We’re in Sin City, but this show doesn’t seem like a gamble.
The Headliners
There’s only one way none of your three championship matches don’t get top billing...
THREE championship matches PLUS the return of @VinceMcMahon headline Sin City #SDLive TOMORROW NIGHT at 8/7c on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/gVPYkSwTBB
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2017
We’ll catch you up on all the belts in a second, but the Chairman and C.E.O. goes first.
Commissioner Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens haven’t seen eye-to-eye since KO landed on Tuesday nights. Their first encounters on the set of Talking Smack were tense, and after weeks of Owens believing Shane had it out for him, things finally reached a breaking point last week.
When The Prizefighter went low, saying McMahon’s sons would be better off if Shane had died in his recent helicopter emergency, Shane O’Mac snapped. Attacking talent is no-no, however, and Owens immediately informed General Manager Daniel Bryan he planned to use it as leverage. Bryan was directed to suspend his boss, but that doesn’t mean KO won.
First, he’ll talk things over with Vinnie Mac.
Vince McMahon returns to address the situation, and probably help move the plot forward to a Hell in a Cell match at October’s pay-per-view (PPV) of the same name. Whatever the outcome, we’re getting Mr. McMahon and Kevin Owens on microphones at the same time... insert your favorite “Dis Gun B Gud” GIF here.
The Title Scene
One of the more surprising title changes at SummerSlam came when Natalya defeated Naomi for the Women’s championship. The GLOWing former titleholder has waited patiently for her rematch, and she’ll try to take down the Queen of Harts in Vegas... but both women will be watching out for Ms. Money in the Bank Carmella and her newly-cowed sidekick, James Ellsworth.
Baron Corbin’s been taking his run of bad luck out on Tye Dillinger, including right before The Perfect Ten tried to answer AJ Styles’ United States title open challenge. That cost Tye much of a chance at a win, but it - and a valiant try at beating The Lone Wolf one-on-one - earned him an admirer in The Phenomenal One. AJ’s giving Dillinger another shot at the belt tonight, but look for Big Banter to get involved before, during or after.
Tag team champions The Usos won the right to pick the stipulation for The New Day’s rematch, so we’re getting a Street Fight. The big question is whether Big E and Kofi Kingston can win the belts back for ya boys, but the bigger question is if these two teams can keep their string of show-stealing bouts going on this stacked show.
Last week, Jinder Mahal learned he’ll once again be defending his WWE championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Hell in a Cell - but maybe not in Hell in a Cell. We’ll have plenty of time to worry about that next Tuesday, though.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Shelton Benjamin’s latest stint with WWE got off to a great start two weeks ago, but there was no sign of The Gold Standard and his new partner Chad Gable last week.
- “Fashion Files” similarly found itself on the cutting room floor. Will we get any closer to solving Breezango’s mystery this week?
- One of their suspects, Aiden English, has been on a winning streak. The Artiste keeps wowing Sami Zayn with his performances... or surprising him with roll-ups, anyway.
- Last week, Dolph Ziggler went with ALL the entrances. Will he settle on one this time out, or just stay in the back for another show?
Four weeks until Hell in a Cell!
What will you be looking for on SmackDown Live tonight?