Any person who even remotely considers themselves to be a fan of WWE had to fully expect some big plans to be revealed for the October 4 episode of SmackDown Live, which is the debut episode on FOX. The plans are huge indeed, as the return of Brock Lesnar always proves to be a major draw (no matter how many fans refuse to admit) in an era where virtually no one by themselves is a draw anymore. This was Lesnar’s first appearance on SmackDown in about 15 years, because he hasn’t appeared once on SmackDown since making his return to WWE in 2012. He (and Paul Heyman) challenged Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship on October 4, which will be on FOX, the go-home episode before Hell in a Cell.
One has to wonder what the plan will be for Lesnar and the WWE Championship at the Pay-Per-View (I don’t see a feasible scenario where Kofi retains his title. He’s reigned as WWE Champion for much longer than anyone would have expected, and he’s been a great champion too). I can’t imagine a major title not being included at all. The Undertaker is also scheduled to make an appearance on the first episode of SD Live on FOX. This network jump is a monumental move for WWE. Well done, Vince. Triple H also deserves major credit for NXT’s move to USA starting this week.
So, Kevin Owens may not be going to NXT as many believed (he still might, given that they could use more star power with their move to USA, which begins this week). The fact is that Kevin has a legitimate case in his lawsuit against Shane McMahon could mean that they will be involved in a huge storyline heading into WrestleMania. It is just not what I would have chosen because they already had a rivalry in 2017 that ultimately led to a Hell in a Cell match in which Shane put his life on the line for a second time by jumping off the Cell. The WWE universe might quickly grow tired of seeing this rivalry play out for a second time.
AOP will imminently be a force to be reckoned with in the WWE Tag Team Division, whether they get drafted to Raw or SmackDown. They are being portrayed as intimidating freaks of nature who were too violent for UFC. WWE may want to consider drafting them to the same show as the Viking Raiders, because those two teams could do some serious damage in a match.
Another thing that’s extremely positive to see is that WWE creative is maintaining Chad Gable as a priority. He showed potential in the King of the Ring tournament to eventually develop into a Daniel Bryan-type character the WWE universe could embrace wholeheartedly and really put their arms around. Let’s hope the creative team doesn’t miss the boat with this one as they did with Rusev Day. I have a feeling that he will only be relevant otherwise for a finite amount of time. The WWE universe may not relentlessly fight for him to get pushed as they did for Daniel Bryan (Gable might not have quite as much natural and authentic charisma; Bryan truly is one all a kind.)
WWE might elect to book Charlotte Flair and Carmella, because in the recent past, Carmella hasn’t been doing anything except frantically helping R-Truth keep hold of the 24/7 Championship. It would be nice if she had something more meaningful to do.