WrestleMania season is officially here. Before WrestleMania 36, WWE will be putting on their next spectacular, the WWE Super ShowDown from the International Arena at The Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Thursday, Feb. 27, streaming live on the WWE Network. Last week’s Smackdown Live gave us a few ideas where the blue brand is headed into the Saudi Arabian extravaganza.
Where will the direction of the SmackDown roster be headed into Super ShowDown? Tune in to WWE Friday Night SmackDown live from San Jose, California on FOX this Friday at 8pm EST/7pm CST to find out what is next for stars of the SmackDown brand.
What does Bray Wyatt have planned?
Bray Wyatt was absent from Smackdown Live after his brutal match at the Royal Rumble with Daniel Bryan. The Universal Champion will be appearing in the Firefly Fun house this week as announced on the last episode of SmackDown Live. Who will be next victim of The Fiend be? Will Bray Wyatt get a new Universal Championship challenger for Super ShowDown or will we see a familiar face?
- Disappeared: Kane was rumored to be the next opponent for The Fiend at the next Saudi Arabia show on February 27, 2020. Kane was also announced for the Royal Rumble and unfortunately The Big Red Machine was nowhere to be found. WWE has given no explanation on the status of Kane and why he wasn’t at the Royal Rumble as planned. It looks like this idea has been scrapped and The Fiend vs Kane will not take place.
- Legendary Return: If the rumors hold true, the legendary Sting will be making an in-ring return at Super ShowDown. At 60 years old, Sting’s best days in the ring are long behind him. Even at 60 years old, I want to see Sting again in the ring and it will be a smart decision to bring him back. Sting is one of the all-time greats and imagine the mind games and storylines that could develop with Sting challenging The Fiend on February 27, 2020.
- Round 3: Will Daniel Bryan get one more shot at his longtime rival? The leader of The Yes Movement will address the WWE Universe this week as announced on the most recent episode of SmackDown Live. I wouldn’t rule out one last match in Saudi Arabia between The Fiend and Daniel Bryan just yet.
Will Bayley feel the glow?
Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi returned at the Royal Rumble and has her sights set on getting some glow around her waist again. Naomi is a very talented performer and is a fresh match up for SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. The seeds were planted on last weeks SmackDown Live for this matchup. Where will this match take place? Will fans embrace this match up or do they have no urge to see Naomi vs Bayley anytime soon?
- Snoozer: Naomi is very talented in the ring but a match with Bayley will be a snooze fest. The individual styles of Bayley and Naomi just don’t match up and will be a sloppy and boring matchup.
- Depth: Roster depth is a crucial element to succeed in professional wrestling. The SmackDown Live women’s division has a very glaring hole in the depth of their roster. A serious influx of talent needs to happen fast for this division to succeed long term (Pay attention AEW, your women’s division needs to realize this too).
Braun Strowman finally strikes gold
Finally, Braun Strowman has won his first singles title in the WWE. Can The “Monster Among Men” make the WWE Intercontinental Championship a prestigious belt again? There is a plethora of matchups for Strowman to have a long and meaningful Intercontinental Championship run. With a successful and dominating IC title run, Strowman could be the man to dethrone his former mentor and the current Universal Champion Bray Wyatt later this year.
- Touching: You could visibly see during his celebration how much winning his first singles title meant to Braun Strowman. For years, Strowman has quietly been one of the most diligent workers in the WWE. Congrats on your first of many singles titles Mr. Strowman.
- NXT Is Calling: Shinsuke Nakamura needs to be in NXT and returned back to the “King Of Strong Style” once again. It’s quite simple how to fix Nakamura. Bring the old music back, end his silly heel run, and end his silly partnership with Sammy Zayn ASAP, and return him to the NXT brand where he had tremendous success previously.
- Rematch: We will get a rematch of Strowman vs Nakamura at Super ShowDown this month. It will be another quick and dominant victory for Strowman and the end of Nakamura’s partnership with Sammy Zayn. This match is the prime opportunity for WWE to end this awful Nakamura heel run.
Miz and Morrison still got it
The WWE SmackDown tag team division has been on life support for a long time. There is no shortage of tag team talent on the blue brand. Creative decisions steering the tag team division and a lack of exposure has made people forget how much talent SmackDown Live has on its roster.
Talented teams like, The New Day, Uso’s, Heavy Machinery, The Revival, The Miz and John Morrison, and Lucha House Party are front and center always to showcase their talents. John Morrison and The Miz earned the next shot at The New Day with a victory against Heavy Machinery, The Revival, and Lucha House Party on the last episode of Smackdown.
It was a tremendous match and each team showed how much talent they possess. Will we have new SmackDown tag team champions crowned in Saudi Arabia? It looks like a new day for the SmackDown tag division is coming soon and we may see new champions soon.
- Future Stars: Heavy Machinery members Tucker and Otis have a bright future in professional wrestling. The SmackDown tag team division will be led by Tucker and Otis sooner than later. Tag team gold will be around their large waists by years end, bank on it!
- Stop: The never-ending drama with The Revival is obnoxious. It was reported by multiple websites they asked for their release yet again last week. WWE responded by offering Dash and Dawson a reported $975,000 yearly contract for each superstar. The Revival are talented performers but not worth a fraction of the money they were reportedly offered. Let them move on and see greener pastures. No other company will offer them anywhere near the $975,000 per year WWE offered.
- Synergy: I prefer both John Morrison and The Miz as singles competitors. I must admit though, they have some great synergy as a tag team. While I would rather see them in singles feuds, its fun watching them together again. Each time they are working together, it’s evident how much they enjoy working as a team. The SmackDown Tag Team Championship is coming back from Saudi Arabia with Miz and Morrison!
Is Roman Reigns going after The Fiend?
Please let the Roman Reigns and King Corbin feud end now. It’s been months of the same regurgitated matches and lots of dog food along the way. Both Reigns and Corbin deserve to be in new and exciting feuds to elevate their characters.
- Don’t Do It: Please don’t give us Roman Reigns vs The Fiend at WrestleMania 36. There is so much better matchups for each competitor at the “Showcase of The Immortals”. Nobody wants this match anytime soon.
- Do It: Let’s see King Corbin vs Braun Strowman for the Intercontinental Title and Roman Reigns vs Sheamus at WrestleMania 36. Those are matches people will get behind and there is plenty of time to write these storylines well.
- Embarrassing: What prompts WWE creative members to think dog food matches on primetime television is a good idea? This was awful, embarrassing, and another example why WWE has a shrinking audience every week.
We will certainly get the answers to many of our questions and see how the card will develop for the blue brand heading into WWE Super ShowDown this week. Don’t miss out on all the action for the SmackDown superstars this Friday at 8pm EST/7pm CST on Fox.