3 Things WWE hinted on the SmackDown before TLC (13 December 2019)

The final show before TLC is done and dusted, as the Blue brand delivered an exciting episode this week. However, no new matches were added to the pay-per-view on Sunday.

Bray Wyatt continued his mind games with The Miz, invading the home of the latter and panicking his whole family. Monroe, The Miz's daughter, was seen playing with The Firefly Fun House toys, and it certainly shocked both The Miz and Maryse. Bayley picked up an easy victory over Dana Brooke, while Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross beat The Fire & Desire.

The Revival attained momentum before heading to TLC, beating Ali and Shorty G, and The Heavy Machinery were defeated by Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. When Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler tried humiliating Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns came out to rescue, standing tall on the ladder to close the show.

Let's talk about three things WWE hinted on SmackDown this week.

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#3 The Intercontinental Championship will not be defended in a pay-per-view once again

Shinsuke Nakamura

While all the tag team titles will be on the line, none of the singles titles will be defended at TLC. WWE hinted that the Intercontinental Title will not be defended on Sunday, as Shinsuke Nakamura doesn't have any challenger. Nakamura teamed up with Cesaro to lock horns in a tag team match against The Heavy Machinery on SmackDown this week.

Winning the title at Extreme Rules, Nakamura hasn't been a fighting champion. He has been the holder of the belt for over five months, but he hasn't defended it regularly, putting a question mark on the credibility of the Intercontinental Championship.

Clash of Champions was the only pay-per-view, where Nakamura defended the Intercontinental Championship, but the belt wasn't on the line at SummerSlam, Hell in a Cell, Crown Jewel, and Survivor Series. Given there is no storyline for the Intercontinental Championship at TLC, it will skip another pay-per-view.

#2 The New Day might get involved in the match between Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin at TLC

Baron Corbin opened SmackDown this week, bragging about embarrassing Roman Reigns last week, but he was interrupted by the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The New Day. Baron Corbin took a jibe at Kofi Kingston and mocked how his WWE Championship reign ended in a few seconds against Brock Lesnar. The heated confrontation led to a singles match between the two men in the main event of the night.

The singles match ended in disqualification, leading to a tag team match between The New Day and Corbin and Ziggler, which also had the same ending. A massive brawl took place after the match, as Kofi Kingston was handcuffed in the ringside. However, Roman Reigns showed up cleaning the house and attacking both Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin.

Even though The New Day have a match at TLC, they could still get involved in the TLC match between Corbin and Reigns, considering the segment this week. The New Day might prevent Dolph Ziggler to influence the outcome of the bout, and it could allow them to have a fair fight.

#1 Dana Brooke might align with Lacey Evans in the future

Lacey Evans began a feud with Sasha Banks and Bayley after Survivor Series. Even though a myriad of fans speculated that Bayley could defend the SmackDown Women's Title against the Sassy Southern Belle at TLC, it is unlikely to happen, considering Evans was missing from the Blue Brand this week. Moreover, Sasha Banks wasn't present on SmackDown this week.

Bayley, however, had a match on SmackDown this week, as the champion faced Dana Brooke in a singles bout. It was a decent match, but Bayley didn't toil hard to earn a victory.

While Brooke was in the backstage area with Elias earlier, she was interrupted by Bayley, and the Drifter took a jibe at the SmackDown Women's Champion and her best friend Sasha Banks. Judging by the segment, Brooke might get involved in a long-term feud with Bayley and Banks.

Going forward with this storyline, Lacey Evans has certainly disadvantage in the numbers game, knowing how Bayley and Banks assaulted Evans last week. As Brooke confronted and wrestled Bayley this week, she could enter the storyline and align with the Sassy Southern Belle in the future.