The Royal Rumble turned out to be a big night for SmackDown Live. With Randy Orton heading to Wrestlemania, what can we expect this Tuesday night?
Welcome to the road to Wrestlemania, everyone. With the conclusion of the Royal Rumble this past Sunday, it is officially Wrestlemania season for both Raw and SmackDown. SmackDown Live suddenly has a whole new outlook on the horizon for many reasons. The Wyatt Family has officially been broken up after what took place in the Royal Rumble match. John Cena is the new WWE champion after defeating AJ Styles Sunday night in what was another fantastic match-up between the two. Last, but certainly not least, Randy Orton won his second Royal Rumble and will subsequently go on to the main event at Wrestlemania.
What direction will SmackDown Live head in in the coming weeks leading up to the Elimination Chamber followed by Wrestlemania a couple of months away? Wrestlemania season is always an exciting time for the WWE Universe. SmackDown Live only had two matches set for the Royal Rumble. Of course, Cena came away with the victory in the WWE Championship match, but it now appears that we have a new number one contender in the SmackDown women’s division. Naomi pulled out the victory for her team at the Rumble after pinning Alexa Bliss and defeating Mickie James and Natalya as well in the process.
This match-up will likely be announced this week and be set for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view set to take place two Sunday’s from now. Expect more matches to be announced for the chamber this week, as it is right around the corner. Now that we are all caught up on the action, let’s get into the predictions for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
WWE.com
John Cena Promo
Well, it is official. John Cena has at last tied the all-time record for world title reigns in WWE. After winning his 16th championship at the Royal Rumble this past Sunday, Cena has joined the likes of Ric Flair at the very top. This is a long time coming for Cena, as he has not held a world title since 2014 where he won it at the annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view. He had to defeat the phenomenal one, AJ Styles in order to do so. Styles, a man who had beaten Cena a total of three times in 2016.
They may choose to open the show with Cena on Tuesday night and perhaps have Orton come out after. After all, this is Cena we are talking about here. He will come out in an attempt to hype up the crowd. Will he be greeted with boos or perhaps a “you deserve it” chant? Cena will likely call out the field for the elimination chamber. My prediction is that he will be joined in the ring by a large group of superstars who are all looking to vie for his WWE Championship.
WWE.com
Randy Orton Addresses WWE Universe
To much of the WWE Universe’s surprise on Sunday night, it was Randy Orton coming away with his second Royal Rumble victory in his illustrious career. It was nearly the last two members of the Wyatt Family left standing, however, Bray Wyatt was eliminated by Roman Reigns just prior to Orton finishing him off. Orton will likely enter his top heel form for at least a few weeks as we still await to see who he will face in the main event at Wrestlemania.
As for this week, expect he and Wyatt to address Orton’s impressive victory. It may end up being Wyatt as opposed to Cena he faces at Wrestlemania. Orton will likely now be left out of the Elimination Chamber match, which is to be contested two weeks from now. I believe Orton will interrupt Cena as he celebrates his victory during the show as mentioned in the previous slide. This should certainly be an interesting segment, to say the least. Now, we move onto the Elimination Chamber.
WWE.com
Elimination Chamber Qualifying
The WWE Universe is bustling over who will now enter the Elimination Chamber at the SmackDown Live exclusive pay-per-view. Questions as to who exactly will be a participant. I believe Shane McMahon will have qualifying matches this Tuesday night to see who it is that will enter the chamber match. If it was not already a certainty, it is now; Cena will be in the chamber match defending his 16th WWE Title reign. AJ Styles will certainly be in there and most likely not have to qualify.
I could see a scenario where Dolph Ziggler qualifies by defeating Apollo Crews, further setting up their rivalry. These two have been feuding over the past couple of weeks. As for the three other participants, they are still up in the air, however, it should be too difficult to figure them out. Baron Corbin’s recent push will put him in the title match as well. Bray Wyatt is another that will surely be in there. Perhaps he is finally getting that push he so rightfully deserves. For the final spot in the six-man field, I could see the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose taking on The Miz once more. These two have been at each other’s throats in recent weeks.
WWE.com
Tag Team No. 1 Contenders Match
The SmackDown Live tag team division has seemingly been put on hold over the past couple of weeks. Since American Alpha defeated the Wyatt Family at the Wild Card Finals on the last episode of 2016, we have not seen much action from any team. Now that the rumble is in the review mirror, they will need to fill out the rest of the card for Elimination Chamber. It is time for the Usos to be given a proper shot at the tag team championships on SmackDown Live. They, after all, seem like the only team at the moment who can stand a chance against the champions.
How will SmackDown Live figure out the new number one contenders? Perhaps, they will just pick a team. Perhaps, The Revival will make their long awaited debut on the main roster. We saw Tye Dillinger get called up for the rumble, so maybe he is not the only one. SmackDown is in need of another top contender in the tag team division with the absence of the Hype Bros after Zack Ryder’s unfortunate injury, which he suffered a few weeks ago. Regardless, I would anticipate the Usos getting their shot here.
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