IC Title Match, "Obstacle Course" Set For Next Week's WWE SmackDown

Next week's broadcast of WWE SmackDown will see two very different challenges take place: one for championship gold, and one outside the realm of wrestling.

In a match for the WWE Intercontinental title, champion Big E will defend against a man he recently defeated in a championship match, Apollo Crews.

Crews lost to Big E in a title bout on last week's SmackDown broadcast. On the subsequent Talking Smack, a frustrated Crews said he wanted a rematch.

This week, Crews defeated Sami Zayn in singles competition, while Big E sat in on commentary. After his victory, Crews grabbed Big E's belt, leading to a confrontation. Crews eventually tossed the belt back to Big E as they exchanged words.

An obstacle course is also set for next week's SmackDown, and will pit Bianca Belair against Bayley.

Belair was the guest on Bayley's talk show premiere. There, Bayley mocked Belair's athletic accomplishments, before issuing the obstacle course challenge for next week's show.

Both Belair and Bayley have declared for the women's Royal Rumble match, which takes place on Sunday night, January 31.