SmackDown Live did it again on December 27. There were only three scheduled matches for WWE’s blue brand last night, but that’s all it took for their spectacular two-hour show. The entire scope of results are shown in a previous post by the Inquisitr . However, all the WWE Universe needs to focus on are the big happenings that took place in Chicago, Illinois. The show started out with John Cena doing exactly what is best: working the crowd.
There were CM Punk chants that filled the Allstate Arena, just like what occurred on Monday Night Raw , but Cena quickly derailed those and continued on to his quest of recapturing the WWE championship. If he wins another one, he’ll be one step closer to tying Ric Flair’s record of 16 separate reigns. Cena brought out his inconsistent heel attitude to call out the winner of last night’s triple threat match for the WWE championship.
The Phenomenal One ended up winning that match during the SmackDown Live main event. Before that took place, the continuation of the Miz and Dean Ambrose storyline took a better turn as Ambrose attacked the Miz while his girlfriend, Renee Young, interviewed him outside of his dressing room. WWE producers decided to keep it simple and it worked like a charm. Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch had another great Smackdown Women’s title match.
On top of that, the Nikki Bella/Natalya/Carmella triangle added a new angle. Above all else, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship changed hands as American Alpha finally captured a belt on the main roster. Despite that great moment, all eyes were on the main event as Baron Corbin, AJ Styles, and Dolph Ziggler competed in the main event for the WWE title. Styles won a great bout and retained his belt, but Cena came out to confirm his match at Royal Rumble with the Phenomenal One.
. @JohnCena offers @WWE Champion @AJStylesOrg a show of respect before their battle for the WWE Title at #RoyalRumble Jan. 29. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/IYRlQDsK0u
— WWE (@WWE) December 28, 2016
Cena is getting another WWE championship opportunity after leaving the company for several months. He and Styles feuded before Cena departed to shoot a TV series, so they will pick up right before they left off. Rumors are swirling about Cena’s WrestleMania opponent already, but the Royal Rumble hasn’t even taken place yet. He spoke to ESPN within the last 24 hours to talk about his future, both in and out of the ring.
“With any of the movies I’ve had a chance to do, or any of the TV shows I’ve had a chance to contribute to, people approach me and say, ‘Hey, would you like to do this?’ I laugh out loud and say, ‘Yes, that’d be funny,’ or I’m very moved by what I read and say, ‘Yes. How can I help you?’
“I don’t think they use a ramp on ‘SmackDown Live’ anymore, but coming out of the curtain and running to the ring on Tuesday nights, it’s going to be just as exciting as it always was,” said Cena. “I hope the audience is as excited as I am, because I never lose one bit of excitement or passion for what I do.”
Will that image above be the beginning of 2017 for John Cena? WWE fans seemed to enjoy his return to the squared circle. Even Chicago, a city that is famously known for opposing him when he faced CM Punk in 2011, was cheering for the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native. WWE officials know they have a gold mine with AJ Styles and Cena. It’s just time to see if they can write the storybook properly.
[Featured Image by WWE]