Tonight, on the With Spandex WWE Smackdown Live open discussion thread for April 25, 2017:
After defeating Naomi last Tuesday in her first match on the blue brand, Charlotte will challenge her for the SmackDown Women’s Championship this week. Can The Queen cap off her arrival with a huge title victory? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network! — via WWE.com
Our five-point preview:
1. WWE is advertising that tonight’s show will kick off with an exclusive Shinsuke Nakamura interview. So even though the guy hasn’t had a televised main roster match yet, it’s clear that they’re going to be treating him like an extremely big deal. Unless it’s a commercial for Mike’s Hard Lemonade. That’s the key signal.
2. Although Sunday’s Payback isn’t a Smackdown pay-per-view, it still has Smackdown implications. The winner of the Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho match will bring the United States Championship to the blue brand, and the House of Horrors match between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton … uh … Well, the U.S. title match has implications, anyway!
3. Will Charlotte Flair capture her first Smackdown Women’s Championship on this episode? She somehow managed to pin the champion last week, so … yeah, she’ll probably win it. Unless the bad girls’ club of Natalya, Carmalla, Tamina Snuka and James Ellsworth stick their noses into the match, I guess. But there’s no way THAT would happen!
4. AJ Styles and Baron Corbin will have a rematch this week. Not for the No. 1 contendership or anything, just because there are only like eight wrestlers on Smackdown.
5. Speaking of No. 1 contenders, the Usos will find out who their next challengers will be tonight, after a Beat the Clock Challenge. Everyone loves the Beat the Clock Challenge! Right? I can’t even remember anymore.
Also happening tonight is the hot new show dedicated entirely to cruiserweights, 205 Live. Feel free to use this as your one-stop party shop for Tuesday night wrestling shenanigans, and be back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of Smackdown Live.
