SmackDown Live marches on to No Mercy.
This week, SmackDown Live is going back to the old Monday Night Wars WCW style booking and giving us another pay-per-view quality main event on free television. Last week was a battle between John Cena and Dean Ambrose that saw the former Shield member go over clean. This week, it’s a WWE Championship rematch from Backlash between Ambrose and Champion AJ Styles.
.@WWE World Champion @AJStylesOrg defends the gold vs. @TheDeanAmbrose LIVE TONIGHT on #SDLive on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/WdC6VZym6d
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2016
With such a big match on tap tonight, and Monday Night RAW getting hammered in the ratings by the Presidential Debate and Monday Night Football, will this be the week that SmackDown Live passes the flagship show in viewership? My heart says yes.
Also this week it’s the Miz’s homecoming! SmackDown Live is coming from the same place he did – Cleveland, Ohio. Will the crowd be receptive to his coming home, or will they hate this temporary stop on his never-ending Intercontinental Championship world tour?
.@TheQArena in Cleveland can't wait for @MikeTheMiz's #HomecomingCelebration LIVE TONIGHT on #SDLive on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/dKKlHQcn2v
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2016
The tag team picture has become a bit clearer recently. The Usos are coming for Heath Slater & Rhyno’s titles at No Mercy, and they have a no-nonsense attitude and a penchant for destroying knees accompanying them. Will the Beauty and the Man-Beast survive their first real challenge? Or will the Usos get another run as tag team champions, this time on SmackDown?
All this, and probably more viciousness from Carmella, on the SmackDown Live review.