The rat race between Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live will continue this week. SmackDown is clearly playing the chase game to Raw as they are finding it hard to keep up with the quality product that Raw is putting together. SmackDown is mainly riding on the Dolph Ziggler factor as of now but they have sown seeds with AJ Styles and John Cena and it’s almost guaranteed to bear fruits.
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Also read: WWE Smackdown Result for 9th August, 2016
There are a few interesting angles worth tuning into this week on SmackDown and in this list; we are going to list them down. With that said, here is the complete preview for this week’s SmackDown live.
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Hottest free agent in the business
Heath Slater has been an entertaining character after not being drafted. Every week, he comes out and delivers a good segment where he speaks to everyone about why he should be hired. And as WWE has built up SmackDown as the land of opportunities, last week, Daniel Bryan gave Heath Slater an opportunity to get signed by the blue brand.
All Slater had to do was defeat Rhyno in a match this week. It is a simple booking, but it is an effective one. On paper, it’s just two mid card superstars, but the stakes here make this match worth watching for the fans.
All Red Everything
Eva Marie has been attracting attention ever since she was drafted to SmackDown. She drove everyone crazy with her over the top entrance on the first SmackDown after the brand split but what everyone wanted to see was her in-ring improvement. Last week, she was supposed to make it happen but due to an ‘apparent’ leg injury, Eva was not able to compete.
The fact that Eva’s injury being a script is clear and it would be interesting if WWE starts treating this as a gimmick for her. Eva already has a good amount of heat on her and a gimmick like this would do her wonders.
Taking the next step?
The battle lines between AJ Styles and John Cena were drawn last week on Raw and WWE has booked a date between them for SummerSlam. Now, WWE will be responsible for building up the storyline with segments. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows is no longer alongside AJ Styles, meaning that the angle needs to be driven solely by the talent of Styles and Cena.
As WWE has already gone through a similar path during the first Cena – Styles encounter, they will have to step up their uniqueness value if they have to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
Bray and his intentions
Last week’s SmackDown saw Bray Wyatt joining hands with Eric Rowan once again. The reunion of Rowan and Bray is a good thing for both parties and at the same time, WWE is also letting Bray chase the WWE championship. The 'eater of the worlds' suffered a defeat against Dolph Ziggler last week but he got a strong booking nevertheless.
Now what Bray has his eyes rooted to the prize, he will go to any limits to get that. Ziggler and Ambrose might be in the WWE championship scene but Bray’s eyes will be all over them throughout their journey.
The transition of Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose is the top guy on SmackDown, period. The more this fact gets into our mind the more change Ambrose undergoes. He started showing shades of transition last week and it is bound to continue this week around. On the other hand, Dolph Ziggler is also there with a pressure to deliver and the contrasting needs of both characters make the match compelling.
After what happened in the main event last week, SmackDown might get to see a tag team match involving Ziggler, Ambrose, Bray and Rowan, this also provides WWE with a great platform to take the story forward.
