When:
United States: LIVE, Tuesday Night, January 17, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Wednesday Morning, January 18, at 12AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
FedExForum
Memphis, TN
SmackDown preview, Jan. 17, 2017: Alexa Bliss battles Becky Lynch in the first SmackDown Women’s Title Steel Cage Match
Brace yourself, as The Wicked Witch of WWE and The Irish Lass Kicker prepare to make history in a SmackDown Women’s Championship Steel Cage Match! Plus, the blue brand kicks off with a huge announcement from SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon and the return of "King's Court" with WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler.
Historic SmackDown Women’s Championship Steel Cage Match announced
Amid continued interference by a mysterious La Luchadora (and, at times, Las Luchadoras, plural) during recent matches involving SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch, The Irish Lass Kicker made the current titleholder tap out. As a result, SmackDown LIVE General Manager Daniel Bryan has announced that Bliss will defend the SmackDown Women’s Title against Lynch tonight, and to avoid any outside interference, it will take place within the confines of a Steel Cage!
History will truly be made as a Women’s Championship has never before been decided in a Steel Cage Match on Team Blue. Will Bliss be able to withstand the straight fire of Lynch with nowhere to run? Or will WWE’s Wicked Witch fend off her No. 1 contender yet again?
Find out tonight on SmackDown LIVE at 8/7 C on USA Network!
Shane to kick off SmackDown LIVE with a huge announcement
WWE.com has learned that Commissioner Shane McMahon will open SmackDown LIVE this week with some very big news. Under the leadership of Shane-O-Mac and General Manager Daniel Bryan, Team Blue has simply thrived. Although we are not sure what he has to say, the announcement will no doubt take SmackDown LIVE to the next level. Is it possible that the man in charge has something up his sleeve for the Royal Rumble? Which Superstar, or Superstars, will the big news concern? Tune in tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network to find out.
Will Ziggler keep his cool as "King's Court" returns hosted by Jerry "The King" Lawler?
Maybe it has something to do with Royal Rumble being on the horizon. Regardless, several Superstars have been on an absolute rampage as of late. Perhaps none have exhibited such a quick fuse as Dolph Ziggler. Though his newly adopted aggression did not prevent him from losing to Kalisto last week, Ziggler’s brutal post-match chair assault on the masked Superstar and Apollo Crews did end up yielding him a spot in the Royal Rumble Match.
Tonight, as announced on his Twitter account, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler will hold "King's Court," with Ziggler as his special guest. The return of the talk show is a huge get for SmackDown LIVE. But will The Showoff be able to quell his new-found agression in the pressense of royalty?
Internal turmoil threatens the future of The Wyatt Family
One week ago on SmackDown LIVE, a mishap between Luke Harper and Randy Orton allowed SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha to successfully defend their titles against The Wyatt Family.
After the match, Bray Wyatt fell into the crossfire as he was forced to separate Harper and Orton. He then walked out on them both. Will the Wyatts find a way to pick up the pieces and reassert themselves as one of the most dangerous groups in WWE? Or is this simply the beginning of the end?
Can The Miz rejoin the A-list?
Last week, Dean Ambrose refused The Miz’s demand that he surrender the Intercontinental Championship back to him on the Ambrose Asylum, before laying out The A-Lister with Dirty Deeds.
A man without a title, the question now becomes, how will The Miz recover from the humiliation he continues to suffer at the hands of The Lunatic Fringe? Will he insist on his contractually obligated title rematch? Will he play more mind games with the unpredictable titleholder, perhaps once again bringing Ambrose’s girlfriend, Renee Young, into the picture?
If there is one thing as dangerous as the unpredictable Ambrose, it’s Miz when he is backed into a corner.
What will result from Carmella taking Ellsworth on a shopping spree?
Though Ellsworth didn’t get a kiss from Carmella last week as he had hoped, she did agree to take him on a shopping spree. We don’t know about you, but we are dying to see how the chinless Superstar comes back from their outing.
Is it possible that he will have a whole new look? Or at least a good lunch from the mall food court? Speaking of the pair, what exactly is the nature of the relationship between Ellsworth and The Princess of Staten Island anyway?
