There is a pay-per-view feel to the next week’s episode of SmackDown Live that will emanate out of the Allstate Arena in Chicago. The card is stacked with Championship matches and a major return. It seems as if the blue brand is gearing to close out the year with a bang in its Wild Card Finals show on December 27th.
As announced earlier by Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin. The rivalry between these three men got personal last night on SmackDown Live when AJ Styles attacked both men with a steel chair during their match.
This program has thrust Corbin to the top of the card, making him a bona fide star and placing him in the same bracket as AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler.
The SmackDown Tag Team Championships will also be on the line when The Wyatt Family defend against the Usos, American Alpha and the team of Heath Slater and Rhyno. Zack Ryder’s recent knee injury has led to the booking of this match.
Ryder had picked up the win for the Hype Bros in a Battle Royal last week to compete for the tag titles but hurt his knee in the process. Ryder was reported to have ruptured a tendon thus keeping him out of action for six to eight weeks.
The Wyatts will now defend their titles against three other teams in a Four Corners Elimination Tag Team Championship Match in the Wild Card Finals episode of SmackDown Live.
In another title match, Alexa Bliss will defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against former champion Becky Lynch. This will mark another phase in their rivalry, with Becky picking up a stellar win over Alexa last night on SmackDown disguised as a masked Luchadora.
The show will also feature the return of 15-time Champion John Cena after a two-month hiatus. It would be interesting to see what the Champ has in store for the WWE Universe going into the new year.
As of this writing, there has not been any announcement about the Intercontinental Championship, but it is safe to assume that a program between the Miz and Dean Ambrose may be on the cards as well.
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