Here’s What to Expect From Tonight’s SmackDown

Goldberg’s defeat of Brock Lesnar was the big story of Survivor Series, but the big winners were the men of the Team SmackDown. Shane McMahon nearly killed himself multiple times to put out Raw’s toughest guys, and the hour-long match ended with the New Wyatt Family of Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt standing tall over everyone.

The question isn’t “if” Orton will turn on his new team, but “when.” A bigger build to the turn would have an excellent payoff at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania, so expect the family to stick together and put the rest of SmackDown on notice tonight.

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles wouldn’t stop brawling in the midst of the match despite being teammates, so expect their feud to immediately reignite tonight ahead of their TLC Championship match in December.

WWE has already booked a Tag Team Turmoil match to determine the number one contenders against Heath Slater and Rhyno. American Alpha, the Hype Bros, Breezango, the Usos, the Ascension, and the Vaudevillains will all duke it out for an opportunity at the titles.

Daniel Bryan promised consequences for Baron Corbin on Sunday night after he interfered with the match between Brian Kendrick and Kalisto, costing SmackDown the entire cruiserweight division.

But Corbin isn’t the only SmackDown superstar Bryan has issues with, as the Miz defended the Intercontinental Championship with predictable shenanigans. The GM isn’t likely to take kindly to the Miz’s manner of defense–even if it did keep the title on the blue brand–and WWE is counting this as one of the major points of tonight’s show.

Finally, there’s a backstage update on Nikki Bella. Per Wrestling Observer Radio, the spot at Survivor Series that saw Nikki replaced as team captain by Natalya was part of the plan since the match was first booked, meaning that it wasn’t simply a cover for an injury. The identity of the attacker will drive the story of the women’s division for the next few weeks, and you can expect a reveal tonight.

SmackDown broadcasts from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, live on the USA Network at 8PM Eastern/7PM Central. We’ll have live coverage and all the big news as it happens, so stick with us.