WWE SmackDown Predictions: Shinsuke Nakamura Back in Action

Look at all These Matches!

There are a lot of things that generally make WWE SmackDown seem more appealing than Raw, or at very least make it easier to get behind and watch. One of those things is that it gives the impression that the authority figures take the show seriously, and actually plan things out.

As mentioned above, the first match of the night will be Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. But there’s another four matches booked for the night. SmackDown is a two hour show, folks — five matches could be the whole show! Meanwhile, a three hour Raw kicks off with nothing booked, and matches become official by yelling in a rival’s general direction.

But Brie Bella vs. Maryse, Charlotte Flair vs. Sonya Deville, R-Truth vs. Andrade Almas, and The Bar vs. Rusev Day are all taking place tonight. That last one is for a championship match against New Day at Hell in a Cell. (More on that in a bit.) The other three? All of those have roots in one of the pay per view’s feuds.

My prediction for this is that fans actually begin to take notice that SmackDown actually puts in the effort before the show starts to treat it like a real show, and will eventually demand that Raw does the same. The matches may not all be showstoppers — I don’t anticipate Maryse and Brie putting on a seven-star classic — but they’re logical extensions of the stories being told.