WWE SmackDown: Burning Questions to Address After Jan. 31 Show

After Tuesday's WWE SmackDown, Apollo Crews and Luke Harper both stand at a crossroads. 

Crews is in the midst of a rivalry with Dolph Ziggler that may be the key for him to stop spinning his wheels. Harper changed allegiances, choosing to fight alongside John Cena rather than the patriarch of The Wyatt Family. Is that move the precursor to a climb up the WWE ladder for him?

Questions about those wrestlers' futures remain unanswered following the first SmackDown after Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

The blue brand also left fans wondering about the lack of a women's Elimination Chamber match and who Randy Orton will hunt down at WrestleMania.

Let's dig into all those questions, with an eye pointed toward the Elimination Chamber PPV on Feb. 12.

Will Feud with Ziggler Get Crews' Career Going?

To be kind, Apollo Crews' 2016 was forgettable. 

After SmackDown drafted him from NXT, the spring-legged powerhouse didn't take off as WWE hoped. He hasn't connected with fans. He doesn't have any standout matches to his name.

Is that about to change?

WWE is moving forward with a rivalry between Crews and Dolph Ziggler. The Showoff beat on Kalisto on Tuesday night before trying to yank off his mask. In came Crews to the rescue.

Crews is now positioned as the hero set to stand up to the predatory Ziggler.

The pieces will be in place for him to succeed. This will be Crews' first real storyline since joining the blue brand. His matches with Ziggler could be good, thanks to the athletic talent they have between them. 

It will be up to Crews to show he has adequate charisma to hang. And that's not something he's proved he possesses yet.

Why No Women's Elimination Chamber Match?

The stars looked perfectly aligned for the first women's Elimination Chamber match.

Six women collided at Royal Rumble. A good number of them had personal issues with each other. All WWE had to do was escalate the animosity between all of them and send them all into the steel structure to take on Alexa Bliss.

That's not going to happen.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, general manager Daniel Bryan announced that Nikki Bella will take on Natalya at the upcoming PPV. On Talking Smack, Naomi found out she will fight Bliss for the SmackDown Women's Championship at the same event.

There went the possibility of making history. 

That's disappointing. Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman was among those hoping to see the women's division collide in the chamber:

Why didn't WWE pull the trigger there? Is it concerned that fans won't want to see women in such a violent match? Is it saving that groundbreaking distinction for Raw?

The company won't reveal its mindset here, but there will be plenty of backstage buzz ahead that will help offer some clarity.

What's Next for Harper?

Luke Harper is on his own. If it wasn't clear when he clocked Bray Wyatt at Royal Rumble, it was when he teamed up with John Cena against what is left of The Wyatt Family. 

Is Harper going to move up the ladder as a solo act? Will he go after the Intercontinental Championship he once wore?

The big man has long been one of WWE's most underutilized stars. Free from The Wyatt Family and The Eater of Worlds' shadow, he should be poised for big things.

Justin LaBar of Upgruv is positive about what's ahead for Harper:

There are reasons to be wary, though. Harper's first match on SmackDown following his exit from The Wyatt Family was a loss. And he is not a part of the Elimination Chamber field.

Perhaps he will get a crack at Randy Orton at the Feb. 12 PPV, but that's likely going to be a warm-up before WrestleMania for The Viper. Victory is poised to remain a fruit Harper rarely bites into. 

Who Will Emerge to Face Orton?

Randy Orton's win in the Royal Rumble match has his spot in a title bout at WrestleMania 33 secured. The Viper now waits to see who faces him.

Six men are set to battle in what WWE calls Satan's Prison. After Tuesday's SmackDown, we know who those men will be. John Cena will defend the WWE title inside the Elimination Chamber against Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, The Miz, Dean Ambrose and Baron Corbin.

Will WWE book a Cena win to set up yet another clash with Orton? Is Wyatt going to win singles gold for the first time in his career? Is the company going to throw a curveball and set up The Miz vs. Orton?

Tuesday's SmackDown offered few hints to what direction WWE is headed. The show instead set the stage for the upcoming showdown. 

Wyatt is the most plausible option of the bunch. He and Orton have been partners of late but were bitter rivals briefly before that. And with Harper out of The Wyatt Family, it seems the group is set to crumble. But a Wyatt vs. Orton WrestleMania contest is far from a sure thing.

That's by design probably. The uncertainty surrounding the WWE Championship has infused Elimination Chamber with ample intrigue.