The top match at the upcoming WWE house shows has been changed from six-man tag matches to singles matches and it’s becoming more clear what the direction will be for the top storyline on WWE SmackDown after Day 1.
As previously noted, Drew McIntyre was scheduled for six-man tag matches at house shows where he would team with The New Day against Roman Reigns and The Usos.
The house show line-ups have changed and the top matches for the January shows will feature Drew McIntyre taking on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Universal Title match at Day 1. The story with McIntyre is that he feels that he was robbed of a title shot when he was not included in the Black Friday battle royal a few weeks ago.
McIntyre vs. the Universal Champion is scheduled for several shows in January and while the card can always change, this would indicate that the plan is for Roman Reigns to retain the title this Saturday at Day 1 and defend it against McIntyre at the Royal Rumble PPV. Lesnar does not wrestle a house show schedule so it’s unlikely that McIntyre vs. Lesnar will be happening next month.
Dave Meltzer previously reported that the Reigns/Lesnar feud will not end on Saturday because they have one more match scheduled for WrestleMania in Dallas. Reigns has been kept off house shows this week because the company wants to protect the key matches. The Universal Title match at Day 1 is crucial for the direction of the storyline.
On the Raw side of things at the house shows, they will be doing rematches for the WWE Championship featuring Big E defending against Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley.
