WWE SmackDown preview: Unexpected challenges, new title feud on the cards? (December 20, 2019)

Following a decent TLC pay-per-view, we are gearing up for another episode of Friday Night SmackDown.

From the Blue brand’s side of things, the recently concluded PPV saw the SmackDown Tag Team Championship successfully defended by The New Day while ‘King’ Baron Corbin defeated Roman Reigns once again. Daniel Bryan returned to his old self and attacked Bray Wyatt during the latter’s singles match with The Miz.

This week, some of the ongoing rivalries will look to add a couple of new layers, while other Superstars get engaged in new rivalries. In this article, we will take a look at what might transpire in tonight’s episode of SmackDown. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

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#1 Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura challenge The New Day in a non-title match

Unexpected challenges for Kofi Kingston and Big E?

After retaining their SmackDown Tag Team Championship at TLC, The New Day are now set to welcome a new challenge in the form of Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, who will be accompanied by Sami Zayn.

The two teams have met before and it was Kofi Kingston and Big E who picked up the win back then.

Hence, tonight the Intercontinental Champion and the Swiss Cyborg will look to establish themselves as serious contenders for the Tag Team gold on the Blue brand. Needless to say, Zayn's presence will be an advantage for the challengers and he will play a crucial role in earning them a shot at the Championship.

Additionally, The Revival will also look to have their presence felt by assaulting the New Day. We have seen Kofi Kingston standing up to Baron Corbin and we are already aware of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder’s loyalty towards the King.

#2 A rematch between Bayley and Dane Brooke

A new title feud for Bayley?

Recently, Dana Brooke formed an alliance with Elias who had a special song for Bayley. It is not difficult to guess that the SmackDown Women’s Champion was not pleased with her gift and later that night, she engaged in a singles match with Brooke.

Bayley won that match and tonight, Brooke will look to avenge her loss in a non-title fight. Bayley was previously engaged in a Championship feud with Lacey Evans, with Sasha Banks being a huge part of it. However, the latter is busy recording a rap which may have put this budding rivalry on hold.

Earlier, when Bayley congratulated Brooke for ‘stepping up’, it looked like this would be a one-off encounter. However, a week later, Brooke took to Twitter and challenged the Champion once again but Bayley, despite agreeing to the rematch, wasn’t too keen on putting her title on the line.

Will this turn into a Championship feud? Or will Evans interfere and reinitiate her rivalry with Bayley?

#3 What’s next for Daniel Bryan and The Fiend?

Daniel Bryan has a score to settle with The Fiend

At TLC, we saw Bray Wyatt being attacked by Daniel Bryan, who underwent a transformation to return to his old self. The undisputed winner of the #10yearchallenge returned with the ‘Yes!’ movement and is now set to engage in a brutal Championship rivalry with The Fiend.

It doesn’t look like The Miz will be making an appearance but he might return soon. In that case, we could see him playing an important role in their feud once again.

The Fiend’s storyline with The Miz has received a lot of positive feedback from the fans. It would be interesting to see if WWE decides to engage all these three men in a compelling feud or if they prioritize one rivalry over the other.

Tonight, we can expect Bryan to come out and address both his transformation and The Fiend. He might be interrupted by the latter, but whether it will be in the ring or via the Firefly Fun House remains unknown.

Is it possible that we will see Bray Wyatt coming to the ring and not ‘The Fiend’? It remains to be seen.