When:
United States: LIVE, Tuesday Night, January 3, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Wednesday Morning, January 4, at 12AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Jacksonville, FL
SmackDown LIVE preview, Jan. 3, 2016: Don’t miss AJ Styles and John Cena’s WWE Title Match contract signing this Tuesday
On the first SmackDown LIVE of 2017, WWE Champion AJ Styles and John Cena will make their Royal Rumble showdown official. Plus The Miz puts his Intercontinental Title on the line against Dean Ambrose.
Don’t miss AJ Styles and John Cena’s WWE Title Match contract signing this Tuesday
Last week, John Cena returned to SmackDown LIVE to issue a Royal Rumble WWE Championship Match challenge. After AJ Styles overcame Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin in a brutal Triple Threat main event to keep his illustrious title, a handshake between the two longstanding adversaries solidified that “The Champ That Runs the Camp” will once again square off against the leader of the Cenation on the Jan. 29 pay-per-view.
This Tuesday, Styles and Cena will ring in the new year with the official contract signing for the epic showdown. Considering the tumultuous history between the competitors, not to mention that of contract signings in general, there’s a better chance that James Ellsworth will win a beauty contest than of things ending peacefully. Translation: You won’t want to miss a second of the action.
The Miz to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose
The first SmackDown LIVE of 2017 just got a marquee matchup, as The Miz will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose.
The Superstars’ rivalry intensified on the Dec. 20 edition of SmackDown LIVE as The A-Lister went out of his way to bring Ambrose’s girlfriend and SmackDown LIVE announce Renee Young into their beef. Matters exploded this past week when Ambrose looked to get a measure of retribution with a surprise attack backstage.
Will The Lunatic Fringe be able to take The Miz’s coveted Intercontinental Championship as well? Or, will The A-Lister’s mind games pay off and carry on with the Intercontinental Championship Reunion Tour? Find out Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network on SmackDown LIVE!
Ziggler scheduled to square off against Corbin one-on-one
Speaking of Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, it appears the two tough-as-nails Superstars did not get enough of each other in last week’s WWE Championship Triple Threat Match. As first announced on Twitter, they will square off one-on-one this Tuesday night. Both athletes are out to prove themselves, though for different reasons. Can The Showoff possibly withstand another vicious assault by the hungry Lone Wolf?
Target: American Alpha
On the final SmackDown LIVE of 2016, American Alpha captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in an explosive Four Corners Elimination Match. But with no shortage of contenders, how long will Chad Gable & Jason Jordan be able to hold on to those titles?
It’s a safe bet (although, “safe” is perhaps the wrong word) that The Wyatt Family will be out to wreak havoc on the new champions and position themselves to take back the titles. Yet, after the post-match friction witnessed between Randy Orton and Luke Harper, there is no guarantee that internal turmoil won’t derail the Wyatts’ pursuit. Perhaps The Usos, who have no love for American Alpha, will smell blood in the water and leap to the forefront of tag team contention. Or, could another SmackDown tandem that’s thirsty for the championship gold strike?
American Alpha wanted to be the best. All we have to say is, be careful what you wish for.
Who is the mysterious La Luchadora?
Two weeks ago on SmackDown LIVE, a masked La Luchadora scored a non-title victory over SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, only to reveal herself as Becky Lynch. Last week, however, La Luchadora returned while Becky in the ring battling Alexa for the title, effectively costing The Irish Lass Kicker the match.
Find out if the identity of the new masked disruptor will be revealed this Tuesday at 8/7 C on USA Network.
