5 things WWE subtly told us on SmackDown after Royal Rumble

Last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured the fallout from Royal Rumble 2025. The show ended with Solo Sikoa making his return and attacking Cody Rhodes once again.

Additionally, the show featured a significant development regarding Elimination Chamber 2025.

In this article, we will discuss five key possibilities WWE subtly hinted toward on SmackDown following Royal Rumble 2025:

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#5. Rivalry between Solo Sikoa & Cody Rhodes renewed for Elimination Chamber 2025?

Solo Sikoa’s return and attack on Cody Rhodes seemingly implied that their feud had been reignited.

With Elimination Chamber 2025 as the next premium live event for the Stamford-based promotion, this angle seems to allude to a potential showdown between the two at the PLE. Interestingly Solo Sikoa has had two title shots against The American Nightmare, where the latter picked up the victory on each occasion.

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#4. Cody Rhodes vs Jey Uso possibly isn't happening anytime soon

Jey Uso is the winner of the Men's Royal Rumble 2025 and has the option to choose either Cody Rhodes or Gunther as his WrestleMania opponent. During last week’s SmackDown, Jey and Rhodes had a confrontation that ended with an interruption by Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga.

Later Rhodes and Uso teamed up to fight the duo of The Samoan Werewolf and Tama Tonga in the main event of the night. In a shocking turn of events, Solo Sikoa returned to attack Cody Rhodes right after the latter had picked up the victory and was about to celebrate.

These developments subtly hint that a match between the YEET Master and the Undisputed WWE Champion isn’t happening anytime soon. Instead, the OG Bloodline member is likely to choose Gunther as his WrestleMania 41 opponent.

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#3. Alexa Bliss could join The Wyatt Sicks soon on SmackDown

Alexa Bliss clashed with Candice LeRae in a singles bout on the latest episode of SmackDown, where the victor would qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber Match. The Goddess picked up the victory, securing her spot in the PLE.

Interestingly, during the bout a Wyatt Sicks glitch appeared, subtly hinting at Alexa’s potential association with the faction. Even if she doesn’t officially join the Uncle Howdy-led group, they will almost certainly be involved in her storyline in the coming weeks.

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#2. Charlotte Flair is back as a heel character

Charlotte Flair cut a promo on SmackDown this week, which seems to indicate that she was fully adopting her role as a heel. After the Royal Rumble, The Queen delivered an impassioned promo on WWE RAW, similar to Jey Uso's, but it obtained a negative reaction from the crowd.

Based on that reaction, it seems the Stamford-based promotion has decided to turn her into a villain again, and her recent promo on SmackDown serves as a subtle confirmation of this shift.

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#1. Sami Zayn might miss WWE Elimination Chamber 2025

Kevin Owens brutally struck Sami Zayn on RAW after Royal Rumble, even delivering a Package Piledriver to him. However, during this week's SmackDown, the commentary team confirmed that Sami was out indefinitely due to the vicious attack. This announcement seems to subtly confirm that Zayn might miss WWE Elimination Chamber 2025.

If WWE intends to set up a Sami vs. KO match for the upcoming PLE, the seeds for that storyline might be planted on this week’s show, rather than declaring Zayn’s hiatus from WWE for an indefinite period.