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SmackDown is only hours away and the build to Crown Jewel should be in full swing this week. Make sure you tune in to FS1 and not FOX this Friday Night as the World Series will be airing on FOX.
With that out of the way, let's look at what you can potentially expect this week and run through the match card. There's a lot to look forward to on this episode, and a lot of it has already been advertised, presumably to get people to tune in to FS1.
SmackDown's viewership hasn't been the strongest in recent times and one would expect that before a show that's as big as Crown Jewel, the brand will want to put its best foot forward to create the best impact. With that in mind, here's a preview of what you can expect on the show this week.
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Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you're looking forward to, ladies and gentlemen.
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#5 Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez to come face-to-face
Cain Velasquez would make an unadvertised appearance on RAW and stand up for his cornerman and close friend, Rey Mysterio when he was being bullied. Now he will come face to face with the WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, as the two men enter the ring ahead of their big match at WWE Crown Jewel.
Expect this to be very physical indeed and I have a feeling that it's going to result in the whole locker room emptying out to separate the two men from one another. I doubt that one man will get the better of the other in this case, to keep us interested in how the match at the pay-per-view will play out. Maybe we can see a few shoot punches too?
#4 The Firefly Fun House returns to SmackDown
We all assumed that the Firefly Fun House was going away when it got burned down on RAW. Many rumors saw the light of day and it was presumed that FOX does not care for the Firefly Fun House which is why it will make an exit for the time being. But as we learned not long ago, The Firefly Fun House will be making a return to SmackDown on FOX.
This is a great way to build a feud between two men who are currently on two different brands. I wonder if it means that Seth Rollins will invade the Firefly Fun House again because it would be weird for him to not take the fight to The Fiend once again, now that he knows where the Firefly Fun House is. If there is no physical altercation at all between the two men before their eventual showdown at Crown Jewel, I wonder if people will even be interested in seeing them clash.
Remember how the two men were booed out of the building when they met at Hell in a Cell, with the crowd in attendance chanting for the competition?
#3 Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair appear on Miz TV
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair will come face to face with their teams by their side ahead of their massive clash at Crown Jewel. They will appear on Miz TV, with a host who wasn't considered by either team to be a viable member, whom we know and love as The Miz.
Now there are many mini rivalries between the members of the teams and we can assume that all hell will break loose during the course of the segment. Miz TV is not known to be the most peaceful segment in any case and there's no better advertisement for a match that has very little at stake than an all-out brawl.
We all know that Baron Corbin is at odds with both Roman Reigns and Shorty G, which should make things very interesting indeed when the two teams square off. I also wonder, as is the case with so much stuff that WWE does, if these altercations will lead to a mini-match ahead of the mega one at Crown Jewel.
And what role will The Miz play when the two teams go at it?
#2 Mandy Rose in action against Nikki Cross
Nikki Cross won a match last week that guarantees her a shot at SmackDown Women's Champion, Bayley, somewhere down the line. This week, she has her hands full as she takes on God's Greatest Creation, Mandy Rose in a singles exhibition match. The two women will want to make the best impression on the blue brand, especially because it can be a whole new reboot for their careers.
One has to be wary of the fact that Mandy Rose will probably have Sonya Deville at ringside to watch her back at all times. Alexa Bliss will also be present in all likelihood because even though they aren't tag team Champions anymore, one has to assume that Nikki Cross will want some backup as well. We also need to look out for Bayley because she's embraced her heel side and with Sasha Banks by her side, she will look to cause chaos.
While Nikki Cross is the clear favorite to win the match, Mandy Rose has all the tools to be the face of SmackDown on FOX, as we all know. So don't be surprised if there's an upset along the way.
#1 The New Day will take on Roode and Ziggler
Honestly speaking, it's a little sad to see a match like this on SmackDown but we'll accept it for what it is, at this point in time. The official proclamation is that ahead of the largest tag team turmoil match in history at WWE Crown Jewel, Kofi Kingston will team up with Big E to take on Dolph Ziggler and the glorious Robert Roode.
But if you read between the lines, it is an indication that Kofi Kingston will no longer be the same level of Superstar that he was. He will be stuck in the mid-card for the time being, and be a part of the tag team division, while Brock Lesnar gets all of the gold and glory.
Moreover, Xavier Woods will not be a part of this match owing to the fact that he sustained a crippling injury recently that has ruled him out for at least 9 months. But looking at the positives, this should be a great match between two great teams.
And at the end of the day, sometimes you just want some good pro wrestling action!
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