INQUISITR.COM / Sports

WWE News: New Champions Crowned On ‘SmackDown,’ Two New ‘WrestleMania’ Matches

By Danny Cox
Published on: 14:08 PST, Mar 21, 2017

With only three episodes their two major brands left to go until WrestleMania 33, it was expected that tonight’s edition of SmackDown Live would be a busy one. Well, WWE certainly didn’t disappoint as things got off to a quick start with one new match for WrestleMania being confirmed and another put in place later on. Oh yeah, there were also new champions crowned in the very first contest of the night as well.

First things first: Mauro Ranallo missed a second straight episode of SmackDown Live, but that is yet another big story with a lot of information missing. Getting past that, there is so much more that took place early on in the night and as things continued throughout.

One of the biggest things to happen was the crowning of new champions as The Usos were able to defeat American Alpha to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions. As recapped by the official website of WWE, things became rather chaotic near the end of the bout but Jey nailed Jason Jordan with a superkick for the win and the belts.

Many have wondered if the SmackDown Tag Team Titles would have any place on the card for WrestleMania 33, but there is still no official word on that. With one more episode of SmackDown Live to go until the big pay-per-view (PPV), it is still possible that one could be added to the card.

Later on in the night, Baron Corbin took on Randy Orton in a singles match, and it didn’t end so well for the “Lone Wolf.” Just as things were going his way, Dean Ambrose drove out into the arena on a forklift and caused enough of a distraction for Orton to nail an RKO and pick up the win.

After the contest, Ambrose revealed that he was granting Corbin his Intercontinental Title Match at WrestleMania 33 and things would get rough in Orlando, as reported by Wrestling Inc.

That IC Title Match wasn’t the only addition to the WrestleMania 33 card, though, as the opening segment saw AJ Styles accept Shane McMahon’s challenge from last week. Daniel Bryan may have fired Styles for his vicious attack on Shane-O Mac, but the former WWE Champion was back and ready to be placed in his second-ever WrestleMania match.

At the end of the night, Styles was waiting in the parking lot, but McMahon called him to the ring and the “Phenomenal One” made his way out into the arena. That led to a violent brawl between the two which ended with McMahon delivering a flying elbow and slamming Styles through the announce table.

That kind of ending could lead to a stipulation being added to their match before the PPV.

Current card for WrestleMania 33:

  • WWE Universal Championship: Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
  • WWE Championship: Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton
  • SmackDown Live Women’s Championship: Alex Bliss (c) vs. Women’s division
  • Raw Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax
  • United States Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens
  • Raw Tag Team Championship: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows (c) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus or Enzo Amore & Big Cass
  • Intercontinental Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin
  • WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries
  • John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
  • Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
  • The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
  • Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
  • Hosts: The New Day

Rumored matches which could be added to WrestleMania 33:

  • Non-Sanctioned Match: Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
  • SmackDown Live Tag Team Championship

WrestleMania 33 is obviously going to be the biggest event of the year and it just keeps on growing with each passing show. Tuesday night’s SmackDown Live not only had new champions crowned, but they also gave fans two huge new matches for the gigantic pay-per-view. AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon and the Intercontinental Title match add a lot of star power to the card, but will The Usos have the chance to defend their newly won championship?

[Featured Image by WWE]

Share this article: WWE News: New Champions Crowned On ‘SmackDown,’ Two New ‘WrestleMania’ Matches
smackdown shane mcmahon dean ambrose aj styles The Usos baron corbin
More from Inquisitr