Yesterday, we looked at who should be in the Smackdown World Cup Tournament. Based on the wrestlers that were chosen, there are many storylines that could come out of this tournament.
Let’s take a look at some of the potential matchups that might come in the tournament and see what the future of the wrestlers might be.
Who Should Win the Smackdown World Cup Tournament?
Based on the eight wrestlers from yesterday, the clear cut one that should win hands down is Ilja Dragunov. He is from NXT and Russia. They have had classic matches in the past and he is a known quantity with GUNTHER. There would be little that would need to be done with Dragunov vs GUNTHER to build it up.
The person that he would face in the finals would be Santos Escobar. With his in-ring talent, he and Dragunov would be absolutely stellar match.
To get this point, Escobar would go through Nakamura. He would beat Nakamura in the semifinals of his side by cheating and Nakamura would give him a receipt in the worse way by making him lose in the finals.
Sami Zayn would lose to Dragunov in the semifinals. Of course, Jey Uso will be the reason that Sami loses which would increase the disention within the Bloodline.
Apollo Crews, will lose in the first round. His opponent would be Santos Escobar. I think that It wouldn’t matter if Crews lose because he is in NXT, and this could open him up to someone in NXT starting a feud with him over being a loser.
Butch would lose to Sami Zayn in the first round which would be a way to advance the War Games storyline with the Brawling Brutes being added to the match.
Short and Sweet, Nakamura would beat Jinder in the first round. This match don’t have to have any purpose or storyline to it and it won’t lead to anything down the line… Jinder just loses.
Lastly, Madcap Moss would lose to Dragunov in the first round. This match would basically be a showcase for Dragunov and Madcap would basically just be someone who Dragunov can beat to get to the Finals.
Smackdown World Cup Wrap Up
In the past, tournaments that WWE has put on had no reason for the matchups and shallow storyline implications.
The follow up to tournaments usually don’t go anywhere either. Look at the past few King of the Ring tournaments. What was once a very prestigious tournament that catapulted the careers of many legendary and hall of fame wrestlers over the years, in recent years, it meant nothing.
With the first tournament WWE put on during the HHH era, it didn’t go as planned because of injuries.
With this one, I have confidence that the wrestlers in the tournament will be elevated (for the most part) but more importantly, there will be a positive aftermath for the key players in the tournament.
Dragunov will come out of this tournament looking like a million bucks even though he will eventually lose to GUNTHER. This can set up matchups down the road even if GUNTHER no longer have the Intercontinental title.
Let me know what you think down below and let’s watch how the tournament unfolds.
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