Updated Brackets For WWE's SmackDown World Cup Revealed

Onto the semi finals! WWE's SmackDown World Cup still has some heavy hitters in it.

Braun Strowman Ricochet
WWE.com

The semi finals for WWE's SmackDown World Cup have been confirmed.

Braun Strowman will wrestle Ricochet in the first semi. That comes after Braun beat Jinder Mahal in the first round last week and Rico toppled Mustafa Ali (who was selling a rib injury) on Friday night. Both men worked in a backstage confrontation to sell the size difference between them, and Ricochet even mentioned Strowman's social media dig at "flippy" high-flyers.

The other semi is Santos Escobar vs. Butch of the Brawling Brutes; Escobar beat Shinsuke Nakamura last week, and Butch won out over WarGames rival Sami Zayn on this week's show. It'd be a shocker if Bloodline interference didn't cost Pete Dunne his spot in the final before Survivor Series.

Advertisement

Perhaps the most likely final is Braun vs. Escobar then. If so, then Strowman will surely become the new number one contender for GUNTHER's Intercontinental Title. WWE teased that match by programming Braun in a six-man tag (with New Day against Imperium) on Friday.

Here's another rundown of those semis:

Advertisement

Braun Strowman vs. Ricochet

Santos Escobar vs. Butch

Advertisement

Both take place on the 'go home' edition of SmackDown pre-Survivor Series: WarGames.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.