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Okay, so we had much higher expectations from RAW last night and it, unfortunately, didn't deliver, to put it nicely. The main issue was that they made an announcement teasing a big announcement that didn't actually turn out to be an announcement at all!
This understandably frustrated fans and RAW felt like every other episode. With that said, this preview isn't about RAW, it's about SmackDown Live. The 2-hour exciting show with an interesting and consistent direction.
And we can't talk about SmackDown without talking about TLC. What a night it was for the women! For the first time ever, there was a Women's TLC match and it main evented the PPV. The shocking finish saw RAW Women's Champ Ronda Rousey come out and cost Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair the match, leaving Asuka to grab the title and win the championship.
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That was by far the biggest highlight but so much more happened. We're off to a fresh start with the end of the year coming. Here's what you need to look forward to in the coming episode of SmackDown Live.
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Who can stop The Bar?
The Bar took on The Usos and The New Day in a defence of their SmackDown Tag Team Championships. It was the match that not only represented the best tag teams on SmackDown Live, but the best tag teams in all of WWE.
Through some extremely smart tactics, The Bar won, which means that both other teams contending for the title again makes no sense now. It's time for some new teams to make a challenge and there's no better time for the return of Gallows & Anderson to challenge for the titles.
The Good Brothers have been far too underutilized on the blue brand and they can generate a lot of interest by challenging for the titles.
What's next for AJ Styles?
AJ Styles was unsuccessful in his attempt at recapturing the WWE Championship. It's going to be odd going forward seeing him without the title around his waist because for over 365 days, he held the title and defended it with honour.
He had an absolutely incredible match with Daniel Bryan at TLC that will be looked fondly upon in retrospect. That is, for everyone but Styles himself. Bryan didn't use any dirty tactics to win, he simply used his veteran ring awareness and presence to roll-up Styles in the right time and win.
With Styles now out of the title picture, it'll be the first time since October that he won't be in the main event picture. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a good time for Styles to announce his entry to the Royal Rumble. He debuted at the Royal Rumble in 2016 and for the two years after that, defended his title in it. He'll be a favourite to win if he does enter.
The era of the Empress begins
It's incredible to think of the kind of year that Asuka has had. She began the year with her undefeated streak still intact and won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble. Her undefeated streak came to an end at WrestleMania 34 in an excellent match and after moving to SmackDown Live, she didn't seem to do all that much.
She was in contention for the Women's title when Carmella was champion, but lost on both attempts thanks to sneaky tactics by Carmella and James Ellsworth (the less said about him the better).
She's now ended the year main eventing a PPV (which means she main evented and won in the first and last PPV of 2018). If you followed NXT, you know what a dominant champion she was. It's going to be interesting to see how her reign as SmackDown Women's Champion plays out.
Will she get all her momentum back with the title win?
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair's TLC fallout
TLC was not a good night for The Man. She may very well have retained the title (though there's no real way of knowing that), but while she was on top of the ladder battling with Charlotte Flair, the RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey came out and shoved the ladder, pushing them both down in the process.
This is what helped Asuka win the title and with Rousey as a target, both Becky Lynch and Charlotte have a common enemy. Becky Lynch is likely going to immediately set her sights on Asuka, while Charlotte on the other hand, may announce that she wants to move to RAW to take on Rousey.
Most likely, it's going to be a request that will be granted, but Charlotte has to be careful about what she wishes for. It's going to be interesting to see Becky Lynch and Charlotte's response to the TLC fiasco.
Daniel Bryan sets his sights on a new challenge
Daniel Bryan somehow managed to escape the clutch of defeat and narrowly get one over AJ Styles. With his clean win over Styles, it means that the rivalry is officially behind him. When one challenger goes to the back of the line, that means that a new challenger will emerge.
Tonight on SmackDown Live, we'll most likely be getting to know Daniel Bryan's next WWE title challenger. Whether it's a superstar who confronts him or an earned spot after a No. 1 contenders match, the entire male SmackDown roster will have their eyes on Bryan.
Will The Miz be the one to come out and challenge Bryan for the title? They did tease an alliance a while ago but The Miz seems too obsessed and occupied with Shane McMahon and the World Cup trophy.
Then again, The Miz could also turn face and challenge Bryan. That would be a huge twist in the whole story. What could happen? Tune in to Sportskeeda to follow our live coverage of SmackDown Live tonight!
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