Royal Rumble turned out to be eventful for SmackDown Live. One of their roster members went on to win the Rumble match when the show also saw the crowning of a new WWE Champion. The wins that Randy Orton and John Cena earned were the major talking points of the show and due to this, SmackDown will have some interesting things to offer.
The fallout of what happened in the Rumble will be the biggest plot driver this week. Apart from this, WWE will have to steer some attention towards Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania as well. With that said, here are some things that we could expect from this week's SmackDown.
#5 The mid card scenario
SmackDown’s midcard had a strong showing in the Rumble. Baron Corbin, in particular, shined bright and indicates that he is in for a push in the coming weeks. Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose got overshadowed in the mix and getting him a better booking should be a priority for WWE.
Elsewhere, Miz also needs a new storyline. The elimination chamber qualifiers or something related to the match could be a motive when booking the SmackDown mid card this week around. Coming up with new storylines for the tag team division is another area that WWE could focus on. American Alpha has cooled down considerably and needs a boost before WrestleMania.
#4 Cena’s record
John Cena levelled Ric Flair’s record after getting a win over AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble. The newly crowned WWE champion has a lot of momentum and responsibility on his shoulders after what went down on Sunday night.
As Shane McMahon had announced earlier, the WWE Championship will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber and Cena will have his work cut ou for him now that he is the champ. Styles will be campaigning for the rematch as well, meaning that some major decisions will have to be made on Tuesday night.
Anyways, WWE now has the possibility of letting Cena beat Flair's record, which will be another major storyline.
#3 Sorting the Women’s division
The Women's division of SmackDown was thrown into a make shift match at the Royal Rumble. Considering how packed Rumble was, it made sense to include the women in such a situation. WWE, however, needs to be put back under the limelight once again. WWE has announced a tag team for tonight, pitting the team of Alexa Bliss and Mickie James against Becky Lynch and Naomi. This would be Mickie James’ main roster in-ring return.
It has a new found momentum thanks to the return of Mickie James and WWE should look to cash in on the same, rather than letting it fizzle out. The likes of Natalya and Nikki Bella could also be put to good use when building storylines. Mickie, as mentioned earlier, should get special attention considering the momentum that she has.
#2 Harper turns
The Wyatt Family was a force to reckon with in the Royal Rumble match, despite the friction that existed between the teammates. While the Orton - Harper feud was pushed by WWE, Harper turning on Bray Wyatt was something that no one saw coming.
With Harper out of the picture and Orton winning the Royal Rumble, the association of Orton and Bray could go either way. But the future of Harper needs to be solved. There is also a possibility of WWE adding a new member to the family since Harper is out. A surprise name from NXT would be apt.
#1 The Rumble winner
One of the biggest surprises of Royal Rumble proved to be the win of Randy Orton. In a Rumble which was jam packed with huge names all of whom are capable of getting wins, Orton came out on top and made every jaw drop.
Orton earning a title shot has opened up a wide range of possibilities to the WWE. A feud between Orton and Bray could be in the pipeline from what we have seen so far. Either way, Orton will have some messages to deliver to his fans and the roster as he is now in a great position to do so.
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