After Shane McMahon made a couple of historic announcements regarding the Money In The Bank Ladder Match last Tuesday, we resume the build-up to the pay-per-view with earnest on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live!
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Shinsuke Nakamura was announced as one of the competitors in the MITB Ladder Match, much to the delight of the audience and the chagrin of one Kevin Owens... who basically flies off the handle at anything that isn’t about him, really.
This week, though, he has a chance to vent his anger on Nakamura as he takes on The Artist in singles competition.
Yet another tiff between the men involved in the Ladder match sees AJ Styles go one on one with Dolph Ziggler again, with the Show-off no doubt keen to keep his momentum going after his victory over Styles last week. But as we well know, AJ Styles is no pushover.
And how will the testy relationships between the Superstars competing in the first ever all-Woman MITB Ladder match hold up when they square off in tag team action on Tuesday?
Running through all these points and more, here is our preview for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live!
#1 Each to her own
The Welcoming Committee, despite each of its member’s personal designs towards the Title, has managed to stand firmer than the makeshift team formed by Charlotte, Becky and the SmackDown Live! Women’s Champion, Naomi.
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And the last time these six women faced off in Tag Team competition, it clearly showed.
Will the team of Charlotte, Becky and Naomi put aside their differences and function better as a unit this week? Or will the Welcoming Committee, flanked by James Ellsworth, manage to keep their momentum ticking over and hand the babyfaces another morale-damaging loss?
Regardless of what happens, though, every Superstar who is out there would have realised that come Money In The Bank, it’s each woman for herself.
#2 Revenge from the Underground
Baron Corbin’s efforts to earn himself a larger share of the spotlight and importance on SmackDown Live! seems to have hit a roadblock of late, what with Sami Zayn doubling up on his win at BackLash with a quick roll-up victory the following week too.
The Lone Wolf, however, doesn’t do roadblocks.
He promptly laid waste to Zayn in a feral attack but if he thought that was the last he’s seen of the Underdog from the Underground, he could be direly mistaken. Win, lose or draw, grievously injured or fit as a whistle, Sami Zayn’s allure lies in the fact that he just doesn’t give up. He just keeps coming.
We’re not sure if Baron Corbin knows that yet, but something tells me that he will after this week’s episode of SmackDown Live!
#3 It’s a New Day... yes it is!
After losing the Raw Tag Team Titles, the New Day hasn’t been seen wrestling on television for almost two months... but all that’s about to change as the cheerful trio announced that they would be taking on The Usos at Money in the Bank for the SmackDown Tag straps.
Having made their much-anticipated debut on the Blue Brand last week, what antics will the New Day be up to this Tuesday? More importantly, will their fun-filled exploits rub The Usos the wrong way?
The Usos have taken an important turn in their careers, rejecting their colourful former personas and adopting a much more serious outlook – a move that has proven successful thus far, as the Tag Team Championships around their waists would attest.
Can they, however, manage to resist the Power of Positivity?
#4 AJ Vs Zigler part 2
AJ Styles suffered a stinging defeat to Dolph Ziggler last week, but with home-court advantage on his side this time around, will the outcome be any different?
It was a perfect riposte from Ziggler, though, after losing to Shinsuke Nakamura at Backlash. And The Show Off would be keen to inflict yet another defeat on the former WWE Champion to keep building himself back up before the all-important Ladder match at Money in the Bank.
Styles, however, would be keen for redemption.
Never one to take defeat lying down, AJ Styles didn’t earn his moniker of being ‘Phenomenal’ by just letting Superstars prop up their confidence off him. Expect him to come out all guns blazing as he takes to the mat against the experienced Ziggler on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live!
#5 The Artist or the Face of America?
Kevin Owens is, perhaps, the loudest, most entitled and most annoying Superstar on the SmackDown Live! roster today.
But even for one second, do not confuse his flaws with ineptitude in the ring. Time and again, Kevin Owens has proven that he is one of the most formidable Superstars in the WWE.
His trophy cabinet of just two short years in the main roster speaks volumes about his ability to rise to the occasion and get the job done. He will, however, need to call upon all his tact and guile to deal with the phenomenon known as Shinsuke Nakamura.
The Artist has already claimed successive moral victories over Owens’ by defeating him in Tag Team action in the past couple of weeks and would be eager to prove that he can do so one on one too.
The US Champion, no doubt, would beg to differ. Either way... something has to give.
Get ready for a humdinger of a contest on SmackDown Live!
