For the first time since he was viciously attacked by The Shield on the Dec. 14 episode of SmackDown, Randy Orton is set to return to the blue brand tonight. ( WATCH THE SHIELD’S ATTACK) But having already dished out some comeuppance to the rogue trio on Monday night, will Orton head to SmackDown a vindicated Viper? ( WATCH THE VIPER STRIKE BACK)
Vindicated, perhaps, but still full of venom.
The Shield’s backstage assault put Orton on the shelf for nearly a month with a separated shoulder, but now the time has come for WWE’s Apex Predator to get back into the hunt. Just what that will mean for the WWE roster is left to be seen, but Orton takes his first steps when he starts the show tonight at 8/7 CT.
When Kofi Kingston collided with Wade Barrett Monday night on Raw, the bare-knuckle fighter leveled the highflier with the devastating Bull Hammer elbow to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Rather than taking his time before evoking his rematch clause, however, Kofi has opted to leap right back into the fight just four days after the loss.
Can Kofi counter the new, more brutal Barrett Barrage without taking the time to plan his next move? Or will the British Superstar leave Kingston’s days as titleholder far in the rearview?
Last week on SmackDown, World Heavyweight Champion Big Show seemingly had the entire blue brand roster lined up and ready to challenge for his title. And at the end of the night, Alberto Del Rio put up one hell of a fight in an effort to claim the championship gold. But as he’s done since his victory over Sheamus at WWE Hell in a Cell, The World’s Largest Athlete remains a formidable champion with the World Championship firmly in his possession.
But this recent onslaught of challengers begs the question: Who will step up this time to take on the giant for the title this week?
After an explosive “Miz TV” led to a thrilling tag team victory on Raw, The Awesome One looks to carry several weeks’ worth of momentum into Friday night’s best show. With more and more members of the WWE Universe behind him each time he goes out to the ring, Miz has been riding a wave of support in hopes of taking him to new heights in WWE.
So will The Miz have another awesome Friday night when he takes on Heath Slater? What part will 3MB play in the match after being ridiculed by the outspoken Superstar at last month’s WWE TLC pay-per-view?
Tamina Snuka proved she was a force to be reckoned with as Vickie Guerrero’s unofficial enforcer, but the daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka disappeared for a while, leaving the WWE Universe — and the Divas division, for that matter — to wonder just when and where she might strike again.
As it turns out, Tamina will be back in action tonight on SmackDown, and she will look to kick off 2013 with a bang. With her potential to be a dominant in-ring competitor, how will the Divas division react to Tamina’s return?