WWE SmackDown is on the road to WrestleMania 41, where Cody Rhodes will defend his WWE Title against Elimination Chamber Winner John Cena, Tiffany Stratton will defend her WWE Title against Royal Rumble Winner Charlotte Flair, Gunther will defend his World Title against Royal Rumble Winner Jey Uso, and Iyo Sky will defend her World Title against Rhea Ripley and Elimination Chamber Winner Bianca Belair. This week on SmackDown, three matches have been officially scheduled: Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes, Charlotte Flair vs. B-Fab, and DIY (c) vs. Street Profits for the WWE Tag Titles.
In other news regarding WWE SmackDown, Cody Rhodes, the WWE Champion, is scheduled to be on Miz TV to discuss John Cena's heel turn at Elimination Chamber. Since Cena has been gone since Elimination Chamber, Cody Rhodes has had repetitive promos, and the storyline has not progressed. Hopefully, Miz, who has a ton of history with John Cena, can spice things up for the story before Cena appears on Raw next week to explain his actions. Without further ado, it's time to kick things off with these WWE SmackDown Predictions, starting with Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes,
Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes [Exhibition Match]
Randy Orton should have a fantastic match with Carmelo Hayes as long as they are given the time to produce said match. He must win here since this is Orton's return match, and he needs momentum before his rumored main event level WrestleMania match with Kevin Owens. Hayes is quite directionless on the road to Mania, and his best bet is competing for the U.S. Title if he's included in anything on the Mania card. With the work Hayes has been putting in, he deserves to be a champion. Nonetheless, KO will likely attack Orton after the match to make the WrestleMania Match official.
Prediction: Randy Orton
Charlotte Flair vs. B-Fab [Exhibition Match]
B-Fab should learn a lot from being in the ring with Charlotte Flair, as this could be a solid rub for her in her singles career. However, based on the track record of Charlotte's matches with up-and-coming talent, that might be too much to anticipate. Charlotte will inevitably win this match to continue her momentum to her World Title Match against Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania. Like Hayes, B-Fab is directionless on the road to Mania, and her best bet would be either competing for the U.S. Title around Chelsea Green's waist or competing for the Undisputed Tag Titles with her ally, Michin.
Prediction: Charlotte Flair
DIY (c) vs. Street Profits [WWE Tag Titles]
DIY have been fun tag team champs, and they feel like a big red target with the likes of Pretty Deadly, MCMG, and Street Profits chasing them at every corner. However, It seems that Profits attacked DIY at the Rumble because DIY attacked Profits backstage months ago, hindering them from capitalizing on their tag title opportunity against MCMG. The dynamics between these two teams is much more personal. Profits have not been tag champs since 2022. It would be better to save their moment for Mania, but WWE is insistent on booking title changes before Mania, so the spree can continue.
Prediction: Street Profits
Confirmed Match Card & Segments for 03/14 WWE SmackDown:
- Cody Rhodes on Miz TV
- Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes
- Charlotte Flair vs. B-Fab
- DIY (c) vs. Street Profits for the Tag Titles
- The Rock Return?
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