WWE SmackDown Live Preview: December 26, 2017
Also read: WWE SmackDown Live Results, 26th December 2017, Live Updates And Commentary
The road to Royal Rumble is well and truly heating up! The events that transpired on this week's Monday Night Raw gave us the clear idea that WWE means business in the new year. The return of John Cena and the crowning of new tag team champions have set things up perfectly down on the red side.
The focus now shifts on their counterparts on the blue brand, who have set up a host of intriguing storylines heading into the first major PPV of 2018. Who will face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at the marquee event? Will Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan's volatile relationship come to head in the coming weeks?
That and many other burning questions need pertinent answers as the final SmackDown episode of the year comes our way.
So here are the five biggest talking points heading into this week's show::
#1 Royal Rumble announcements
John Cena hasn't yet announced his entry to the Royal Rumble, but any educated fan would have seen this coming from a mile away and as things stand, the Cenation leader is the favourite to win his third Royal Rumble match.
Elias is the only name confirmed for the high-stakes match and expect more to be announced on SmackDown. So who would it be? The usual suspects include Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Jinder Mahal and Kevin Owens, that is if neither one of them is granted a lucrative WWE title shot.
The slots of the Women's Royal Rumble match is also shrouded in ambiguity as Naomi is the only star to have booked a place in the historic bout. Who will join the glowing former Women's Champion in a bid to create history in Philadelphia next month? Could we see a big return or two to spice things up.