London SmackDown Jumpstarts a New Title Chase After McIntyre's Return

WWE SmackDown taped in London features Drew McIntyre returning to address his title reign post-Three Stages of Hell, a tease of Cody Rhodes’ Royal Rumble path, and four #1 contender qualifiers (Orton vs Miz, Cardona vs Trick Williams, Damian Priest vs Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn vs Ilja Dragunov) with the winner earning a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at Royal Rumble. Carmelo Hayes issues a United States Championship Open Challenge, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair win the women’s tag match, and Jacob Fatu’s involvement adds heat as the title picture begins to tighten before the Rumble.