We are just two nights away from one of the most exciting WWE events of the year – Royal Rumble. No matter your (perfectly justified) feelings towards the weekly WWE product, there is no show in the pro wrestling calendar quite like Royal Rumble. This year’s show promises to be yet another exciting event filled with surprises to kick off the Road to WrestleMania. Before then, however, we have the matter of a go-home episode of SmackDown from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, to attend to. Let’s dive into the preview.
Tag Team Match: The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) Vs. Happy Corbin & Madcap Moss
With King Woods currently out with an injury, Big E has been drafted in to provide some much-needed assistance to his New Day comrade, Kofi Kingston, in his feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss. This feud is going nowhere, fast. WWE’s excuse for the current messiness of the brand split, that “anything can happen during Royal Rumble season” is nonsense, too, because it is the same excuse which was provided during Survivor Series time. No doubt, the same excuse will be used for WrestleMania season, and then for SummerSlam season. So, why do we even have a brand split? Anyway, Big E – that guy who was WWE Champion just a few weeks ago – has arrived to help Kofi in a battle with Happy Corbin (remember when Broken Baron Corbin was the best thing in the WWE?) and Madcap Moss. Enjoy.
Singles Match: Naomi Vs. Sonya Deville
This feud has been going on for months now. However, to the WWE’s credit, it at least makes a (tiny) bit of sense and it at least showcases some of its female talent in a prominent storyline on SmackDown. It has presented Sonya Deville as a conniving, arrogant authority figure trying to undermine Naomi because, it seems, she feels threatened by her. So far, the creative department has done a good job in keeping them apart – breaking away from the usual WWE tactic of repeating the same match over and over. Tonight, they finally collide. Should the match go ahead as planned, and Deville not weasel her way out of a contest with Naomi, it has the potential to be a solid match. However, we can expect something to happen – this is a feud likely to continue on towards WrestleMania, so do not expect tonight to be the blow-off to this lengthy rivalry.
Not Announced But Expected For SmackDown
– Expect Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins to meet one last time ahead of their match at Royal Rumble this Sunday.
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