The Wild Card Finals are here. SmackDown Live has put together a stellar match card for their last show of the year.
2016 is nearing a close and SmackDown Live has a card you cannot miss this Tuesday night. Both General Manager, Daniel Bryan and Commissioner, Shane McMahon have decided to make this week’s episode of SmackDown Live one for the ages. Three title matches will be contested this Tuesday. Some never before seen match-ups will take place. These matches will include the WWE World Championship match between champion, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin; the SmackDown Women’s Championship match between current champion, Alexa Bliss and former champion, Becky Lynch.
The card will also feature a four corners elimination match for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship. The Wyatt Family will defend against the likes of American Alpha, the Usos and former champions, Rhyno and Heath Slater. The card is certainly stacked and ready for this Tuesday night. Perhaps, to top things off, John Cena will be making his much-anticipated return to WWE after last appearing at NO Mercy in October. It is a show, which has pay-per-view written all over it. Will some new champions be crowned on this night?
With all that is occurring on SmackDown Live this week, is there anything else we can expect for this tremendous card? Could we see an Intercontinental Championship match? Will there be some surprise returns even? We will all have to wait and see what happens as SmackDown Live continues to compete for ratings against Monday Night Raw. Here are my predictions for SmackDown Live this week. Enjoy a great show.
WWE.com
WWE Championship Match
The WWE Championship match will now be contested under triple threat rules this Tuesday night, as Baron Corbin was added to the match last week after AJ Styles interfered with his and Dolph Ziggler’s match. I for one am glad this is now a triple threat match. Everyone knows triple threat matches are better than singles match-ups. Ziggler had put his championship opportunity on the line last week as he faced Corbin. With the match-up ultimately ending in a double count out, GM Daniel Bryan elected to make this a triple threat match, much to the dismay of the champion, Styles.
I predict another successful championship defense for the Phenomenal One here. Both Ziggler and Corbin do not appear to fit the mold of what SmackDown Live is trying to do at the moment. This will also be an opportunity for Styles to legitimize his title reign once more after multiple victories where he took the easy way out to win against Dean Ambrose. Styles is such a polarizing figure at the moment for WWE, it seems odd to take the title away from him as we head towards the Royal Rumble next month. Expect Styles to steal a victory away from either Ziggler or Corbin here.
WWE.com
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss will face off once more to decide who is the top woman on SmackDown Live. The last time these two faced “each other,” Bliss took the count out loss to retain her title after she tweaked her knee. Last week, Bliss took on La Luchadora, which was to not many’s surprise, in fact, a masked Lynch. Lynch essentially toyed with Bliss for the entirety of the match-up. She eventually got bliss into her patented Dis-Arm-Her as Bliss began to tap out. This left fans wondering why Lynch doesn’t wrestle like this all the time.
I believe Lynch will come away with the victory this Tuesday night at the Wild Card Finals. With Raw already having Charlotte become a four-time Women’s Champion, Lynch will need to catch up. If Bliss is to come away with the victory, it will surely not be in pure fashion, especially after what happened last week. Bliss will still be owed a rematch if she is to lose, so this rivalry can continue for another few weeks. Having Lynch as the champion is the best thing for SmackDown Live at the moment.
WWE.com
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Finally, WWE will have a four corners elimination match for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships. Dare I say thank you? When it comes to tag team wrestling, there are no better matches than the four-way elimination ones. It is how New Day initially won their second tag team championships back in 2015. After Zack Ryder suffered an injury, the number one contenders, the Hype Bros are unable to compete. Now, the Wyatt Family will take on the best SmackDown Live has to offer. They along with American Alpha, the Usos and Rhyno and Heath Slater will all meet inside the ring. Who is the best tag team on SmackDown Live?
It seems likely that the Wyatt Family will retain their titles this Tuesday night. Luke Harper will likely get himself involved in the match-up, which will help aid in their victory. The Wyatt Family did not just win the tag team titles to lose them a few weeks later. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton are here to stay and wreak havoc for SmackDown tag teams. Rhyno and Heath Slater will likely be the first to go as they continue to trip over themselves as a tag team followed by the Usos. An American Alpha and Wyatt Family feud is what will be needed at the current time for SmackDown Live. Having Harper interfere will help further this rivalry for the next few months.
Courtesy WWE.com
John Cena’s Return
Last, but not least, SmackDown Live this Tuesday night will feature the long-awaited return of the 15-time world champion, John Cena. Having Cena back on the show will open so many doors of possibility for Team Blue. In what way will they incorporate Cena into the show this week? Fans have not seen Cena since No Mercy when he was defeated by AJ Styles in a triple threat match with Dean Ambrose.
I find it hard to believe that SmackDown will host three title matches this Tuesday night and leave out the Intercontinental Championship. With the Miz constantly displeasing the SmackDown General Manager, I could certainly see Miz being put in yet another championship match. Perhaps, this time against Cena. One of the best things SmackDown can do for the IC title right now is to make Cena champion.
With Cena as champion, they could then have him do an Intercontinental Championship open every week, much like he did for the United States Championship back in 2015. It would be a great opportunity to not only build on the prestige of the title, but to also have other’s be able to showcase their skills in the ring with one of the best of all time in Cena. It personally seems like a win-win to me. Having him defeat a heel such as Miz could also regain some of his popularity among the WWE Universe. The Miz is certainly not the most well-liked of the WWE Superstars.
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