'%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)
WWE has a few big plans for its brands during the current global pandemic, and the NXT TakeOver: In Your House was one of the events the company had planned along with the upcoming WWE Backlash event.
At TakeOver, WWE managed to surprise fans with some great matches that saw NXT get a brand new NXT Women’s Champion, while the men managed to keep their titles during the show. Finn Balor took down Damian Priest, but Tommaso Ciampa was not lucky enough to get revenge on Karrion Kross.
Last week’s RAW saw the rivalry between Nia Jax and Asuka intensify to a whole new degree, while Bobby Lashley also managed to get his hands on WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre.
Trending
SmackDown had some great matches and segments planned as they worked on the final for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament by allowing Drew Gulak to pick up an upset victory. The biggest surprise of the night came as Bayley and Sasha Banks became the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after defeating Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.
With so much going on in WWE in recent times, let's take look at 5 things that must happen on this week’s episodes of WWE RAW, NXT, and SmackDown before Backlash.
#5 Angel Garza gets a big match for WWE Backlash
A few weeks ago on RAW, Apollo Crews shocked the WWE Universe by pinning Andrade to win the United States Championship. Andrade had won the title from Rey Mysterio back in December and held the title for 150 days before losing it to Crews.
Last week, Apollo was once again able to pin Andrade during a tag team match to pick up the victory for himself and Kevin Owens.
Now that Andrade seems to be on a downtrend, RAW must look at Angel Garza who is the other member of Andrade and Zelina Vega’s heel team. This week, the company must book a match between Apollo and another Superstar that should end with Apollo winning before Garza comes out to attack the new Champion.
WWE is building some new Superstars in recent months
This should lead to a challenge by Apollo for Garza for a match at WWE Backlash for a shot at the United States Championship. Apollo has been proving himself to be a fighting Champion, while Garza looks like the next big thing in the company.
A match between the two men at the pay-per-view will allow them more exposure and give them a chance to compete against the more prominent Superstars of WWE.
#4 Randy Orton attacks Christian
Christian will return to Monday Night RAW this week for an episode of The Peep Show, along with his best friend and former tag team partner, Edge. The two men have a long history together in WWE and managed to take the world of wrestling by storm as a tag team.
Edge is scheduled to take on Randy Orton at WWE Backlash as the two men will have a rematch from WrestleMania 36 where The Rated-R Superstar defeated The Viper.
While we can expect a lot of things to go down during The Peep Show, one thing WWE must allow The Viper to do is appear and attack Christian to once again send a loud and clear message to Edge.
Randy Orton has been one of WWE's most cunning heels
Orton attacked those who were close to Edge before their match at WrestleMania, and The Viper should continue to do the same ahead of their match at Backlash. This will allow WWE to continue the rivalry with the same intensity and give the two veterans another major point to fight about to keep their rivalry relevant and impactful.
#3 Timothy Thatcher hunts down the NXT North American Champion
Timothy Thatcher’s debut was one of the most impressive ones we’ve seen in NXT history. The hard-hitting Superstar arrived on the Black & Gold brand and immediately teamed up with Matt Riddle to defend the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships.
However, his betrayal was what cost Riddle the NXT Tag Team Championships, and their rivalry ended with a big Fight Pit match where he made Riddle pass out.
Now that Riddle has moved to WWE SmackDown, Thatcher will be looking for a new babyface to take down on NXT and become a big name on the Black & Gold brand. One Superstar that Thatcher could feud with is Keith Lee. Thatcher could maybe target The Limitless One backstage.
The WWE NXT North American Championship picture has been great in recent months
This would immediately allow Lee to get into another rivalry for the NXT North American Championship following his match against Johnny Gargano and give Thatcher a chance to pick up another title early into his career.
Lee is someone who could give Thatcher the right rub and a chance to showcase his skills even more, and a loss to Thatcher will not hurt Lee’s value in any case. WWE seems to hold Lee in high regard, and we could see him switch brands soon.
#2 Rhea Ripley arrives on SmackDown
Rhea Ripley has been one of WWE NXT’s most consistent performers over the past year and won the WarGames and Survivor Series matches for her team in 2019 before winning the NXT Women’s Championship.
However, her loss against the 2020 Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair dented her value, and a loss at NXT TakeOver: In Your House has further affected her standing in the Black & Gold brand.
While these losses may have taken a toll on The Nightmare, she is still a former NXT UK and NXT Women’s Champion, and is one of the most promising young female Superstars working in the company.
WWE SmackDown could be the perfect brand for the babyface Ripley
Ripley seems to have achieved a lot in very little time, and we could see her switch brands soon. Rumors were circulating that Io Shirai could move to SmackDown in the coming weeks, but her NXT Women’s Championship victory will ensure she remains on NXT for some time.
This could allow WWE to make a big move as they must debut The Nightmare on SmackDown this week and have her enter the SmackDown Women’s Championship picture soon.
Ripley has been one of WWE’s most refined Superstars, and with SmackDown looking to build the babyface side of its women’s division, Ripley’s inclusion could end up being crucial.
#1 AJ Styles wins the Intercontinental Championship
WWE SmackDown has gone through a lot of cosmetic changes in the past few months. We have a new Universal Champion, new rivalries for the top titles, and we now have the likes of AJ Styles and Matt Riddle on the Blue brand.
Styles has managed to work his way into the Intercontinental Championship Tournament and even talked his way into the finals of the tournament. His opponent, on the other hand, believed that it was the right thing to fight for a chance to get to the finals, and we will now watch Styles take on Daniel Bryan for the title this week on SmackDown.
Styles suffered a loss at the hands of Bryan’s mentor Drew Gulak last week, and the former WWE Champion will likely come back harder at Bryan on this week’s show.
The Former WWE Champion could do more with the title
While Bryan has all the momentum behind him, WWE must allow Styles to win the Intercontinental Championship using some heelish tactics. In case you have any doubts regarding Styles' value, check out our video looking back at his amazing career.
This could allow the company to increase the value of the Championship after a few ordinary reigns in recent months, and also give Gulak a chance to challenge Styles for the title in the coming weeks and possibly end up winning it.
