WWE‘s Friday Night SmackDown is back again! This time, they are in Hollywood and have announced a stacked show. We are now firmly on the road to WWE Day 1 – a new pay per view event set to take place on New Year’s Day (January 1), 2022. Going off of tonight’s card, it is becoming clear which SmackDown feuds will lead into matches to join Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns (a match confirmed last week at the expense of Sami Zayn) at Day 1. If you are among those of us wishing for Toni Storm to challenge Charlotte Flair, then you might not be disappointed, as they meet on SmackDown tonight with the potential to meet again at Day 1. After tonight’s show, it should become crystal. As always, let’s dive right in and assess what’s on offer from SmackDown tonight.
Brock Lesnar Will Be in Attendance
Brock Lesnar has been announced as appearing in Hollywood for tonight’s show. Last week, he cost Sami Zayn a shot at the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns’, Universal Championship at Day 1. This week, he is set to address Roman Reigns and their upcoming match Day 1. Might we expect an angry Sami Zayn appearance? Most likely. However, should he appear to confront The Beast, it likely won’t end well for him. Expect some kind of brawl.
Non-title Match: Toni Storm Vs. Charlotte Flair
Just a couple of weeks ago, Toni Storm was left humiliated by Charlotte Flair on the Thanksgiving edition of SmackDown. As has become a near-yearly tradition (seriously, will we ever find out who threw the pie at Kevin Owens all those years ago?), someone had to get a pie thrown in the face. Unfortunately for the young New Zealander, she was on the receiving end of the high calorie attack from Flair this time around. However, just last week, a rare act of revenge was enacted as Storm unloaded with a pie attack of her own; humiliating the self-proclaimed Queen of the WWE. This week, there is the opportunity to settle some scores, as they meet in the ring in a non-title match. Should Toni Storm win, then she will be given a future title shot. It might be worth adding Charlotte versus Toni to your New Year’s calendars.
Xia Li Set to Debut
Let’s be honest: we are all worried about this one. In recent years, WWE has not had the best track record with debuting former NXT stars on either Raw or SmackDown. Now being dubbed as “The Protector” in vignettes, WWE’s Chinese star is taking on a different, comic book inspired character. Let’s hope she is more of a Punisher than a Nikki A.S.H. There is a lot of potential in Xia Li and with everyone wanting to break into the Chinese market, the WWE will no doubt be looking for Xia to get off to a hot start.
Non-title Tag Team Triple Threat: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & King Xavier) Vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) Vs. Team RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle)
Mixed points about this one. Firstly, this is going to be a terrific match (and is clearly designed to take the thunder away from the hottest debut in pro wrestling history, as Hook debuts on AEW Rampage) as all men involved have excellent chemistry with each other – in addition to all being excellent workers. Secondly, why are the Raw Tag Team Champions, Team RK-Bro, appearing on SmackDown? Brand split be damned. Anyway, as mentioned, this is going to be good fun; a real gem of a match. It is ultimately a way to make an Usos and New Day match feel different as, despite their history of stellar performances, they’ve wrestled each other a lot over the years and there is the potential for it to grow tiresome. With the two teams set to clash at Day 1, it would make little sense for them to face off in a regular match here. Still, this is an excellent way to draw eyes to SmackDown this week.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
