WWE News: WrestleMania announcement scheduled for SmackDown; Huge star set to make her SmackDown debut
What's the story?
This week's episode of SmackDown Live has been advertised to have two major segments take place. SmackDown Live is set to air the fallout of the Fastlane pay-per-view, where AJ Styles was able to retain his title in the Six-Pack-Challenge match by defeating five other stars.
Asuka also challenged Charlotte to a match at Wrestlemania, using her right to challenge the Champion of either brand after winning the first ever Women's Royal Rumble.
In case you didn't know...
AJ Styles was successful in defending his WWE Championship in the Six-Pack-Challenge match. The victory was surrounded by controversy, however, as prior to AJ picking up the win, Sami and Kevin both came close as well. It looked like either might be victorious, but Shane McMahon's interference in the proceedings made sure that they were unsuccessful. On Talking Smack, Shane said that he had lost his cool after being kicked in the face by Kevin Owens, and that was the reason for his interference.
On the other side of things, Charlotte retained her SmackDown Women's Championship after defeating Ruby Riott. She did not get to celebrate her victory too long, as Asuka made a surprise appearance and challenged her to a match at WrestleMania.
You can watch Asuka issue the challenge here:
The heart of the matter
It was announced on the preview package for the Fastlane Fallout edition of SmackDown Live, that Shane McMahon would make an announcement regarding Wrestlemania.
The announcement may be in relation to what happened at Fastlane, and what he plans to do about Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
In another segment for the night, Asuka is set to make her debut appearance on SmackDown Live, where she will presumably confront Charlotte Flair.
What's next?
This week's episode of SmackDown Live is set to air in its usual slot on Tuesday, 8 pm Eastern Time.
Author's take
With only a few weeks left until Wrestlemania, each episode will look to set up feuds for WWE's biggest pay-per-view of the year. Shane's segment with Kevin and Sami may lead to a match at Wrestlemania, though this remains to be seen.