‘WWE SmackDown’ Preview: Road To ‘WrestleMania’ For John Cena, Miz, AJ Styles

With just over a month before WrestleMania 33, the only WWE Superstar from the SmackDown LIVE roster that officially has a match booked for the biggest PPV of the year is WWE Champion Bray Wyatt — and his opponent hasn’t even been named. While it appears that John Cena will be teaming with Nikki Bella to face The Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania, it’s still unclear whether AJ Styles, Luke Harper and/or Randy Orton will be challenging Bray Wyatt for the most prestigious title in professional wrestling.

The main event scheduled for this week’s WWE SmackDown LIVE is supposed to clear everything up in regards to Bray Wyatt’s opposition at WrestleMania 33. Since last week’s battle royal was officially ruled a “draw” between Harper and Styles, they will go one-on-one this week to determine the true No. 1 contender. Of course, the fact that Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble Match and then backed out of his opportunity to face Bray Wyatt will almost definitely come into play, meaning Wyatt will probably defend the title in a Triple Threat Match.

As far as other championships go on the blue brand, Alexa Bliss won back the SmackDown Women’s Championship last week after defeating Becky Lynch in an impromptu title match. It’s still unclear, however, if the title will be defended at WrestleMania 33. And when it comes to the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, The Usos look to make a move on American Alpha, as they continue to milk their new heel turn for all that it’s worth.

Then there is Dean Ambrose, the WWE Intercontinental Champion, who continues to run into problems with Baron Corbin. All signs point to Corbin challenging Ambrose for the IC title, with The Lone Wolf hoping to build on his WrestleMania resume after winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. And even though it is a title that belongs to the red brand, 205 Live will certainly address Neville vs. Jack Gallagher on Tuesday night, which will ultimately decide who is the WWE Cruiserweight Champion headed into WrestleMania 33.

And just as everyone expected, the pieces began to fall into place last week for a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 33: John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse. Whether they make it official this week or not, the story arc will almost certainly move forward.

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Updated WWE WrestleMania 33 Card

• Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg (confirmed)
• Bray Wyatt (c) vs. AJ Styles/Luke Harper — WWE Championship Match (tentative)
• Kevin Owens (c) vs. TBD — Universal Championship Match (tentative)
• The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns (unconfirmed)
• The Big Show vs. Shaquille O’Neil (unconfirmed)
• Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin — Intercontinental Championship Match (unconfirmed)
• American Alpha (c) vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (unconfirmed)

With over a month before WWE WrestleMania 33, the only match confirmed for the event before this week’s WWE SmackDown LIVE is the match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg — and even that could be changed to a Universal Championship Match before April 2. WrestleMania 33 will air live on Sunday, April 2, from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. As more information is confirmed, it will be updated at WWE’s official WrestleMania 33 preview page.

Where To Watch WWE

WWE WrestleMania 33 will air live on the WWE Network on Sunday, April 2, preceded by the WWE WrestleMania 33 Kickoff.

The show 205 Live, featuring the best of WWE’s Cruiserweight Division (though technically a part of the Monday Night Raw brand), airs weekly on the WWE Network at 10/9c on Tuesday nights, immediately following SmackDown. Replays of WWE 205 Live are available to stream as soon as the show airs.

WWE SmackDown LIVE airs Tuesdays on the USA Network at 8/7c. Replays of WWE SmackDown aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a replay of SmackDown LIVE is available to stream on-demand Wednesdays via Hulu. WWE Talking Smack begins at 10:45/9:45c on the WWE Network and is immediately made available to stream on-demand.

[Featured Image by WWE]