SmackDown airs tonight (Aug. 22) with a live show emanating from 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. This is the third episode of SmackDown during the four week build towards Clash in Paris, which takes place on Aug. 31.
WWE found some new teams to feed to the Wyatt Sicks
The Wyatt Sicks ran through the SmackDown tag team division in roughly one month to become the new WWE tag team champions in July. They successfully defended those belts against all the best teams SmackDown has to offer in a TLC match at SummerSlam. It’s not like they’ve been squashing everyone,
but there’s a clear message here: none of these teams (Street Profits, DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, Andrade & Rey Fenix) are going to beat the Wyatt Sicks for the gold any time soon.
With that in mind, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis is now letting two more teams join the party to see if they can make some waves in the tag division. First up is Melo Don’t Miz, who are coming off a win last week over Fraxiom. They get to show off their skills again tonight in a match against MCMG. The Miz is all-in on this partnership with Carmelo Hayes, but it’s not clear if Carmelo feels the same way. He was not happy with the A-Lister tagging himself in to steal the pin at the end of last week’s match, at the very least.
Solo Sikoa’s MFTs are also now in the hunt for tag team gold. Aldis has booked MFT vs. Street Profits on tonight’s show. Talla Tonga and JC Mateo picked up a win over MCMG two weeks ago, and another victory tonight over former tag team champions would go a long way towards fast-tracking Solo’s henchmen for a title shot at the Wyatts. And what do you know, the rumor mill indicates that Wyatt Sicks vs. MFT is a feud that will be starting up real soon.
Is it time for some new teams to step up in the tag division, or will the Street Profits and MCMG show that they are still the top threats to the Wyatt Sicks? Tune into SmackDown to find out.
The rest of the card
Babyface John Cena makes his final appearance in Dublin tonight, with his WWE retirement tour set to wrap up in less than four months. Does John have any better response to Logan Paul’s claim that he’s a hypocrite other than calling Logan a dumbass? Will Cena wrestle again on SmackDown tonight after competing in the main event two weeks ago?
R-Truth is thrilled that his childhood hero Cena is finally back, but he’s not so thrilled about Aleister Black’s recent attack on his former Judgment Day stablemate, Damian Priest. Truth gets to do something about it when he faces Black in a singles match tonight. Truth won with a fluke roll-up in about two minutes when these guys last fought each other in July, which was the final straw that caused Aleister to snap and turn heel on Priest. I don’t think Truth will be that lucky twice in a row, so hopefully Damian is in the building to save his ass when the time comes.
Finally, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair goes one-on-one with Piper Niven tonight. Charlotte’s friend ally of convenience Alexa Bliss already beat Piper last week, but Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice laid out the babyfaces afterwards. Will the same exact story play out tonight?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton has a target on her back; Jade Cargill, Nia Jax, and Women’s United States Champion Giulia all want a shot at her gold. It looks like Michin plans to keep Giulia busy for now, which leaves Cargill and Jax to fight each other over who deserves the next title shot. When will the match take place?
– Sami Zayn is officially on the SmackDown roster and he’s immediately going after Solo Sikoa’s United States championship. But is he also stepping on Jacob Fatu’s toes in the process?
– Drew McIntyre implied last week that WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will be out for a while after Drew brutally attacked him acted in self-defense to Claymore Cody’s skull through a table. Does WWE have a medical update on Rhodes’ condition? Better yet, will Cody show up tonight to shut Drew up with a Sonic Boom? If not, is Randy Orton lurking in the shadows and ready to strike?
– Where the f*** is Shinsuke Nakamura?
What will you be looking for on SmackDown?
