Reigns' control once and for all.
Main Event Jey will be incredibly crucial to The Bloodline and WWE SmackDown's future heading into the Show of Shows.
What do you think will happen in the upcoming weeks on SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
