WWE SmackDown Predictions (5/22/2020): Otis will Cash in on Braun Strowman

4.) AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (w/Cesaro) [Intercontinental Championship Tourney Match]

Last week on Friday Night SmackDown, Elias defeated King Corbin to advance to the next round of the vacant Intercontinental Championship tournament. Henceforth, Elias will battle the winner of this week’s tournament match between Raw’s AJ Styles and SmackDown’s Shinsuke Nakamura.

Thanks to the Brand to Brand Invitational Rule, AJ Styles is the only Raw superstar in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. However, according to the Brand to Brand Invitational Rule, a Raw superstar is allowed to visit the SmackDown brand only 4 times for the year.

If AJ Styles advances all the way to the finals of this tournament, he will be appearing on SmackDown at least three times. If he wins the tournament, he will become Intercontinental Champion and would be forced to bring the championship to Monday Night Raw since he would be denied any more visits to Friday Night SmackDown.

Since the United States Championship is already on Raw, it would not make any sense for the other mid card title to also be on Raw. Henceforth, AJ Styles is inevitably losing this tournament but he should still be the safe pick to defeat Nakamura in the first round in what should be a neat throwback to their WWE Championship rivalry in 2018.

While Nakamura has already been Intercontinental Champion, AJ Styles has never competed for that championship yet so it would be a first for him to reach the finals of the tournament. It would put his brand to brand invitation to good use as he performs in phenomenal matches with these mid card superstars and somehow redeems himself from getting robbed at WWE MITB 2020.

Prediction: AJ Styles

3.) Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus [Intercontinental Championship Tourney Match]

Last week on Friday Night SmackDown, Daniel Bryan defeated Drew Gulak to advance to the next round of the the vacant Intercontinental Championship tournament. Henceforth, Daniel Bryan will battle the winner of this week’s tournament match between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus.

Unlike Styles and Nakamura, Hardy and Sheamus’ rivalry is current and they will finally go to war in the first round of this tournament. It is unfortunate to see either of these competitors lose in the first round, but Hardy is the safer bet to prevail against Sheamus.

With all the hype that has surfaced about Jeff Hardy’s return, he momentum has to be positive and he can’t lose in the first round. It would be a fatal booking mistake, despite Sheamus’ aspirations to become the ‘first ever’ Ultimate Grand Slam Champion, like Edge.

Prediction: Jeff Hardy