5 things that could happen on this week's SmackDown (20th March, 2020)
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily represent that of Sportskeeda
This week's SmackDown will be the second episode of the Blue brand that will take place at the Performance Center without a live audience. After a decent show last week - one that was certainly better than RAW - SmackDown will be looking to keep up the good work.
There are many things in store for the WWE Universe this Friday. After his sit-down interview with Michael Cole last week, Roman Reigns will come face to face with Goldberg for a contract signing.
Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski will make his SmackDown debut this week, in what will be a must-watch segment. Along with that, expect the Intercontinental Champion and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions to get a clearer view of their potential challengers for WrestleMania 36.
Keeping all that in mind, here we are going to suggest five possible scenarios for this week's episode of the Blue brand.
#5 Daniel Bryan challenges Sami Zayn
We saw something new last week - Daniel Bryan, after defeating Drew Gulak at Elimination Chamber, aligned himself with the latter, much to the surprise of the fans. Then, we saw both Gulak and Bryan involved in a tussle with the new Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro.
Bryan defeated Cesaro in a singles contest last week but the segment ended with a brawl between the faces and the heels, which clearly suggested that this program might stretch beyond one episode. There is a possibility that WWE might be building towards Bryan vs Zayn for WrestleMania 36 or even a multi-man tag or handicap match.
For that to happen, someone has to put in a challenge and we could see Bryan doing that this week.
#4 Alexa Bliss insults Sasha Banks on commentary
Over the past week or so, we have seen WWE improvise with commentary as Triple H (on SmackDown) and Asuka (on RAW) were able to garner many positive reviews from the fans. Therefore, we should expect something similar on SmackDown and we could see one of the best WWE Superstars on the mic in Alexa Bliss sit in the commentary booth this week.
Sasha Banks and Bayley have been dominating the women's division on SmackDown over the past couple of months but it has to be said that The Boss has played second fiddle, while Bayley has taken the limelight. We all know that Banks and Bayley will eventually come face to face but will we see some developments towards that showdown this week?
We could possibly see Bliss take shots on Banks while on commentary calling her Bayley's follower or someone who hasn't made a name for herself, which might make The Boss think about her future with the SmackDown Women's Champion.
#3 Goldberg spears Roman Reigns
Finally, we will get to know what Goldberg thinks of Roman Reigns this Friday night when the contract signing for the WWE Universal Championship Match at WrestleMania 36 will take place. One can see WWE build this up as a Spear vs Spear story, but for the feud to become more engaging, either Goldberg or Reigns might have to turn heel or act as the bad guy.
The chances of Reigns turning into a bad guy are, well, very low. Hence, we could possibly see Goldberg take the first shot at the Big Dog this week by spearing him through a table. WWE will want to build some tension between the two Superstars before The Show of Shows and this could be the perfect way to go about it.
#2 Sheamus confronts Braun Strowman
There are two Superstars on the SmackDown roster who are being criminally misused. While Braun Strowman, after losing the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber, has to look for another new feud, Sheamus seems to be facing and winning matches against Shorty G and Apollo Crews every week, without any of those wins leading to something big.
There is literally a feud begging to be made between The Celtic Warrior and The Monster Among Men and we could possibly see some developments with regards to that this week. As is the case, the heel (Sheamus) might make the first move by either insulting the face (Strowman) or straightaway challenging him for a match.
If this happens, expect the WWE Universe to be totally invested in it.
#1 The Fiend attacks Rob Gronkowski
A huge debut is set to take place this week as Rob Gronkowski will make his first SmackDown appearance and I don't expect it to be dull.
Could we see The Fiend welcome Gronkowski to the Blue brand the way only he can? Over the past couple of months really, we haven't seen these impromptu attacks from Bray Wyatt's alter ego that used happen frequently when he was on RAW. So, don't be surprised if The Fiend pops up to attack Gronkowski on his debut. It would certainly be something to watch out for on Friday night.