WWE SmackDown: Live Results, Reaction and Analysis for December 20

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of the Dec. 20 episode of WWE SmackDown.

According to WWE.com, this week's show will see both the WWE and Intercontinental Championships defended. AJ Styles will put the WWE Championship on the line against James Ellsworth, and The Miz will put the IC title up against Apollo Crews.

Also being hyped for Tuesday is an appearance by Shooter star and lifelong WWE fan Ryan Phillippe. Following Randy Orton's guest appearance on his show last week, it will be interesting to see if WWE has Phillippe interact with The Viper, especially since Orton is currently embracing the dark side.

The first pay-per-view of 2017 will be The Royal Rumble, so we should begin seeing stars from the blue brand announce their intent to enter that marquee Battle Royal.

Will Dean Ambrose impact the outcome of the WWE title match?

Is it time for Crews to take the next step in his career with an IC title win?

Who really attacked Nikki Bella at Survivor Series?

Does Beckly Lynch deserve another shot at the Women's Championship?

And lastly, will Orton and Phillippe get along, or will the Hollywood star suffer an RKO?

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back Tuesday night at the start of SmackDown at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network. Bleacher Report will have answers to these questions and coverage of all the action.

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.