Category: SmackDown

The Rock Acknowledges Roman Reigns, Lays Out WrestleMania Challenge On WWE SmackDown

Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns may be pulling double duty WrestleMania 40 weekend, following Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson issuing a challenge with set stipulations during the opening of Friday’s “WWE SmackDown.” The Rock also acknowledged his cousin, Reigns, as his Tribal Chief during the segment after Reigns interrupted Rock’s iconic “if you smell” catchphrase.

Rhodes had previously challenged the Rock to a one-on-one match during “The Grayson Waller Effect” at Elimination Chamber. Rollins did him one better and said he would team with Rhodes to take on the Rock and Reigns. On “SmackDown,” Rock said he wouldn’t be facing Rhodes one-on-one because everyone wants to challenge “The Great One.” He did challenge both Rhodes and Rollins to the tag team match the World Heavyweight Champion previously suggested at the premium live event, but with added stipulations.

Rock said that if Rhodes and Rollins win on WrestleMania Night One, the Bloodline would be barred from ringside during Rhodes’ match for Reigns’ title on Night Two. However, if the babyface team loses, Rock said the title match would be a “Bloodline Rules” match where anything goes. Rock said he was giving Rhodes the option to accept the challenge, but if he doesn’t, he said he is going to make sure Rhodes does not win the title.

There’s currently no word on if Rollins and Rhodes will acknowledge the challenge on “WWE Raw” on Monday, but Rhodes is scheduled to appear on the next three episodes of “SmackDown” alongside the Rock on the “Road to WrestleMania.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/1/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the sold out Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

  • Fallout from Elimination Chamber
  • The Bloodline to appear with The Rock and Roman Reigns
  • Cody Rhodes to appear
  • Non-Title Match: Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors ((Kairi Sane and Asuka) vs. Bayley and Dakota Kai
  • Street Fight: Santos Escobar vs. Carlito
  • I would expect LA Knight retaliate against AJ Styles for his assault on Knight at Elimination Chamber

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/23/2024

WWE SmackDown will air tonight on FOX, taped last from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • Tiffany Stratton vs. Liv Morgan
  • Bron Breakker vs. Dante Chen
  • New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) vs. The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh
  • Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) vs. The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins)
  • LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
  • The Bloodline to appear

WWE Star Shotzi Confirms Severity Of NXT Knee Injury, Offers Possible Return Timeline

With the WWE crew heading overseas for Elimination Chamber this week, the company pre-taped this week’s episodes of “WWE NXT” and “WWE SmackDown” last Tuesday and Friday, respectively. As a part of the second taping for “NXT,” “SmackDown” star Shotzi was slated to challenge Lyra Valkyria for the “NXT” Women’s Championship. Unfortunately for Shotzi, her title pursuit would be cut short, as she sustained a knee injury in the midst of the action.

Following the news of her injury, Shotzi confirmed the severity of it in a lengthy Instagram post, in which she can be seen lying in a hospital bed. “I tore my ACL which means I will be out of action for about nine months,” Shotzi wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has checked up on me. I am so sorry if I haven’t responded. I am just extremely devastated and angry. Some of you know, I have been through a lot the last few years and it has been so hard to keep up with what I think is expected of me and honestly my mental health had been at an all-time low. But I’ve pushed through, and I was feeling motivated and like myself again. I was hoping to go to NXT to prove myself again, earn some respect, build back my confidence, and start putting the heartache from the past two years behind me.”

While she may feel defeated right now, Shotzi noted that the setback has also sparked a greater sense of motivation. As she now looks ahead at her recovery journey, Shotzi intends to utilize her time off the road as an outlet to not only grow physically stronger, but mentally as well.

Following her title shot against Valkyria, Shotzi was scheduled to battle Tiffany Stratton in a Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match on last week’s episode of “SmackDown.” Due to her injury, though, Shotzi would be unable to compete, prompting WWE to name Zelina Vega (who was previously set to face Naomi) in her place, while Naomi took on Alba Fyre instead.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/16/2024 – The Rock & Roman Reigns

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • The Rock and Roman Reigns will appear.
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: WWE Champion Logan Paul vs. The Miz
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Alba Fyre vs. Tiffany Stratton
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Naomi

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/9/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

  • WWE Tag Team Title No. 1 Contender Match: Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa)
  • Nick Aldis announces Logan Paul’s next challenger
  • Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Bianca Belair vs. Michin

The Rock Appears To Replace Cody Rhodes As Roman Reigns’ WWE WrestleMania Challenger

Cody Rhodes will not be facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 after all. Instead, it appears Reigns will be facing his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, following the events of “WWE SmackDown.”

“The Tribal Chief” took to the microphone Friday night in anticipation for Rhodes’ WrestleMania opponent announcement. Reigns responded to World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ recent plea to Rhodes, and dismissed Rollins’ self-appointed title of “the guy” and Rollin’s complaints regarding Reigns’ schedule, among other things. Reigns finished his rebuttal by claiming that he wasn’t “going to beg” Rhodes for his attention like Rollins did.

Reigns ultimately did not need to beg, as Rhodes made his entrance shortly thereafter. Tensions were high between the two, to the point that Rhodes dismissed Jimmy and Solo. Initially, Rhodes spoke with the implication that Reigns was his WrestleMania choice, and that the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was not a Hollywood title, as Rollins claimed, but was “the title that was put into [his] father’s hands at Madison Square Garden, and then swiftly taken away”. Rhodes openly pondered if his story would be finished when he dethroned “The Tribal Chief”, or if his story would be finished when he took “everything” from Reigns. All the pieces were nearly aligned for a Rhodes and Reigns WrestleMania rematch.

Then, Rhodes said that he would not dethrone Reigns at WrestleMania. Instead, Rhodes claimed he spoke to a person Reigns knew intimately.

Like clockwork, all of Birmingham was prompted to smell what “The Rock” was cooking, and the recently-appointed TKO executive came strutting down the ramp. Rhodes shared a brief moment with “The Rock” as Johnson pulled him in to whisper something in his ear. Rhodes then took his leave. “The Rock” stared down “The Tribal Chief”, who was holding onto his title just a bit more tightly. “WWE SmackDown” then went off the air, with neither men having said a single word to each other.

While there was no confirmation regarding Reigns’ plans for WrestleMania 40, the general consensus is that he will be facing “The Rock” instead of “The American Nightmare.” Johnson has previously expressed desire to face his cousin at some point, and the idea of a family feud headlining WrestleMania 40 has been lurking in the background of Reigns’ entire Undisputed WWE Universal Championship run. It is to be noted that Johnson never specifically expressed desire for a title opportunity. Rhodes’ cryptic claim that he could dethrone Reigns at a time other than WrestleMania adds into the complexity of the situation. 

In the last moments of the show, WWE promoted a WrestleMania 40 press conference for Thursday evening, February 8.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/2/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Legacy Arena at The BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

  • Fallout from the Royal Rumble
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to appear
  • Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bayley will select her WrestleMania opponent
  • Men’s Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes to appear
  • WWE United States Champion Logan Paul to appear

According to Pwinsider, Tiffanny Stratton will be at the SmackDown event at the show. However, it is still uncertain whether she will make an on-camera appearance or participate in a dark match.

Trick Williams, along with former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and two-time NXT Champion Bron Breakker, are all set to be at the show. 

Wade Barrett To Join Corey Graves On SmackDown Announce Team

It was revealed last night on “WWE Raw” that Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will be the commentary team on Monday nights going forward, with the former NFL player replacing Wade Barrett. According to PWInsider, Barrett will now move to “WWE SmackDown” and work alongside Corey Graves. It’s said that Graves will become the lead play-by-play announcer for the show, while Barrett will be the color commentator. 

The changes have been made following the release of former “SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick last week. Patrick initially joined WWE as a backstage correspondent, but later moved to the announce booth, calling “Raw” and later “SmackDown.” However, the Irish-born commentator had been under the microscope as the lead announcer on “SmackDown,” with WWE reportedly deciding it “just wasn’t working out” for him. Despite being assigned the role of leading the commentary team on “SmackDown,” there were some behind the curtain who allegedly believed that Patrick wasn’t suited for the role.

Meanwhile, Cole and McAfee are reunited behind the desk after appearing together on “SmackDown” between 2021 and 2022. In a past interview, Cole mentioned working with McAfee had reinvigorated his love for the business. McAfee returned to WWE this past Saturday at the Royal Rumble, joining Cole and Graves at the commentary table. He also briefly entered the men’s Royal Rumble match as entrant #22. For Barrett and Graves, it will be the first time the duo has worked together at the announce desk in WWE. Barrett previously worked as a color commentator with Cole and Patrick, respectively, on WWE’s main roster.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/26/2024

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live on FOX from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

  • LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa
  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Katana Chance & Kayden Carter (c) vs. Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory
  • Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits to come face-to-face with The Final Testament
  • Carlito vs. Santos Escobar