It seems far too soon for another PPV. This is partly because I was away on holiday and only watched Survivor Series a couple of days ago. Even so, it will only have given Smackdown two weeks to move from aiming their storylines at Raw than to aiming them at each other. Aside from the world title match, all of the bouts have been booked in the last two weeks. Whilst a few of them are continuations of feuds, it seems to be perhaps a little bit forced in places. Hopefully the creative team will be working hard to make a great event out of what doesn't look great on paper.
Reading an article last night on the evolution of the TLC matches made me a bit nostalgic for the old matches with the Hardys, Dudleys and Edge and Christian. As such, this card doesn't excite me as much as perhaps it would have done a day or so ago. I'm definitely going to have to go back and watch them at some point.
No Disqualification:
Nikki Bella v Carmella
This feels like it's not been progressing much recently. Sure, Nikki got taken out at Survivor Series but I'm fairly sure that wasn't Carmella. Aside from that it's just been a slanging match. I think the No-DQ will lead to Carmella picking up a victory when whoever attacked Nikki at Survivor Series shows up and does so again.
Prediction: Carmella.
Chairs Match:
Kalisto v Baron Corbin
A chairs match doesn't fill me with any sense of excitement. It just seems a silly proposition. It's basically a no DQ match but encouraging you only to use a chair. Chairs are used all the freaking time in the WWE. Perhaps less so than when I first started watching in the 90s, but still a whole lot of the time. I don't care about this match. If Corbin doesn't win, it will be a joke, though. Sure Kalisto is technically gifted, but if they have Corbin suffer another loss to him, then why did they bother letting him with the Andre the Giant memorial trophy? You have to build him up to be a proper bad ass after that. I might skip this match out of rage.
Prediction: Corbin.
Intercontinental Championship - Ladder Match:
The Miz (c) v Dolph Ziggler
Daniel Bryan has said this will be the end of the rivalry, whatever the outcome. Ziggler had a short title reign, which may have just been designed to save his career in the career match. I found the decision to give the belt back to The Miz to be slightly odd. However, if Ziggler wins here and Miz is denied his rematch, it will increase the heat between him and Daniel Bryan.
I'm not sure where they are going with that as the WWE doctors have classed Bryan as unable to wrestle. There have been mumblings of a possible return. The medical doctors actually cleared him before his retirement speech. So I guess, perhaps this is leading to a one-off match between the two of them at some point. Taking the belt off The Miz and denying him an opportunity to get it back would continue to send that in the right direction. I think we've probably have enough of the Miz v Ziggler now, as well,
I'm predicting heels for most of the rest of the card, so there needs to be a face win somewhere. I guess here is the best chance of that happening.
Prediction: Ziggler
Smackdown Tag Team Championship:
Heath Slater and Rhyno (c) v The Wyatt Family
The Slater/Rhyno storyline has fizzled out a little. The against all odds championship victory was a great storyline but them continuing to hold the belts hasn't progressed them too much. The Orton/Wyatt storyline is hot at the moment. With them being the survivors for team blue they are going through a push at the moment and the mind games they were playing against each other before hand has meant that they've been on people's minds for a good few months. The two of them are genuine main event starts, and for Slater and Rhyno to get a win over them - without Orton turning on Wyatt which I can't see happening yet - would be highly unexpected.
Prediction: The Wyatt Family
Smackdown Women's Championship - Tables Match:
Becky Lynch (c) v Alexa Bliss
I thought that this might be when Bliss gets her win over Lynch. She has really grasped the chance that she's been given to be number one contender. A few months ago, I would have thought she'd have no chance winning this. Now I am not too sure of the outcome. However, based on my other predictions with two titles changing hands - I'm not sure a third will - and with the heels getting most of the wins, I think Becky retains here but that this isn't the end of the rivalry.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
WWE Championship - Tables Ladders and Chairs Match:
AJ Styles (c) v Dean Ambrose
AJ Styles wins this. There's no reason to put the belt back on Ambrose right now, and there are a few good reasons to keep it on Styles. One is the fact that James Ellsworth has a title match at some point. With him being 3-0 against Styles, AJ really needs some retribution for those defeats. Another is the returning Undertaker. The Phenom is possibly doing a farewell tour, and as such should be in the main event picture. He should get a title shot - either just straight out, or potentially through the Rumble - setting up the Phenom v the Phenomenal One, either at the Rumble or Wrestlemania.
Prediction: AJ Styles
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