5 potential finishes for Sonya Deville and Natalya vs. Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark on WWE SmackDown: Faction debuts, upset victory, bitter wrestlers attack
In an episode of WWE SmackDown, Adam Pearce announced that the vacant WWE Women's Tag Team Championship would be decided by a tournament.
Sasha Banks and Naomi were the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. The titles have been vacant ever since the duo walked out during a live edition of Monday Night RAW. Fans had hoped to see the titles reemerge, but they were dormant after being vacated earlier this year until Adam Pearce's big announcement.
Thus far, three bouts have taken place with Asuka and Alexa Bliss, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, and the team of Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah all moving forward. The tournament action will continue on WWE SmackDown when veteran Natalya teams up with Sonya Deville to take on Nikki Lyons and Zoey Stark from NXT.
What will happen when the experienced main roster stars Natalya and Sonya Deville unite to battle NXT's Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark? Which team will move forward in the tournament? How might the bout end?
Below are 5 potential finishes for Sonya Deville and Natalya vs. Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark on WWE SmackDown.
#5. Deville and Natalya may cheat to defeat the rookies on WWE SmackDown
Natalya and Sonya Deville will be walking into the bout as far more experienced stars. The Queen of Harts has been in WWE for a decade and a half and Deville has been on NXT and the main roster for half a decade. Comparatively, neither Zoey nor Nikkita have been in World Wrestling Entertainment for even half as long as Sonya, let alone Natalya.
While both Neidhart and Deville are talented superstars, their ability to succeed in the tournament may be more, so built around their brains as opposed to their brawn. Both women are smaller than Nikkita and neither is as absurdly athletic as Zoey.
If Natalya and Deville are going to win the bout, there's a good chance they will use their brains to come up with a devious strategy of some kind. Neither star is above cheating when the time calls for it. Considering the experience edge is on their side, it may be easier to get one over on the NXT stars than WWE SmackDown regulars.
#4. Shotzi and Xia Li could interfere in the bout after losing last week
Last week on WWE SmackDown, two teams, one of Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez and the other of Shotzi and Xia Li, battled in the hopes of advancing in the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament.
After a hard-fought bout, Raquel and Aliyah ultimately won. The two talented performers had a little bit of experience uniting in the past, specifically at live events. Shotzi and Xia Li are a newer team, although the pair showed promise.
Sonya Deville and Natalya were ringside for much of the match and distracted all four competitors. If Xia Li and Shotzi believe that the presence of Natalya and Deville cost them the win, they may lash out this week. If The Queen of Harts and The Jersey Devil are to be blamed for Li and Shotzi's loss, they may choose to return the favor and cost the devious team the win.
#3. Toxic Attraction may attack the NXT Superstars to cost them the win
Toxic Attraction has been a dominant force on NXT. The group consists of Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne. Rose has had an incredibly impressive reign as NXT Women's Champion since the faction was formed. Meanwhile, Dolin and Jayne have captured the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship on two occasions.
The trio have dominated NXT, but they've made a lot of enemies along the way. Zoey Stark is one of those enemies. She battled Mandy Rose at NXT Heatwave and nearly dethroned her, but ultimately fell short. During the bout, Jacy and Gigi were ringside before Nikkita Lyons ran both off.
If the deadly Toxic Attraction wants revenge, they may make their presence known during the bout. There's a chance that they could cost Nikkita and Zoey the win. There's also another link that may make this more likely. Sonya Deville is best friends with Mandy Rose. If Toxic Attraction were to help anybody win, Sonya may be the person.
#2. Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark may get an upset victory
Get a sneak peek at what @nikkita_wwe and @ZoeyStarkWWE will bring when they make their #SmackDown debut next week in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament against @NatbyNature and @SonyaDevilleWWE. https://t.co/Igr2p9DMUj
Most fans will likely be intrigued by Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons being included in the tournament. Despite the intrigue, most probably believe that the winners will undoubtedly be WWE SmackDown veterans.
The stance is understandable. Natalya is a former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion and she's held tag team gold in the past. While Deville hasn't yet held a title, she was in a successful team previously. The odds are certainly in their favor.
However, it would be unwise to overlook Stark and Lyons. Zoey is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and knows what it is like to succeed in the tag ranks. While Nikkita is yet to capture gold, she's quickly moving up the ladder. The duo could pull off an upset win in their WWE SmackDown debut.
#1. Sonya Deville and Natalya may soundly defeat the NXT rookies on WWE SmackDown
As noted, the prevailing theory is that Sonya Deville and Natalya will walk away from their bout on WWE SmackDown as the winners.
Natalya is one of the most experienced female superstars in wrestling today. She first debuted on the independent scene over twenty years ago. In WWE, she's held the Divas Championship, the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship, and the Women's Tag Team Championship.
While Deville hasn't had championship success yet, her future looks bright, and she is regularly improving in the ring. Together, the two stars are likely to be too much for the less experienced newcomers to handle. The Queen of Harts and The Jersey Devil may be the team that goes all the way in the tournament.
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament will continue on the next edition of WWE SmackDown. Which team will advance? Who will ultimately walk away with the belts? Fans will need to continue to tune in each week to find out.
Speaking of WWE SmackDown, click here for the ages of each female superstar on the blue brand.