WWE Smackdown Preview for Tonight (Oct. 9): WWE Draft Begins, Bayley vs. Banks for SD Women’s Title, Big E vs. Sheamus, More
Tonight’s episode of WWE Smackdown has a big event feel to it thanks to some of the matches they have advertised and it’s also the beginning of the WWE Draft.
With regards to the WWE Draft, WWE posted a listing of current Raw and Smackdown superstars with some being eligible to be drafted tonight while the others on the WWE roster have to wait until Monday’s Raw.
Here’s a listing of who will be drafted to Raw or Smackdown tonight with WWE posting the list.
Asuka
Sasha Banks
Bianca Belair
Dana Brooke
Humberto Carrillo
Angel Garza
Drew Gulak
Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)
The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP)
Mickie James
Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado)
Drew McIntyre
The Miz & John Morrison
Murphy
Rey & Dominik Mysterio
Naomi
The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
Roman Reigns
Ricochet
Seth Rollins
Mandy Rose
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Shorty G
AJ Styles
Jey Uso
I believe most of the picks will be shown on Smackdown while others may just appear on WWE.com after the show.
There are three big matches that WWE is advertising for Smackdown and they have been promoting them since last week’s show.
Former best friends Bayley and Sasha Banks set to battle for SmackDown Women’s Title
It’s been nearly one year since Bayley won the Smackdown Women’s Title and I would be surprised if she lost it here. I expect a DQ or countout type finish leading to a Hell in a Cell match for the SD Women’s Title. If the HIAC match doesn’t happen because they are on different brands then Banks is an obvious Royal Rumble and then can challenge Bayley for the title at WrestleMania assuming Bayley still holds it. These two always have great matches together, but I’m not sure if they’ll get the time to do that here. It will be more of an angle than a match.
Kevin Owens and The Fiend set for brand-to-brand clash ahead of WWE Draft
Owens is a Raw guy technically, but he’s facing “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in The Fiend’s first match on Smackdown. During last night’s NFL game on Fox, the only thing promoted (via voiceover by Michael Cole) was that “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt would have his first match on Smackdown. Obviously, WWE thinks that is a big deal.
It should be a win for The Fiend, who wins most of his matches. I would expect a physical match and Owens will put a fight, but it should be a Fiend win.
Big E to face Sheamus in Falls Count Anywhere Match
This seems like a feud ender with Big E getting the big win to put an end to this rivalry. They can be creative since it’s a Falls Count Anywhere Match. I also think that Big E remains on Smackdown while Sheamus goes to Raw, but it could be the opposite of that too. Obviously, both guys are top tier singles talent and they’ll be utilized wherever they are.
In addition to that, Otis represents himself in court against the ridiculous lawsuit filed against him by The Miz and John Morrison. It’s a silly storyline.
I should be around for live coverage of WWE Smackdown tonight right here on TJRWrestling. The post will likely go up about 30 minutes before the show begins and then I’ll review it all as usual. I also plan on doing a Saturday column breaking down all the draft picks as well.