Now that Elimination Chamber is in the books, SmackDown has completely shifted their focus to WrestleMania.
Last week’s show was a huge indication of the same and WWE lined up a string of new storylines with huge implications. The major talking point was indeed the big announcement made by Randy Orton regarding his WrestleMania title shot.
Orton decided not to take the shot at Bray Wyatt despite winning the Royal Rumble match and this has left WWE in search of a new contender for the WWE champion. This and much more would be on showcase this week on SmackDown Live this week and in this preview, we are going to take a look at them one by one.
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Two big feuds are also expected to begin on SmackDown Live: Nikki Bella & John Cena against The Miz & Maryse, and AJ Styles against Shane McMahon.
#5 Falls count anywhere
Nikki Bella and Natalya will be featured in a Falls Count Anywhere match this week on SmackDown and it looks all set to be the final chapter in their on-going storyline. The problems between Natalya and Nikki date long back and it is not a surprise that WWE has stretched the story out so far.
Both Nikki and Natalya are senior members of the Women’s division and with the Total Divas connection that they share; the feud does make a lot of sense. The stipulation that WWE has given makes the match more interesting and at the same time, it elevates the match to a certain extent.
It’s a good platform for the women and hopefully, they will make good use of it.
#4 The Women’s division scenario
While Nikki Bella and Natalya will be going head to head, in the other part of the Women’s Division, WWE has two stories to tell.
The friction between Mickie James and Becky Lynch is far from over whereas Naomi and Alexa Bliss also have unfinished business to handle. The chances of these two storylines overlapping are high.
Naomi is yet to settle down as the champion and it would be up to the creative team to present her with proper chances so that she can shine. Mickie seems to be slowing down as well and she needs a boost this week on SmackDown just like Naomi.
#3 Building up Corbin
Baron Corbin attacked Dean Ambrose last week on SmackDown. The attack was probably WWE’s idea of setting up the feud between Corbin and Ambrose. It comes in at a perfect time for both the Superstars as they were on the losing side at Elimination chamber.
Ambrose needed a new challenger for the Intercontinental title and Corbin presents a solid challenge for him.
It was about time that WWE started investing some time in the Intercontinental championship scene. Elevating Corbin has been one of the main missions for WWE for a long time and heading into WrestleMania, being around the Intercontinental title scene is a big step up for him.
#2 Future of main eventers?
Bray Wyatt got the better of John Cena and AJ Styles last week. The eater of worlds managed to keep the gold around his waist and to top it off; Randy Orton mentioned that he will not be cashing in his opportunity to face Bray at WrestleMania for the title. These two results have left the fans with a lot of questions.
The future of AJ Styles, John Cena, and Randy Orton is the biggest concern among them all. In the next slide, we will be seeing a potential match which could impact this, but then again, in all likelihood, it is only going to impact one of these three names.
WWE will have to sort this situation out and come up with new storylines for the other two. We might get a better picture about the whole thing this week on SmackDown.
#1 The Battle Royal
As mentioned in the last slide, a huge match has been booked for this week’s SmackDown. The Tuesday night show will host a battle royal to determine the new number one contender for Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania and it could go any way.
The shadow of Randy Orton will be all over the match whereas the likes of John Cena and AJ Styles will be coming in as favourites.
Apart from determining a new contender, WWE could also build subplots with such a match as it involves Superstars from different parts of the roster. If they want, WWE could also come up with a big surprise for the fans and call up someone from NXT.
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