When:
United States: LIVE, Tuesday Night, August 23, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Wednesday Morning, August 24, at 1AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, CT
SmackDown preview, Aug. 23, 2016: AJ Styles to address the WWE Universe tonight on SmackDown Live
In the wake of SummerSlam, will The Phenomenal One address John Cena'a post match actions? Plus, who will step up to challenge WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose and can the Women's division handle the SmackDown Live debut of Nikki Bella?
How will SmackDown Live rebound from Brock Lesnar’s SummerSlam onslaught?
At SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar not only executed a hellacious assault on Randy Orton, the crown jewel of SmackDown Live, but he also hit the F-5 on Commissioner Shane McMahon.
Now, Shane-O-Mac and The Viper are pretty tough and there is little doubt that they will be back. Nevertheless, have the actions of The Beast Incarnate caused a shockwave that could dismantle Team Blue’s momentum in their friendly competition against Raw? For that matter, will Shane still perceive that competition as friendly after suffering such a painful attack? His Tweet on Monday indicates a definitive no, as he stated in no uncertain terms that Brock had crossed the line. And though his sister and Raw counterpart Stephanie McMahon agreed and said there will be repercussions, it only seems logical that the damage may have already been done and an ultra-competitive guy like Shane may be ready to turn things up a notch.
So the real question is: what will Team Blue do to regain its edge en route to its first solo pay-per-view, Backlash, set for Sept. 11?
Who is coming after Dean Ambrose’s WWE World Title?
In an all-out explosive showdown, WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose successfully defended WWE’s most coveted title against a very game Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam. So, this Tuesday, just who will be gunning for that target on the back of The Lunatic Fringe?
You can’t count out Ziggler just yet. After all, The Showoff truly brought his game to a whole new level and he could definitely return for more after coming so close. Then again, his defeat might allow other hungry Superstars to step up to the plate (as Seth Rollins discovered on Raw). Perhaps we’ll see SummerSlam victors, such as AJ Styles or Intercontinental Champion The Miz?
Could a desperate Heath Slater come out of left field and try to goad the detached titleholder into a match to try and finally secure him a contract? That notion is almost as scary as Bray Wyatt, who has attempted to drop a shroud of darkness over both Ambrose and The Showoff in recent weeks. Or will The New Face of Fear be focused on internal matters, after he dropped Erick Rowan’s mask when his disciple was defeated by the WWE World Champion one week ago?
AJ Styles addresses WWE Universe as fans wonder whether Cena has given up
As stunning as John Cena’s loss to AJ Styles was at SummerSlam, it was what happened moments after that which has social media going absolutely crazy. After pondering a moment in the center of the ring, The Leader of the Cenation left his “Never Give Up” wristband on the canvas and walked away.
Not to add to the Twitter hysteria, but we kind of want to know, too. What could this all mean? Could it just be self-acknowledgement that Cena came up short against The Phenomenal One in a contest that both competitors agreed would determine the true “Face that Runs the Place”? Or might it be something much more? Could Cena have somehow made a decision in that moment to give it all up? Has SmackDown Live lost its favorite 15-time World Champion?
Perhaps we will have our answer tonight when AJ Styles, the very same Superstar who overcame Cena at SummerSlam, will addresses the WWE Universe at 8/7 C on USA Network!
Will Nikki Bella take over?
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of SummerSlam was when Nikki Bella returned from her longstanding neck injury to win the 6-Women Tag Team Match and join the SmackDown Live roster!
Later in a WWE.com Exclusive video, the former champion made it clear that she has big plans for Team Blue. Her victory at The Biggest Event of the Summer has already provided a reminder of just how dangerous she can and will be to have on Tuesday nights. But with her brother-in-law Daniel Bryan already teasing the creation of new SmackDown championships and her fellow competitors calling for the creation of a SmackDown Women’s Title, you can bet the Tuesday night's newest Superstar will only add fuel to that fire.
Don't miss when Nikki Bella makes her SmackDown Live debut tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network.
The Usos just put American Alpha and the Tag Team division on notice
With everything that happened at SummerSlam, one must not overlook the controversial ending during Kickoff’s 12-Man Tag Team Match. After weeks of up-and-coming American Alpha seizing the SmackDown Live spotlight, Jey Uso tagged himself into the SummerSlam melee and effectively stole the victory from teammates Chad Gable & Jason Jordan.
Evidentially, it was time for the two-time WWE Tag Team Champions and the longest-tenured tag team on Tuesday nights to remind their fellow competitors what “Uso Crazy” is all about … and American Alpha was clearly not happy about it.
With all the fireworks, how much longer can GM Daniel Bryan continue to tease a possible SmackDown Tag Team Championship before the entire field of tantrums burns the whole place down? It all begins with SmackDown Live Pre-Show, tonight at 7:30, across all digital platforms.
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