Most Intriguing Storylines to Track on Road to WWE Super Show-Down in Australia
As WWE keeps adding more events to the schedule, it's easy to lose track of everything—even if you're watching every bit of programming the company puts out.
With the Mae Young Classic, Mixed Match Challenge, Hell in a Cell fallout, Evolution build and now Crown Jewel, the most immediate upcoming event, Super Show-Down, is getting a bit lost in the shuffle.
October 6 is quickly sneaking up on us, and the build to the big event in Australia will be in fast-forward mode to make up any lost ground while WWE's attention was on Hell in a Cell.
Granted, much of the card consists of rematches and continuations of established feuds, which makes it easy for WWE to be on autopilot and coast until the show.
However, for those who have been out of the loop, let's take a look at some of the most interesting things happening to set up the Super Show-Down special.
The Full Card as Currently Scheduled
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There is still time to add more matches to the event's card or make tweaks to the lineup, but the event is scheduled to feature the following bouts:
- The Undertaker (with Kane) vs. Triple H (with Shawn Michaels)
- The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler
- AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship
- Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship
- Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz in a No. 1 contender's match for a future WWE Championship shot
- Ronda Rousey and The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad
- The New Day vs. The Bar for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens and Elias
- Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy for the Cruiserweight Championship
- The IIconics vs. Asuka and Naomi
Anything can change over the next few episodes of Raw, SmackDown, 205 Live and more, so keeping that in mind is important as we watch some of these feuds unfold and new twists and turns are introduced to increase the hype.
Let's dive deeper into some of the bigger storylines being told.
The Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation X
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Whether you're the type of fan who is angry WWE is somewhat depending upon nostalgia by having Triple H vs. Undertaker as the biggest selling point of this event or you're someone who is just looking forward to seeing two legends clash, there's no debate that this has been given the most amount of the spotlight.
At first, this had no story to it. It was just announced out of nowhere, and that was it.
However, its billing as the last time the two will meet has become the driving force of this feud, with Triple H and Undertaker both claiming they will put the other one down for good.
Since then, a slew of legends have chimed in on which man they're backing, which prompted Shawn Michaels to enter the fold. That's where things got personal.
Instead of just backing his friend and wiping his hands of the situation, Michaels found himself back in the deathly gaze of The Deadman as the two recounted their battles from WrestleMania XXV and XXVI, the latter of which being The Heartbreak Kid's final match.
With Michaels in The Game's corner, Undertaker decided to balance out the scales and announce his brother, Kane, would make his return as well.
This has become an unofficial tag team affair between The Brothers of Destruction and D-Generation X, which is something we may see become a reality at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. All signs indicate Michaels will come out of retirement to settle the score.
That, in itself, is monumental. So while this is advertised as the last match between The Phenom and Triple H, it may lead to something even bigger for November 2.
The Quartet in the WWE Championship Title Picture
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The hunt for the WWE Championship no longer consists of simply AJ Styles looking over his shoulder for Samoa Joe. Now, Daniel Bryan and The Miz are officially in the mix.
It was confirmed on SmackDown Live that when The Miz and Bryan clash at Super Show-Down, it will be in a No. 1 Contender's match, with the winner getting a shot at the WWE title at a time that has yet to be established.
This means that when we attempt to predict what will happen between Styles and Joe, The Miz and Bryan have to be included in the formula when it comes to guessing the direction in which WWE will go afterward.
Logic dictates that Joe—the bigger and stronger of the two, who desperately needs validation and a boost in credibility on the main roster—will defeat Styles. After all, he has a disqualification win and an unofficial submission victory over the champion.
Coinciding with that, it seems about time for Bryan to be on top in his feud against The Miz, having lost at SummerSlam and Hell in a Cell. In both instances, he lost by dubious means, but he still came up short according to the record books.
That combination seems to point to a future match between Joe and Bryan, possibly at Crown Jewel. But it doesn't rule out Styles vs. The Miz, either.
WWE would be wise to book a tag team match involving the four competitors on the go-home SmackDown before Super Show-Down to push these stories closer together.
These are two of the biggest and most personal feuds WWE has going on, and if there can be any crossover to spice things up, it would surely be worth checking out.
What's Next for Becky Lynch's Failed Heel Turn?
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Try as they might, WWE is failing miserably at convincing the audience to boo Becky Lynch in favor of Charlotte Flair in their feud over the SmackDown Women's Championship.
The heel turn at SummerSlam didn't go over as planned, and ever since, fans have continued to cheer The Irish Lass Kicker no matter what she does.
WWE's gut reaction to force this narrative was to have her insult the fans, but it didn't work. Nor has anything else the writers have tried.
What's interesting is that this approach has softened, and Lynch looks less like a villain at times. However, it won't be long before WWE tries to circle back to pushing the champion as the heel.
It's almost as if the writers may be conflicted on which story they want to tell and can't decide whether she should be the same old Lass Kicker with more of a chip on her shoulder or totally evil.
At Hell in a Cell, Lynch won her match with Charlotte fair and square. She didn't resort to cheating to get the championship, which is what WWE would normally do to illustrate someone is the heel.
Then, on the most recent edition of SmackDown, all ambiguity was thrown out. The commentary team adamantly pushed the viewpoint that she was a horrible human being throughout the championship coronation promo segment.
Still, despite emphasizing Charlotte was supposed to be the sympathetic babyface, the crowd firmly chanted for Lynch. Now, the ball is in WWE's court to respond.
Will the coming weeks consist of the same stubborn approach to Charlotte that WWE has had with Roman Reigns, with the story the company wants to tell ignoring the fans?
Or will WWE play it smart, suck it up, admit failure and try to tell a more nuanced story where it's OK to root for Lynch?
When all is said and done, how this dynamic balances out by Super Show-Down will also have lasting effects for Evolution on October 28, so it's important WWE figures out a solid direction.
How Will WWE Utilize the Australian Superstars?
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By all accounts, a match like The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre is supposed to be on a list such as this. It's obviously something WWE considers much more important than most of the rest of the card.
It isn't particularly intriguing, though, as we've seen what there is to offer, and we know it's just a match in which there will be no payoff because the Triple Threat at Crown Jewel on November 2 follows it.
But what does happen to be interesting involves two of the least valued matches on the card—at least as far as how WWE views things.
205 Live is never given the spotlight, and its Superstars are perpetually shifted to pre-shows or aren't featured at all on pay-per-views. But this time around, Buddy Murphy is challenging for the Cruiserweight Championship.
Hailing from Melbourne, it's almost a given that he will receive an enormous reaction—perhaps one of the biggest of the night.
With Drew Gulak losing his second attempt to best Cedric Alexander, he will need to step aside as WWE puts more spotlight on Murphy ahead of Super Show-Down.
Will WWE try to make him as strong of a heel as possible, only to know it will backfire in Australia, or will it just roll with the punches and let the fans have fun?
The same goes for The IIconics, who are both from Sydney and seem to be staying true heels but will also probably get a better reception than Asuka and Naomi.
This may be why Asuka looked so strong against Billie Kay and why we could see Naomi score a victory over Peyton Royce soon—to make them look strong in the U.S., where they'll be cheered, before they lose at Super Show-Down and are booed.
Despite how dense WWE can seem, management isn't foolish enough to not realize the value in having these Australian stars on the card. As such, the weeks before the event could see all three Superstars receive dramatic boosts to help them pick up some steam before Super Show-Down.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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