WWE SmackDown: Burning Questions to Address After November 15 Show

The 900th episode of WWE SmackDown grabbed hold of the audience with intriguing developments.

The Miz reclaimed the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler just days before a title showdown at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Rivals Nikki Bella and Carmella worked together against a common enemy. And Undertaker's appearance was more cliffhanger than cameo.

What will the next chapter of all these stories look like?

Is The Miz set to reign for a long stretch? Will Bella and Carmella's tenuous alliance last during Sunday's PPV?

The Deadman's speech on Tuesday night implied a shift in his place on the roster. He threatened the male SmackDown Survivor Series team—but in vague terms. What exactly did he mean by all that?

From what's ahead for the IC title to Undertaker's message, let's dive into the biggest questions to come out of Tuesday's SmackDown.

What's the Future of the Intercontinental Championship?

With an assist from his wife, Maryse, The Miz knocked off Ziggler on Tuesday night. The heel then left the building as IC champ once more and is set to face Sami Zayn at Survivor Series with the title on the line.

If Zayn wins, Raw will yank the IC title from SmackDown. 

Was The Miz's win a means to clear a path to that switch? Or will Zayn somehow get entangled with The Miz and move shows?

Wrestling Inc has a theory about what will go down at Survivor Series, with Zayn moving to the blue brand:

That's a possibility.

But it's hard to tell what WWE has in mind. The fact that the cruiserweight title is on the line and could move to SmackDown opens the door for both titles to find new homes. The Miz's continued animosity toward general manager Daniel Bryan suggests a trade could be in the works as well.

What's certain is that Zayn and The Miz will put on a hell of a match, and WWE has generated buzz around the IC title heading into Survivor Series.

When Will Natalya's Latest Ill-Fated Gimmick End?

What did Natalya do to get stuck with the worst ideas WWE Creative comes up with?

Her recent gimmick of quoting pop lyrics as part of conversations continued on Tuesday's SmackDown. This time, she went with the words to Chumbawamba's 1997 hit "Tubthumping."

The coach of the SmackDown female Survivor Series team left Alexa Bliss perplexed. Bliss shouted, "Chumbawamba? Really, Natty?" She spoke for much of the audience there.

What is WWE thinking here? How does this help Natalya? 

The former Divas champ deserves better.

WWE can't drop this latest shtick soon enough. Exploring a cocky side of her from being named coach has more potential. The same goes for an angle where she feels left behind in the New Era, with women like Bliss getting more attention.

Will Brand Loyalty Be Enough?

How strong is Carmella's love for SmackDown? Is it powerful enough to keep her from choking the life out of her own partner at Survivor Series?

On both Raw and SmackDown, the Survivor Series squads have dealt with ample internal strife. Rivals have had to align.

It's hard to imagine Carmella and Bella making nice, though. Moments before they fought off an invasion of Raw's women, The Princess of Staten Island was trying to send Bella back to the disabled list as she worked over her surgically repaired neck.

The fight for brand pride was enough to get Bayley to attack a defenseless Bella on Tuesday night. It was enough for The Usos and American Alpha to squash their animosity for the moment.

But someone is bound to turn on an ally at Survivor Series with all the tension on the six teams. Carmella is the best bet to play that role.

What's Next for Undertaker?

When Undertaker arrived as an uninvited guest on Talking Smack, he made two statements that left fans buzzing.

He talked about coming home to SmackDown, noting that WrestleMania doesn't define him anymore. He then threatened the AJ Styles-led Survivor Series team. If it failed, it would rest in peace.

Those words have to be parsed.

A 51-year-old Undertaker isn't going to start wrestling full-time. And he's not going to kill the SmackDown squad if it loses. So what did his statements mean?

As John Canton wrote for TJR Wrestling, "It sounds as though he's going to commit to more of a regular schedule." That likely means he'll work all the major PPVs and a handful of the lesser ones. He'll probably wrestle a handful of matches on TV but won't be asked to be a workhorse.

As for his threats, WWE may have just wanted to add stakes to the bout, even if they are vague. This situation could also set up Undertaker's next rivalry.

Should someone cost SmackDown the win, they can expect The Deadman to be in their face. With John Cena still on hiatus, the best bet for that spot is WWE world champ AJ Styles.

WWE could set up a marquee match at the Royal Rumble should Styles slip up at Survivor Series and anger Undertaker as a result.