The Oct. 17 SmackDown gave us several clues about the direction WWE may be heading in for the next month or so.
What appear to be the big beats line up with what reports and rumors have been saying for a while - Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal and Team OwenZayn vs. Team Shane McMahon look more likely than ever after last night.
But wrestling is like life - it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And from a couple of announcements made in Seattle, it sounds like we’ll have a better idea of how we’re getting there next week.
On Monday, Oct. 23, Brock will be on Raw for the first time since successfully defending his Universal championship at No Mercy. The Beast Incarnate will respond to Mahal’s challenge for Survivor Series (likely via his advocate, Paul Heyman).
#TheBeast @BrockLesnar will ANSWER @JinderMahal's #SurvivorSeries challenge NEXT MONDAY on #RAW! #SDLive @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/ZS32gEnikP
— WWE (@WWE) October 18, 2017
Then, commissioner Shane McMahon was teased as playing a role on next Tuesday’s SmackDown. General Manager Daniel Bryan didn’t explicitly state that Shane O’Mac would be there in person - but that was certainly implied (and the company’s online outlets say McMahon will be “returning”). He’s definitely getting back into it with Kevin Owens and KO’s Hell in a Cell savior Sami Zayn either way, as the commish will be booking whatever challenge awaits the re-united best friends.
What's next for @FightOwensFight and @SamiZayn? It's up to the returning #SDLive Commissioner @shanemcmahon NEXT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/eQvfTzM3hR
— WWE (@WWE) October 18, 2017
In the meantime, we know Jinder will be beefing with AJ Styles before and probably after Houston. Will Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura remain in the KO/Sami fight, possibly as members of Team Shane?
We’ll start to get those answers, and probably an indication of whether or not these journeys will be fun, next week.