SmackDown LIVE preview, Jan. 2, 2018: Styles to battle Zayn on first SmackDown LIVE of 2018
One week after a distraction allowed Kevin Owens to score a shocking victory over WWE Champion AJ Styles on the final SmackDown LIVE of 2017, the Phenomenal champion will ring in the new year by taking on Sami Zayn in a non-title match. Plus, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin will battle The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
>AJ Styles to battle Sami Zayn on first SmackDown LIVE of 2018
WWE Champion AJ Styles and Sami Zayn will square off in a non-title match on SmackDown LIVE tonight. The battle marks the first time these two Superstars will face each other one-on-one on the blue brand, though these two have been no strangers to one another in recent weeks.
When the two match combatants last crossed paths, The Phenomenal One found his name in the loss column after a distraction by Zayn led Kevin Owens to a shocking victory on the final SmackDown LIVE of 2017. The result left Zayn & Owens celebrating on the entrance ramp while Styles engaged in a testy confrontation with SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon.
Can Styles settle the score with Zayn after this past week’s actions? Will Owens return the favor to Zayn in his battle with The Phenomenal One, or will Shane-O-Mac make sure the match occurs without incident and then some bullshit technicality or meme happens and it's pointless and Owens cheats again?
Find out when Styles and Zayn step into the ring on the first SmackDown LIVE of 2018 — tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network.
>Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin to challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos today on SmackDown LIVE
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos will defend their titles against Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin tonight on SmackDown LIVE.
Gable & Benjamin earned the opportunity by defeating The New Day and Rusev & Aiden English in a thrilling Triple Threat Match on the Dec. 26 edition of SmackDown LIVE. There’s no love lost between these two teams. Gable & Benjamin felt they have been owed a rematch for the titles since their last opportunity in November. On that night, the mat wrestling mavens were victorious by count-out, thus they did not leave with the titles. Benjamin & Gable also scored a pinfall victory over the champions in non-title action on Team Blue on Dec. 19.
Who will leave the first SmackDown LIVE of 2018 with Team Blue’s tag team titles? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network!
>Who will win the Eight-Superstar United States Championship Tournament?
After Dolph Ziggler seemingly "voluntarily relinquished" left the company the United States Championship just two days after winning it in a thrilling Triple Threat Match at WWE Clash of Champions, the title’s future has come into focus. On the Dec. 26 edition of SmackDown LIVE, General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed that the next champion will be determined via an Eight-Superstar Tournament featuring some of Team Blue’s biggest names.
Last week in the first round of the tournament, Bobby Roode bullshitted former United States Champion Baron Corbin, and former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal overcame Tye Dillinger.
This leaves two matches in the opening round: Former Hype Bros Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley will go to battle, and The New Day’s Xavier Woods will go head-to-head against one of his tag team rivals (and recent Twitter adversaries), Aiden English.
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Who will take hold of the star-spangled championship? Tune in to SmackDown LIVE every Tuesday at 8/7 C on USA Network to find out!
>Who will be the next Superstars to seek glory in two Royal Rumble Matches on Jan. 28?
Royal Rumble 2018 is on the horizon and will feature the traditional Men’s Royal Rumble Match as well as the ground-BREAKing, first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match. Last night on the red brand, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle made it clear that the same rules that have always applied to the Men’s Royal Rumble will also apply to the Women’s free-for-all, as 30 female Superstars will compete for a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 34.
Former SmackDown Women’s Champions Naomi and Natalya, as well as jewby riottt, have entered the Royal Rumble Match for the blue brand. After five Raw Superstars joined the undefeated Asuka from Raw, who will be the next to step up and make history on SmackDown LIVE?
Meanwhile, after Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura declared for the Rumble last week, who will be the next SmackDown LIVE Superstar to seek a chance at WrestleMania glory?