3 Reasons to be Excited for SmackDown tonight (August 21, 2018)
After a blockbuster Summerslam, tonight's episode of SmackDown is sure to carry on the momentum that the WWE gained on Sunday. While a lot of rivalries came to an end on Summerslam, a lot more future possibilities were opened. Tonight's episode of SmackDown will give us a view of the direction that the WWE's blue brand is headed for.
Here are 3 reasons why everybody should be excited for tonight's episode of SmackDown.
#3 The curious case of Randy Orton
Recently, Randy Orton has brought back his iconic cold-blooded 'Viper' gimmick. After years of stagnation, Orton finally has more momentum than he has had in a long time. And in the past few weeks, he has been involved in a rivalry with Jeff Hardy.
The two had an epic feud back in 2008 and are sure to put on some great matches whenever they get in the ring, although, neither of them is the worker that they were a decade back. But WWE's booking of the feud has been strange, to say the least.
Despite attacking Hardy multiple times leading up to Summerslam, Orton decided not to attack Hardy at Summerslam. This was curious and adds a lot of intrigue to the story going into SmackDown.
#2 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
At Summerslam, we saw AJ Styles snap and launch a vicious attack on Samoa Joe after Joe mentioned Styles' family in the middle of the match. While it is never nice to watch a high profile match end in disqualification, it makes sense considering how personal this rivalry is.
The disqualification extends the storyline while also protecting both of them. We should expect the two to be booked in a Hell in a Cell match for next month's pay-per-view. And considering the history that these two share, it should be 'Phenomenal'.
#1 Heel Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch has spent her entire career on the WWE main roster as a babyface. After floundering for a couple of years on the midcard, she worked her way back into the main event picture at Summerslam and was scheduled to face Carmella for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Yet it was not to be as Charlotte Flair returned from injury at the last moment and the match was turned into a triple threat.
And when Charlotte ended up winning the championship at Summerslam after Becky had done all the hard work, Becky snapped. Her ruthless attack on Charlotte after the match seemed to be the result of months on pent up frustrations.
The reaction of the live crowd at Summerslam should tell you everything you need to know about her heel turn. The crowd was ecstatic to see Becky Lynch finally turn to the dark side. It will be very interesting to see how WWE handles this 'new' Becky Lynch on SmackDown.