In case you missed last night’s Raw preview, Andy’s gone on holiday for the week, so you don’t have to put up with his really awful sense of humor. You have to put up with mine instead. Here’s this week’s WWE SmackDown Live preview.
Only one SmackDown Live championship changed hands this past Sunday at Extreme Rules, that being the WWE United States Title. Shinsuke Nakamura beat Jeff Hardy in about six seconds after delivering a low blow before the match even started. A rematch has been announced for tonight’s show, but don’t expect it to go much, if at all, longer than Sunday’s encounter, with Hardy currently working through multiple injuries. Maybe the ‘King of Strong Style’ will deliver a low blow to get himself disqualified and retain his title.
Speaking of the United States Title, Randy Orton returned on Sunday when Nakamura was celebrating. The ‘Viper’ stared-down with the new champ for a few seconds, before turning around and stomping rather hard on poor Jeff’s nether regions. It should become more clear tonight whether this was a “heel turn,” or more just a statement of intent from the ‘Apex Predator.’ I really, really, really hope it’s a full heel turn. Now, this might seem a bit out there, but maybe we’ll get Orton vs. Shane McMahon at SummerSlam. Shane has only wrestled twice this year, and if Orton has turned heel, there aren’t really any other babyfaces for him to beat as things stand.
Also at Extreme Rules, Carmella once again retained her WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against Asuka. On top of throwing various weapons from the shark cage he was suspended in, Ellsworth managed to unlock said cage, got stuck dangling from it like a moron, and distracted Asuka; thus, allowing Carmella another dodgy victory. Expect Carmella to gloat to everyone, tell us she’s “Money,” and hopefully Becky Lynch will cut her off and set up SummerSlam‘s title match. Don’t be surprised if it’s Naomi though, they’re obsessed with her for some reason.
The Bludgeon Brothers retained their titles, too, when they defeated Team Hell No on Sunday. They (storyline) broke Kane’s ankle so he won’t be on the show tonight, meaning there’s a chance Bryan could start the build to a heavily rumored SummerSlam match against The Miz. I personally think that should be saved for the main event of WrestleMania 35, though. Possibly the Bar or SAnitY will challenge the beardy boys next, given that they’ve already beaten everyone else.
The WWE Championship is another one that didn’t change hands at Extreme Rules. Styles got the better of Rusev when Aiden English exposed the turnbuckle, only for the Bulgarian to be the one to smash his head against it. Rusev and English will probably start a feud of sorts now, maybe resulting in a match at SummerSlam (probably on the pre-show though, which makes me very sad). Samoa Joe is most likely to challenge Styles next, or possibly The Miz if they’re saving his feud with Bryan for later down the line.
The Rest
- Andrade “Cien” Almas might do something if we’re lucky
- The Miz will promote Miz and Mrs
- Byron Saxton will be irritating
- New Day will have pancakes
- Tom Phillips will make some bad jokes that no one will laugh at
- 205 Live will happen afterward, and once again be the best show of the week
Give us your bold predictions for this week SmackDown Live. What are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter here. You can also join us on Discord to chat with Oli, Luke, the magazine team, the website writers and each other here!
6 years ago by Liam Winnard
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