WWE SmackDown Live after SummerSlam 2018: 5 last-minute predictions
The first episode of WWE SmackDown Live since SummerSlam 2018 will take place in Brooklyn, New York on Tuesday.
One of the biggest storylines heading into the show surrounds the SmackDown Women’s Championship, which Charlotte Flair won from Carmella in a Triple Threat match at SummerSlam before being attacked by her best friend, Becky Lynch.
As for this week’s in-ring action, The New Day will get another opportunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Bludgeon Brothers, this time in a No Disqualification match, and Jeff Hardy will finally go one-on-one with Randy Orton in the first encounter of the night.
Elsewhere on the show, WWE is advertising that AJ Styles will give an exclusive interview following his disqualification loss against Samoa Joe at SummerSlam, while Daniel Bryan will be out for revenge after his controversial defeat to The Miz on Sunday.
Further down the card, there is bound to be a reaction from Rusev and Lana (and possibly Aiden English) after losing to Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega, and Shinsuke Nakamura is expected to appear following his United States Championship triumph against Jeff.
In this article, let’s take a look at five last-minute predictions for this week's episode of SmackDown Live.
#5 Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton
Jeff Hardy paid the price for attempting a risky Swanton Bomb against Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam, landing on the ring apron before being caught in the face with a Kinshasa from the United States champion.
“The Charismatic Enigma” will now presumably move away from the US title picture, with SmackDown GM Paige announcing on social media that the show will begin this week with a match between Jeff and Randy Orton, who teased an attack on his rival at SummerSlam but decided against it.
So, will Jeff get his revenge on Orton for his multiple attacks over the last month? Or will “The Viper”, competing in his first televised match since his return at Extreme Rules, show his ruthless side again and walk away with the win?
Let’s predict that Orton will produce a similar attack to the ones we've seen on SmackDown Live recently, resulting in a disqualification.
Prediction: Jeff Hardy wins via disqualification