SmackDown airs tonight (Aug. 9) with a live show emanating from BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is the first episode of SmackDown during the four week build towards Bash in Berlin, which takes place on Aug. 31 in Germany.
The new Tribal Chief has a bigger problem to deal with than the return of Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is back in WWE, and that’s very bad news for the new Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa. The OTC already cost Solo his shot at the WWE championship at SummerSlam in what may be the beginning of a Bloodline civil war.
What’s even more troubling for Solo is that Jacob Fatu appeared to be injured when he interfered during the SummerSlam main event. Fatu was seen in a walking boot afterwards, and we don’t really know how this injury might affect his availability going forward.
Jacob is the wild card that has allowed The Bloodline to thrive ever since he debuted in June. If he is off the battlefield for a lengthy period of time, then not only can Roman Reigns steamroll through this new version of The Bloodline, but the group will have a much harder time fighting off other babyfaces like Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Cody Rhodes. If that’s the scenario Sikoa is faced with, he may need to add a new member to The Bloodline as soon as possible, such as the rumored Talla Tonga.
Depending on what the news is on Jacob’s health, WWE might also have to make a decision on the WWE Tag Team Championship. Fatu and Tama Tonga just brought these belts back to The Bloodline one week ago, but their reign could already be in jeopardy if Fatu cannot compete.
What’s going on with Jacob Fatu’s health? We should find out the answer to that question on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
The rest of tonight’s card
Roman Reigns is back on SmackDown for the first time since the build to WrestleMania 40. There are a lot of topics the Original Tribal Chief might address when he has the microphone in his hands tonight.
Does he plan to go to war with Solo Sikoa’s version of The Bloodline ASAP? If so, will he bring back Jimmy Uso to fight by his side? Is Roman more focused on winning back the top prize in the business from Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes? Does he have an update on how the wiseman Paul Heyman is doing? Will he make any references to The Final Boss? How will Reigns react to a babyface reception from the live audience in Tulsa?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
- LA Knight is the new United States champion, and hopefully he’ll be in the ring tonight for his first promo on SmackDown as the champ. YouTube douchebag Logan Paul has threatened legal action against Knight and says he’ll see him in court after what he did to his PRIME-branded vehicle last week, so their story might not be over quite yet.
- Blair Davenport might have a death wish, because she ruined the end of last week’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match and cost Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill their shot at the gold. What will Bianca and Jade do tonight in order to pay her back? Is this angle setting up a six-woman tag match with Naomi joining the babyfaces to fight Davenport and the Unholy Union?
- Queen Nia Jax is the new WWE Women’s Champion after crushing Bayley at SummerSlam. Will Bayley come looking for a rematch in Berlin, or should Nia have eyes in the back of her head on Tiffany Stratton and her Money in the Bank contract?
- WWE commentators are starting to talk like Carmelo Hayes is a busted draft pick after his latest loss to Andrade. How does Carmelo plan to turn his luck around?
- Now that SummerSlam is in the rearview mirror, is it finally time for AJ Styles to return to SmackDown television?
- Is Legado del Fantasma back on track after Santos Escobar’s victory over Apollo Crews last week?
- What do Austin Theory and Grayson Waller have to say after Jelly Roll humiliated them at SummerSlam?
- Where the f*** is Giovanni Vinci?
What will you be looking for on SmackDown?
