With less than a week before they have to break out the tables, ladders and chairs what does SmackDown have planned for Columbia, South Carolina?
The Headliners
TOMORROW NIGHT, @WWEBrayWyatt and @RandyOrton battle #AmericanAlpha on #SDLive at 8/7c on @USA_Network with #WWETLC implications! pic.twitter.com/uKDpBKelWe
— WWE (@WWE) November 29, 2016
Last week’s big pre-announced match was supposed to give us the next challengers for Heath Slater & Rhyno’s tag team titles, but one duo was left out of the turmoil. It made sense for Bray Wyatt to lie in wait (and for Randy Orton to get a week off as his new baby girl made her entrance into the arena of life), but it has to be a bit of bummer for American Alpha, who thought they’d earned a pay-per-view (PPV) championship match on Sunday, Dec. 4.
But Shane McMahon owed the Wyatts a favor for pulling out Team Blue’s only Survivor Series elimination win - and it’s honestly probably going to be tough to slow Bray and his newest converts momentum heading into TLC. If anyone is ready, willing and... you know... it’s Chad Gable & Jason Jordan.
The Title Scene
Also getting top billing, not surprisingly as we head into his World title match with champ AJ Styles in Dallas this weekend, is Dean Ambrose. The Lunatic Fringe helped his buddy James Ellsworth earn a contract and a future shot at the belt with another win over the Phenomenal One, so he’s re-debuting his talk show just to invite the Chinless One as a guest. Ellsworth is no Mitch the plant, but this should be a good way to get some props involved on the way to Styles and Ambrose’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs match Sunday.
The Miz used the feud between Baron Corbin & Kalisto (which they’ll try to settle in a chairs match at TLC) to keep his Intercontinental championship on last week’s show. Dolph Ziggler still isn’t happy how the Awesome One utilized dirty tricks to take the belt from him, and laid him out on the ramp to show it. Who’ll get the upper-hand headed into their ladder match?
She’s already furious an officiating error kept the Women’s belt from being handed to her in Scotland, so it’s probably just as well there is no extreme stipulation in place for Alexa Bliss’ next shot to defeat champion Becky Lynch at TLC. She can’t even contain her hatred long enough to get through a guest commentary stint without attacking, after all.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Raw stole their thunder a little bit last night, but another personal feud will still make SmackDown history, when Nikki Bella & Carmella try to settle their issues in a No DQ match in Texas.
- Speaking of the Fearless One... we still don’t know who clocked her to get Natalya into the women’s elimination tag at Survivor Series.
- Shane McMahon probably won’t be around for two shows in a row, but I bet Shane O’Mac emailed Daniel Bryan to remind him how tired he is of Ambrose’s antics.
- Has anyone seen Curt Hawkins? What about Apollo Crews?
It’s the TLC go home show!
What will you be looking for on SmackDown Live tonight?