April 4th Smackdown Preview: Now What?

Tonight is the Smackdown Live after Wrestlemania. Traditionally not a “big event” but with Smackdown pulling doing numbers equal to or greater than Monday Night Raw, there should be a fair amount of surprises and big news coming out of tonight’s broadcast.

Here’s what we’ll have an eye on.

Phenomenal

AJ Styles and Shane McMahon shocked everyone at Wrestlemania 33 and may have put on the match of the night. Afterward, Shane paid a lot of respect to the wrestler many consider to be the best in the world.

So what happens with Shane and AJ now? Presumably, Shane goes back to his Commissioner duties, but does this match lead to the Phenomenal One getting a title shot?

Keeping The Hype Up

Mojo Rawley (with the help of Gronk) won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania. Now what? If the past is any indicator, nothing. The previous three winners haven’t done much with their victories. But we’re in a “New Era, ” so maybe things will change. Mojo would certainly be within his rights to use the victory to demand a title shot of some sort. Maybe against IC champ Dean Ambrose? I can’t think of two more contrasting styles.

The Snake and the Devil

Randy Orton withstood some of the most intense head games ever seen in a Wrestlemania match to overcome Bray Wyatt and re-take the WWE title. Wyatt will almost certainly get a re-match at SD Live’s next PPV. The Eater of Worlds isn’t one to let a defeat stop him. He has more tricks up his sleeve. This is probably the most psychologically deep program going on WWE television right now. It might be a bit out there for some viewers, but I love it.

Oh yeah, Smackdown has a tag division

The only main-roster title not defended at Wrestlemania was the Smackdown Tag Titles. The Usos won the belts off of American Alpha in an impressive match that had many thinking WWE would change their minds. Instead, all of the members of the SD Live Tag division were relegated to the Andre The Giant Battle Royal. This is a sure sign that the division is anemic and in need of a boost. The Revival would have been a good addition, but they debuted last night on Raw. However, with next week’s “Shake-up” a lot could still change. The Usos are fresh and relevant, and American Alpha is the most athletic team with the most potential, and the “Fashion Police” are the current embodiment of taking chicken poo and turning it into chicken salad. And there’s the Ascension, a team with a great look that never got a chance on the main roster. Let’s hope they use the reset tonight and next week to give this division a much-needed boost.

She Said Yes!

Now that John Cena has officially put a ring on it, what is next for the WWE’s power couple? I doubt we’ll get a “traditional” wrestling wedding out of this.

With Total Divas returning on Wednesday, I suspect the relationship will continue to remain the spotlight

Debuts and Returns?

There are still several potential debuts to come tonight. Shinsuke Nakamura and Andrade Almas are both expected to be called up soon. Both could debut tonight, or maybe they’ll be saved for next week’s roster mix-ups. Shelton Benjamin was advertised for a return early on but was sidelined with an injury. He’s announced that he is cleared for work, meaning he could come back tonight. As for other debuts and returns? Your guess is as good as ours. There are plenty of NXT stars and nostalgia acts that WWE can go to.

What are you looking forward to on Samckdown Live?