WWE SmackDown: Burning Questions to Address After July 26 Show

After the first WWE SmackDown following the draft, we know Becky Lynch has a number of fights ahead of her. But we don't know what she and her rivals are fighting for.

WWE had a wealth of housekeeping items to take care of as it transitioned into another brand-split era. The rosters are in place, and the commentary teams are set, but the championship situation is up in the air. Tuesday's SmackDown didn't clear that up in the slightest.

Dolph Ziggler doesn't have to worry if there is a championship waiting for him at the end of the road. He won a Six-Pack Challenge to earn a match against Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship.

The question surrounding him is more of a philosophical one. As the New Era marches on, are we going to see more challengers of Ziggler's ilk? 

Tuesday's SmackDown also left fans wondering what rung Rhyno will stand on and just what is up with The Ascension.

Is the Ziggler Push a Sign of Things to Come?

Monday's Raw ended with the shocking visual of Finn Balor beating Roman Reigns. The next night, WWE handed a world title shot to a man it had seemingly given up on in Dolph Ziggler. 

Is this one final shot for The Showoff? Is the choice to crown him No. 1 contender a precursor to more surprising, bold moves?

Former member of WWE Creative Seth Mates tweeted about the company catering to its diehard fanbase:

"

1st step = winning internet core fans. Hence Ziggler and all the NXT folks.

— Seth Mates (@SethMates) July 27, 2016"

Ziggler has long been a guy who many members of the Internet Wrestling Community have pulled for. WWE finally listened on Tuesday night. That could be something we see more of on both shows.

AJ Styles is getting quite the push. Ambrose, an IWC favorite, is the WWE champ. And now both Balor and Ziggler have title shots awaiting them at SummerSlam, while guys who fans have pushed back against—such as Kane and Big Show—aren't in line for anything. 

Hopefully, this isn't a momentary way to sell the present as the New Era. Laying out opportunities for guys who connect with the crowd is smart business. 

Are The Vaudevillains and The Ascension Doomed?

Even with the tag team division split into two, WWE seems intent on treating The Vaudevillains and The Ascension as doormats.

During the Battle Royal to qualify for the WWE World Championship No. 1 Contender's match, Simon Gotch, Aiden English, Viktor and Konnor all made for easy prey. In seconds, Gotch was the first man eliminated. His tag team partner wasn't far behind.

Kane took out both members of The Ascension at the same time.

While only one Superstar can win the Battle Royal, there are often small victories along the way that go to other wrestlers. On Tuesday, Kane manhandled much of the competition, Zack Ryder battled his way to a near-win and Kalisto had a number of highlights by way of his gravity-defying arsenal.

None of those moments went to anyone from these two struggling tag teams.

Does that serve as a preview of what to expect from them? ProWrestling.net doesn't have a high opinion of the two duos:

SmackDown only has a handful of teams, so one would expect WWE to try to rehab The Ascension and kick-start The Vaudevillains. For now, that doesn't look to be the case, but what each team's trajectory looks like in the coming weeks is something to keep an eye on. 

Where Will the Veterans Fit?

The SmackDown roster is set to undergo changes even after the draft is over.

WWE announced on Tuesday that Shelton Benjamin is heading back to the blue brand. Rhyno charged back into SmackDown, making an example out of Heath Slater. 

These former WWE stars will add instant depth and electricity to the show. Suddenly, SmackDown boasts a three-time intercontinental champion in Benjamin and a former ECW heavyweight titleholder in Rhyno.

But where will they sit in the pecking order?

WWE can either implement them as key figures as it did when bringing back Chris Jericho, or it could use them more as a bridge to the future. That's more of the role The Dudley Boyz have played. The newcomers from NXT and WWE's emerging talent would benefit in a big way from scoring wins over Benjamin and Rhyno.

Somewhere in the middle of those roles is the sweet spot WWE should shoot for.

Rhyno trampling over wrestlers at the bottom of the food chain makes sense, but it would be foolish to have him overwhelm someone like Apollo Crews time and time again. His and Benjamin's star power is valuable to the brand if used to help catapult the next generation.

What Are SmackDown's Women Fighting for?

After Becky Lynch finally dispatched of her rival, Natalya, on Tuesday night, she shook her fist in excitement and shouted, "Just call me Becky Balboa, baby!" 

That victory moved her up the ranks, but to what end? With the Women's Championship a Raw property, just what defines the mountaintop for her and her peers?

And when Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Carmella and Eva Marie all cut in on her celebration, they all seemed to be saying not to forget about them, that they are in the running to be SmackDown's top woman. But will that be an abstract concept, or will the blue brand add a separate women's title?

That's how Raw handled not having a world championship on its show. WWE hasn't yet mentioned, however, how it will handle the lack of a title in the women's division on SmackDown. 

A new championship is the simple solution. The alternative is to be more creative in order to add stakes to the matches between Lynch and the rest of the division.

WWE can either lean more on stories where wrestlers fight for pride and over personal issues or bring in tangible trophies. The company can produce a female version of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal or the King of the Ring tournament. 

The path WWE has planned will soon come to light. With SummerSlam on the way, WWE has to set up the parameters of its world and decide what holy grail the SmackDown women are chasing.

Unless Lynch and her rivals are set to be left out of the summer blockbuster.