When:
United States: LIVE, Tuesday Night, October 18, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Wednesday Morning, October 19, at 1AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
WWE SmackDown LIVE Preview, Oct. 18, 2016: AJ Styles battles James Ellsworth for the WWE World Title tonight
SmackDown LIVE once again sets itself apart from Monday Night Raw, as James Allsworth gets an opportunity against AJ Styles for WWE’s most illustrious prize.
Could James Ellsworth become the next WWE World Champion?
Tonight, SmackDown LIVE features an extremely unusual WWE World Championship Match. As first announced last Tuesday on Talking Smack by General Manager Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles must defend his coveted title against … James Ellsworth? Yes, you read that right. Last week, with a little help from special guest referee Dean Ambrose and two Dirty Deeds, the virtually unknown competitor (who isn’t even signed to Team Blue) was able to pin the reigning titleholder. Now he finds himself the No. 1 contender to “The Champ that Runs the Camp.”
As an irate Styles has promised to take matters in his own hands, Ellsworth might consider running for Parts Unknown as fast as humanly possible. Then again, could The Lunatic Fringe be unhinged enough to involve himself again and help make Ellsworth the next WWE World Champion? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network.
What will be the fallout if Naomi beats Alexa Bliss again?
It turns out that Alexa Bliss, the current No. 1 contender to SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, will have to wait until SmackDown LIVE in Glasglow, Scotland Nov. 8 to get her title opportunity against The Irish Lass Kicker. In the meantime, though, the fiery competitor seems to have her hands full with other matters.
At No Mercy, Bliss lost an impromptu showdown against a very game Naomi. The glowing competitor then beat Carmella last week on SmackDown LIVE. So, naturally, when Alexa opted to brag that she could beat Naomi anywhere/any time, General Manager Daniel Bryan decided to make it happen tonight.
This begs the question, though: If Naomi manages to beat Alexa a second time, will Miss Bliss find her No. 1 contender position to Becky Lynch’s title in jeopardy?
The Lone Wolf sets his sights on The Real American
K, Baron Corbin is dangerous, and there’s no certainly no denying that if he targets a given Superstar, he had better watch his back. However, does that apply to someone whose back is already being watched by “We the People”?
In the wake of a controversial ending to their pay-per-view showdown Oct. 9, Jack Swagger and Baron Corbin will go head-to-head tonight in a No Mercy rematch! Will there be anything left of the ring, or either Superstar, when they’re through?
Can Orton repel the power of The Wyatt Family?
Boy, that happened fast. At No Mercy, Luke Harper made a surprise return and helped Bray Wyatt overcome Randy Orton. Then, last Tuesday, Wyatt & Harper somehow made Kane disappear before again downing The Viper in tag team action.
Since the inception of SmackDown LIVE, Wyatt has made it his mission to become the dominant force of Team Blue. Now, with a revitalized Luke Harper back by his side, The Wyatt Family seems virtually unstoppable. One has to wonder if Orton can find a way to neutralize this horrific threat.
Who will set themselves apart in SmackDown’s Tag Team division?
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Rhyno clearly aren’t the type to sit and wait for the action to come to them (unless there’s a healthy supply of Cheez Whiz and crackers lying around; then it’s anybody’s ball game). Case in point: Last week, “Beauty & The Man Beast” came to the rescue of Dolph Ziggler, and sent The Spirit Squad and The Miz heading for the hills. Will The A-Lister and his cheery chums have retribution on their minds this Tuesday?
It’s not like the titleholders don’t have enough on their minds to keep themselves busy. Not only does Slater have his kids to build pools for, but each and every tandem in SmackDown’s Tag Team division is currently clamoring to make themselves stand out from the pack. The Usos and American Alpha continued to battle it out last week, as Jey helped Jimmy steal the win over Chad Gable. The Ascension has clearly set their sights on the Hype Bros. We would even say Breezeango is also a threat – except, last we checked, Fandango seems to have completely disappeared.
Who will step up to eventually become the No. 1 contenders to the SmackDown Tag Team Championship? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network, with SmackDown Pre-Show beginning at 7:30 ET on all of WWE’s digital platforms.
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