Every week, WWE has so much programming to sift through that it can sometimes be tough to keep track of what is going on. Our weekly WWE preview series highlights every in-ring show of the week, from 205 Live to Pay-Per-Views. This week features a big episode of Monday Night Raw, while SmackDown Live kicks it into gear for this Sunday’s Clash of Champions event.
Monday Night Raw (12.11.17)
There are a ton of matches announced for Raw tonight, but the biggest story here surrounds former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann. Over the weekend, Swann was arrested for a domestic violence related incident and was indefinitely suspended until further notice. Two weeks ago, Swann won a Fatal Four-Way match that put him in a #1 Contender’s Match tonight against Drew Gulak, but since that cannot happen, it will be interesting to see how WWE proceeds.
Now onto the matches. Every Shield member is involved in a singles match tonight, providing for some exciting matchups. Seth Rollins takes on Sheamus for what seems like the 300th time, Dean Ambrose takes on Samoa Joe for the first time, and Roman Reigns defends the Intercontinental Championship against current Raw Tag Team Champion Cesaro. Also, Braun Strowman and Kane will hopefully close the book on their rivalry when they clash tonight. The winner will go on to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble event.
Outside of matches, there are tons of story-related questions to ask. Now that Matt Hardy is officially “Woken,” what effect will that have on Raw and how will Bray Wyatt respond? Who will be the next challenger for the Raw Women’s Championship? Lastly, what is next for Absolution, and have they already found their first target in Asuka?
SmackDown Live (12.12.17)
This is the last episode of SmackDown Live before the blue brand hosts Clash of Champions this Sunday. Most of the matches are already set, so this week will be a matter of seeing who goes into the Pay-Per-View with momentum. The only match for the show that does not surround championships involves Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Shane McMahon made himself the personal referee for their match against Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton, and if they lose, they will be fired. To give a little preview of that match, Owens will go one-on-one with Nakamura.
205 Live (12.13.17)
Raw should announce a match or two for 205 Live this week, but one thing we know for sure is that Enzo Amore will return to the “Zo Show” this week. Also, maybe they will have a definitive answer for when Hideo Itami will debut.
WWE NXT (12.13.17)
NXT tonight is full of championship action. The #1 Contender’s tournament for the NXT Championship continues as Aleister Black takes on Adam Cole, which could help cement both men’s WWE careers even further.
For the first time since winning the title at NXT TakeOver: War Games, Ember Moon will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Peyton Royce. During the Fatal Four-Way Match at TakeOver: War Games, the referee failed to count a 14-second long cover that Royce had on Nikki Cross because it was setting up for Kairi Sane’s In-Sane Elbow Drop.
Clash of Champions (12.17.17)
As always, there will be a more detailed Clash of Champions preview later this week, but here is what to expect in terms of matches. The theme of the show is that every championship on SmackDown Live will be defended. Two title matches are rematches from the past month, while the others are a Triple Threat Match and a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Match for some guaranteed chaos.
- Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn – Shane McMahon as Special Guest Referee; If Owens and Zayn lose, they are fired
- Baron Corbin (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler – United States Championship
- Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Natalya – SmackDown Women’s Championship
- The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin vs. Rusev & Aiden English – SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- AJ Styles (c) vs. Jinder Mahal – WWE Championship
