WWE SmackDown 5 Predictions: Say Goodbye to Rusev Day

Photo Source: WWE.com

A somewhat unexpected new challenger emerged for the WWE Championship last week. How will that affect tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live?

It was a wild episode of WWE SmackDown Live last week. In the wake of Money in the Bank, it was time for the Blue Team to regroup. Both MITB briefcases were won by Raw superstars, and almost all champions seemed to put an end to the hopes of their most recent challengers. So what would happen next?

For the WWE Championship, a gauntlet match was held to determine AJ Styles’s next challenger. Five superstars — Daniel Bryan, Big E, Samoa Joe, The Miz, and Rusev — took part, and in somewhat of an upset the Bulgarian Brute took the victory.

As for AJ’s previous challenger, Shinsuke Nakamura, he seems to have some trouble brewing with the United States Champion, Jeff Hardy. The high-flying enigma has brought back his makeup, perhaps in a bit of gamesmanship. But while Hardy says he “sees” Nakamura, the King of Strong Style says he will close Jeff’s eyes.

The only singles champion with unfinished business seems to be Carmella. Thanks to the return of James Ellsworth, Mella defeated Asuka at MITB to remain SmackDown Women’s Champion. The Empress of Tomorrow is not finished with Carmella yet, though.

And the tag team division got a bit of a shakeup last week with the long-awaited debut of SAnitY. A vicious attack on the Usos puts the entire division on notice.

Without further ado, here are five predictions for WWE SmackDown Live this week.