With John Cena and Roman Reigns on WWE’s injured reserve list, Dean Ambrose has been given the opportunity to step into the spotlight. He’s already working a program with crossover athlete Brock Lesnar that’s scheduled to culminate in a Street Fight at WrestleMania 32 . Then, on WWE Raw , he had an altercation or two with Triple H that resulted in The Lunatic Fringe earning a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WWE Roadblock .
But working two simultaneous main event angles comes at a price. After beatings from both The Game and The League of Nations on Monday night, Ambrose finds himself up against the WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens in the main event of WWE Thursday Night SmackDown . On top of that, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch go at it again to try to earn their way into a WWE Divas Championship match at WrestleMania , and AJ Styles is in action to further the feud between Y2AJ and The New Day.
SmackDown spoilers are currently available for tonight’s show, but a spoiler-free preview follows. Following the spoiler-free match list, a deeper look at WWE’s official SmackDown preview is presented. This episode of WWE Thursday Night SmackDown , airing on the USA Network on March 3, was taped in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 1.
#TheBoss & #LassKicker discuss their upcoming match at #SmackDown with @MichaelCole https://t.co/l19eXNrisR pic.twitter.com/6Ul5B4ugxC
— WWE India (@WWEIndia) March 3, 2016
- Dean Ambrose addresses the WWE Universe to open SmackDown
- The Usos vs. The League of Nations (Rusev and Sheamus)
- Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz
- Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch — the winner faces Charlotte at WrestleMania 32 for the WWE Divas Championship
- AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston
- Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens
Is a win for @AJStylesOrg and @IAmJericho “in the cards?” #RAW #TheNewDay #GotHisNumber https://t.co/quISLJifIg
— WWE (@WWE) March 1, 2016
In addition to those matches tonight, WWE.com has published a five-point SmackDown preview that gives the WWE Universe an idea of what storylines and feuds will be featured on tonight’s show.
Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks II to determine the No. 1 contender
After their match on Raw ended in a double-pin ruled as a draw, Charlotte informed the two potential title contenders that they would have to go toe-to-toe again on SmackDown .
This week’s episode of Total Divas featured the match in which Charlotte’s title reign began. Now she will be defending the WWE Divas Championship in her WrestleMania debut. The question is, who will her opponent be?
Kicking off SmackDown with a little lunacy
As if it hasn’t gotten him into enough trouble already, Dean Ambrose will have a mic in hand in the middle of the ring as WWE SmackDown gets started. In the middle of feuds with both Triple H and Brock Lesnar, there’s probably a lot he needs to get off his chest.
After a beatdown by the #LeagueOfNations , @TheDeanAmbrose still had a few punches leftover for @TripleH ! #RAW https://t.co/gRO7E9vT9N
— WWE (@WWE) March 1, 2016
Of course, it’s a rare occasion that a WWE Superstar has a mic in hand and they aren’t interrupted. The WWE Universe is probably safe to assume the usual course of action on SmackDown tonight.
Phenomenal possibilities
Since debuting at Royal Rumble 2016 , AJ Styles went from working against Chris Jericho to teaming up with Y2J in an attempt to take the WWE Tag Team Championship from The New Day.
#Y2AJ – WWE fans react to Chris Jericho and AJ Styles as a tag team (Details: https://t.co/3wYhylRR0y ) pic.twitter.com/YgDrkstPwX
— IWNerd.com – WWE Predictions! (@InnerN3rd) March 1, 2016
While Y2AJ have a title shot coming on Monday, Styles goes one-on-one with Kofi Kingston tonight.
Take two for The Miz and Dolph Ziggler
The Miz and Dolph Ziggler have both struggled as of late to remain relevant. While both have reached heights that most wrestlers only dream of, they’re both far from the main event these days.
Is @MikeTheMiz building towards another @WrestleMania moment? #RAW https://t.co/B7BEqLhIqK
— WWE (@WWE) March 1, 2016
The Showoff lost in rather quick fashion on Raw . Assuming he gets the receipt tonight, where do these two WWE Superstars go from there?
Uso Crazy clashes with The League of Nations
WWE hasn’t really clued the WWE Universe in on what they plan to do at WrestleMania with tag teams like The Usos and The League of Nations — and for that matter, The Dudley Boyz and the Lucha Dragons as well.
NEWS BREAK! Special behind the scenes footage of Sheamus bullying his League of Nations “friends.” https://t.co/9NtNDJGs6F
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) February 25, 2016
Will one of these teams be next in line for the WWE tag titles, whether they’re being held by The New Day or Y2AJ?
Where To Watch
USA airs WWE Thursday Night SmackDown at 8/7c. While they are not made available on the WWE Network for several weeks after they air on USA, replays of WWE SmackDown are available on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription starting Friday.
[Image via WWE ]