WWE SmackDown: Burning Questions to Address After March 21 Show

The big picture for WrestleMania 33 is set, but a number of details remain unclear, even after Tuesday's WWE SmackDown Live. 

The massive April 2 pay-per-view is fast approaching. There's little time to sort out some of the event's minor elements.

We know that Shane McMahon will collide with AJ Styles and that Baron Corbin will take on Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship. Those matches became official during Tuesday's show, but just what kind of battles await those men is uncertain.

The nature of those stories suggests brutal, weapon-heavy bouts are on the way.

As for American Alpha, the duo entered the night as SmackDown's tag team champs but left empty-handed. What's worse is there's no guarantee either Chad Gable and Jason Jordan or newly crowned Usos are headed to The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Other big questions to emerge from Tuesday's SmackDown concern Bray Wyatt's momentum and commentator Mauro Ranallo's nonappearance. Let's dive into those plus the unknowns surrounding American Alpha and the blue brand's two bitterest feuds, breaking down the latest leg of the Road to WrestleMania.

What's Going On with Ranallo?

Tuesday's SmackDown was minus Ranallo, as the announcer missed his second straight show.

David Otunga, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Tom Philips handled commentary duties without him. Tim Fiorvanti of ESPN.com noted Ranallo's absence:

The SmackDown commentary team mentioned that Ranallo was off sick before quickly moving on. Last week, WWE told fans that travel issues kept him from working the show.

Is there something else going on here? Are these cover stories for something more serious?

Ranallo has been vocal about his mental health issues, so it's understandable for fans to have concerns in a situation like this.

It's not smart to jump to conclusions, though. Little is known about this situation, but more is sure to emerge soon. It's hard to keep backstage secrets in wrestling today.

Here's hoping Ranallo is just fine and will hop back into his seat at the commentary desk soon.

Will American Alpha Get a WrestleMania Rematch?

American Alpha couldn't keep its hands on the gold ahead of WWE's biggest event of the year. The Usos defeated Gable and Jordan for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on Tuesday night. 

Jimmy and Jey Uso dethroned the champs with the help of some underhanded tactics, using the ring rope to hit Jordan with a low blow.

What now? Will American Alpha get a chance at payback at WrestleMania, or was this an early payoff to this story? As of this writing, there is no SmackDown tag titles bout scheduled for The Show of Shows.

Every other championship has a showdown on the card. There is a strong possibility American Alpha and The Usos miss out on the PPV, pushed out of the way by a long list of other clashes.

Perhaps WWE is hesitant to make an announcement on the SmackDown tag belts because it is waiting for some other WrestleMania elements to shake out.

Chances are that American Alpha vs. The Usos is a backup match in case there's time to fill.

Are Stipulations Ahead for Key SmackDown Matches?

McMahon vs. Styles is the battle between a daredevil with no regard for his health and a vicious man looking to hurt his boss. The Corbin vs. Ambrose feud, meanwhile, has seen the former crush the latter with a forklift.

On Tuesday's SmackDown, both stories charged toward their conclusions.

McMahon drove Styles through a table by way of diving elbow drop. Ambrose rode into the ringside area on a forklift before battering The Lone Wolf.

Both bouts could benefit from a gimmick, but neither has been announced with a stipulation. Will that change before WrestleMania? Will McMahon vs. Styles be a Steel Cage match? Will Corbin and Ambrose battle in a Street Fight? 

It would make sense to go that direction in both cases.

McMahon's bread and butter is jumping from high places and taking insane amounts of punishment. That's hard to exploit in a standard contest.

The best fit for Corbin and Ambrose's clash would be something that could build on the backstage attack involving the forklift.

This isn't Extreme Rules, though, so WWE is likely to one choose one of these matches to elevate via gimmick.

Can WWE Maintain Its Momentum with Wyatt?

The story of Wyatt and Randy Orton's animosity for each other has been unsettling, compelling TV.

For years, WWE was hit-and-miss with The Eater of Worlds' booking, but this rivalry has seen the writing team hit its stride. The feud has been creative, odd and, at times, has veered in unexpected directions.

That was true on Tuesday night, when Wyatt, flocked by a horde of men in sheep masks, cornered Orton backstage.

The scene didn't overstay its welcome. It added another strong visual to this story. It increased the bad blood between the two men.

Is this trend going to continue? Has WWE begun to understand Wyatt's value and figured out how to present him?

The fact he's in a high-profile spot on the WrestleMania card is a hell of a sign. The attention and energy he's been getting from the bookers is too.

It's looking more and more like The New Face of Fear will emerge from The Show of Shows as not only the champ but a marquee component in the SmackDown machine. LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club wrote: "This could finally be Wyatt's time."

A bad loss to The Viper would change that in a hurry, but for now, it's looking like the blue brand has fully embraced its resident dark preacher.