WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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 will air live tonight on FOX from the Legacy Arena at The BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.
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.
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.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live on FOX from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
After nearly three years with the company, “WWE SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick has officially been released, according to PWInsider. Multiple sources only recently reported that Patrick would be removed from “SmackDown,” with the reasoning that it “just wasn’t working out.” Despite this, it originally seemed there could have been a future for him in the promotion after some restructuring, especially since he was liked backstage.
A replacement for Patrick has not yet been announced.
It was also reported that Michael Cole was initially brought back to “SmackDown” to help Patrick gain his footing, but that Cole was removed from the team to determine whether Patrick could hold his own, with some believing he was not “the right person for the role”. Additionally, PWInsider says that Patrick was set to travel to attend “SmackDown” in Florida this Friday, making his release seem like a last-minute decision. Before his stint with WWE, Patrick worked as a broadcaster for Sirius XM, beIN SPORTS, CNN International, and multiple other companies. During this time, he even interviewed Liv Morgan, who he praised for her conduct during their chat.
Less than a year ago, Patrick recalled his journey to WWE during an appearance on the “Out Of Character” podcast. According to him, he received his audition call while he was shaving in preparation for an appearance on CNN International, since WWE was headhunting for broadcasters at the time. During the same interview, Patrick notably claimed that he had been trying to learn from as many industry veterans as possible.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The first WWE SmackDown of 2024 will air live tonight on FOX from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC.
WWE commentator Corey Graves hasn’t competed in years, but the former NXT Tag Team Champion isn’t opposed to a one-off return to the ring.
In a recent interview with “Steelers Takeaways“, Graves spoke about possibly returning to the ring after being medically cleared in 2020. He said,
“The transition in a weird way saved me from what could have been. Instead of grieving over the loss of my dream as an in-ring performer, it gave me something new to focus my energy on while staying in the business. I found a new mountain to climb. In hindsight it really helped me deal with that loss.
“I have a clean bill of health now, thanks. I actually got medically cleared a couple of years ago to perform in the ring again. I flirted with the idea and am waiting for a potential opportunity if it presents itself. More of a one-time ting like McAfee has done – not as a full-time in-ring performer.”
Graves currently calls the action on WWE SmackDown with Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole. His last official match for WWE took place at a March 2014 WWE NXT live event.
Source: eWn
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