WWE‘s Friday Night SmackDown is back for the first time since last Saturday’s polarizing Royal Rumble event, which saw Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar win their respective Royal Rumble matches, as well as the presumed, real-life firing of one-time heir of the company, Shane McMahon. It has been a busy week for the WWE since the event, both within and outside of “kayfabe”, and therefore tonight’s SmackDown will be a welcome opportunity to move news stories onto what goes on in the ring. We have just one segment advertised ahead of the show, so let’s dive in and see what’s on offer.
Ronda Rousey to Make First Ever SmackDown Appearance
So, the sole segment for tonight is a Ronda Rousey appearance – her first ever on the SmackDown brand. Though she initially received a very positive reception in the Royal Rumble, and announced in a post-show backstage interview that she would not “fall for” the support of the WWE universe this time around, her reception on this week’s Raw was lukewarm – with many noticing the “piped-in” crowd reactions during her promo segment. The thing is, Rousey is one of the WWE’s most mainstream stars (though, much like Brock, she was outshone by the severely underrated, and even more mainstream, Bad Bunny) and it is natural that, immediately upon her return, she would be thrown into the title picture. With the presumed WrestleMania rematch with Becky Lynch seemingly off the cards (great news for Bianca Belair), we may now get to see Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in a one-on-one match at WrestleMania, something which, you might recall, was the original intention a few years ago. On tonight’s show, we might get confirmation of Rousey vs. Flair. Expect them to prolong the uncertainty, however.
Not Announced But Expected For SmackDown
– At last Saturday’s Royal Rumble event, Paul Heyman turned on Brock Lesnar and realigned himself with Roman Reigns – costing Lesnar his WWE Championship in the highly-anticipated singles match with Bobby Lashley. This week, we might just expect Paul Heyman to reveal all. Was this a long-term plan? Did something happen behind the scenes at the Royal Rumble? Did Brock not buy the rounds at the local pub? Heyman shall reveal all.
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