WWE SmackDown: Burning Questions to Address After Dec. 27 Show

AJ Styles has run WWE SmackDown for much of 2016, but his reign atop the blue brand is suddenly in danger.

John Cena's arrival may be poised to rearrange the SmackDown hierarchy. The powerhouse set his eyes on Styles' WWE Championship as soon as he stepped back onto the stage.

As a result, Tuesday's SmackDown ended the year with uncertainty lingering around Styles' future. 

The show left fans wondering about a good number of other developments, too. Who helped Alexa Bliss keep the SmackDown Women's Championship around her waist? Is The Wyatt Family doomed to fall apart? What does Carmella have in mind for her new love interest?

These are the biggest questions to emerge from a stellar show. Read on as we dig into each of them, looking for answers as SmackDown marches into 2017.

Who Was La Luchadora?

Becky Lynch fooled Bliss last week by calling herself La Luchadora and wrestling under a mask a la The Midnight Rider. On Tuesday night, though, that made-up grappler emerged while Lynch was in the ring.

Lynch was in the midst of taking on Bliss for the women's title when the masked woman appeared to help the champ retain.

It looks as if the SmackDown women's division has another mystery on its hands. Who was under the mask? Is she working for Bliss, or does she have an agenda against The Lass Kicker?

Recently re-signed Mickie James likely wasn't La Luchadora. The unknown woman's skin was darker than James'.

But fans should note that WWE isn't always consistent in these situations. As Justin LaBar of Upgruv wrote, "Remember folks, whoever was physically in the costume this week doesn't mean that they will be the person that eventually gets revealed and unmasked."

This could eventually end up being how Eva Marie makes her way back to SmackDown. Whoever ends up being the mystery woman, the Lynch-Bliss story just got more interesting.

Where Is the Carmella-Ellsworth Angle Going?

For the second week in a row, Carmella and James Ellsworth had a connection.

The Princess of Staten Island stood up for the lovable loser backstage. She also expressed some interest in him, calling him "uniquely attractive."

Are we headed for a romance angle? Or is this a finely laid trap for Ellsworth?

It's hard to tell at this point, as WWE has only offered peeks at this relationship thus far. 

Even so, Cageside Seats predicted things will end poorly:

Carmella manipulating Ellsworth like some wicked puppet master is a far more interesting route to take than to just have these two flirt with each other. There's a chance here to help establish Carmella as a heel and make Ellsworth even more sympathetic.

Are Orton and Harper on a Collision Course?

Randy Orton and Luke Harper may soon devour each other, despite being on the same team.

Infighting haunted The Wyatt Family after its loss to American Alpha on Tuesday night. Orton and Harper crashed into each other during the closing moments of Tuesday's Four Corner Elimination match.

That opened the door for Chad Gable and Jason Jordan to secure a win, knocking off the champs.

Orton and Harper looked more angry with each other than they were at American Alpha. Wyatt had to step in between them. 

Is an implosion on the way? Will Wyatt have to choose between aligning with Orton and Harper?

Those two bickered when The Viper first entered the stable. It was inevitable that they would be at each other's throats. And now, WWE looks to be headed in that direction in a hurry.

The company would be wise to hold off on the split, building more tension along the way. But at this pace, if The Wyatt Family makes it to the Royal Rumble in one piece, it will be a surprise.

Is Styles' Reign Poised to Be Over?

John Cena is back, and his next big bout is already booked.

The powerhouse challenged the winner of Tuesday's Triple Threat match for the WWE title to a showdown at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29. Styles retained the gold against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin to set up another bout against Cena.

Will the company move the WWE Championship onto Cena ahead of WrestleMania? Or will it continue to commit to The Phenomenal One? 

History says Cena will prevail. He has won 15 world titles to this point and is due for another one.

Plus, WWE is going to want its current star to surpass Ric Flair's record of 16 world titles. That's a newsworthy feat sure to happen eventually.

Should Cena take SmackDown's top spot during WrestleMania season, Styles' spot on the card becomes less clear. His stellar 2016 should have him nab a high-profile bout, title or no title.