Tonight’s Christmas Eve edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will not air live. The episode was taped this past Friday from the Allstate Arena near Chicago, IL
* SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Toni Storm
* 12 Days of Christmas Gauntlet Match to determine the new #1 contender to WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura
* Miracle on 34th Street Fight: The Usos and Madcap Moss vs. Drew McIntyre and The New Day
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Allstate Arena near Chicago.
Universal Champion Roman Reigns returns to SmackDown this Friday
“The Samoan sabbatical is over this Friday. After taking a week away on a night that saw Brock Lesnar wreak more havoc on the blue brand by attacking Sami Zayn yet again and hunting down WWE Official Adam Pearce to tell him a rather threatening story, Universal Champion Roman Reigns is set to return to Friday Night SmackDown. What will The Head of the Table have in store? How will he respond to The Beast’s latest actions on the road to their championship showdown at WWE Day 1? Find out live on SmackDown this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!,” WWE wrote in their official preview for tonight.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles as the road to WWE Day 1 continues.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas as the road to Day 1 continues.
What will happen when Brock Lesnar returns to SmackDown this Friday?
Last week’s SmackDown saw Sami Zayn win a Black Friday Battle Royal to become the new #1 contender to Reigns, and there should be a follow-up to that this week.
It’s also expected that Kofi Kingston will return to TV tonight to assist King Xavier Woods. Kingston had taken some time off to be with his wife for the birth of their third child, but he returned last week in a dark main event.
There’s no word on if the top blue brand match for WWE Day 1 will be announced tonight, but it’s possible after this week’s RAW led to Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. WWE Champion Big E being announced for the New Year’s Day pay-per-view.
The post-Survivor Series edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live tonight from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.
WWE previously teased SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Toni Storm for tonight’s show, but that match is not currently listed in the official preview.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the XL Center in Hartford, CT with the go-home build for Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Sasha Banks looks for payback in a showdown against Shotzi
It was also announced last week by Ridge Holland that Sheamus will be returning to the blue brand tonight. The Celtic Warrior recently moved to the blue brand in the WWE Draft, but has been away since late September after undergoing another nose surgery. It looks like Holland will be teaming with Sheamus, for a potential feud against Cesaro, unless they pull a swerve and go with Holland vs. Sheamus instead.
It’s believed that tonight’s show will see the final member of the men’s Team SmackDown revealed for the 5-on-5 Traditional Elimination Match at Sunday’s pay-per-view. Sami Zayn was pulled from the team last week.
Toni Storm was named as the final member of the SmackDown women’s team. Sonya Deville pulled Aliyah from the team last week.
It’s interesting that no RAW Superstars are being advertised for tonight’s Survivor Series go-home edition of SmackDown, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a big RAW vs. SmackDown angle tonight
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.
WWE has announced just one match for tonight’s show and that’s a non-title bout between King Xavier Woods and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. This will be for the control of the blue brand.
It’s believed that tonight’s SmackDown will also feature the in-ring TV return of Sheamus, but that has not been announced as of this writing.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
WWE has not announced any matches for tonight’s SmackDown, but a teaser for the show asks if The Bloodline can maintain control over the new era of the blue brand.
“In the wake of King Woods & Sir Kofi’s victory over SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos in a Champion Contender Match, can Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline maintain their stronghold on the blue brand? Find out this Friday at 8/7 C on USA,” WWE wrote.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns did not appear on last week’s SmackDown broadcast, but he did work the dark main event. It’s likely that he will be back on TV this week.
Sheamus is rumored to return to action on tonight’s SmackDown. He recently underwent another surgery for his broken nose, and is scheduled to be back to work this week. The Celtic Warrior was recently drafted back to the blue brand, and was featured in a recent backstage vignette.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will air on FS1 due to MLB World Series coverage on FOX. The show will air live from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
WWE has not announced any matches for tonight’s show, but they are advertising that the new era will continue from last week.
Superstars advertised to appear by WWE tonight include WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, The New Day, Sheamus, Cesaro, and Drew McIntyre. The arena also has WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura listed, plus a dark main event with Reigns and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. McIntyre and The Street Profits.
Last week’s SmackDown featured teaser promos from blue brand newcomers Ridge Holland, Aliyah, Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo, and Sheamus, so it will be interesting to see if they are used on tonight’s show.
Tonight’s show should also see the arrival of a new blue brand ring announcer as Greg Hamilton was released this past week. There is no word on who will replace him.
FS1 will air two encore presentations of SmackDown tonight. The first replay will go head-to-head with AEW Rampage. SmackDown will air on FS1 from 8pm until 2am tonight.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE has reportedly released SmackDown’s ring announcer, Greg Hamilton.
WWE has parted ways with ring announcer Greg Hamilton. The reason for his departure remains unclear at this time.
2021 has been an incredibly busy year for WWE when it comes to releasing its employees. More than 50 have been shown the door already during this calendar year, and it seems you can now add another name to that list. According to PWInsider, Greg Hamilton, the ring announcer for SmackDown on Friday nights, has been let go.
The news comes after Hamilton removed any mention of WWE from his Twitter bio earlier this week and made his account private. Fans who noticed that wondered whether Hamilton had been released by WWE and apparently, that is indeed the case. Hamilton’s Instagram page still reads he is a WWE employee and links to his company page at this time.
The reason why Hamilton has been released from his contract currently remains unclear. However, the timing of it seems incredibly coincidental. The announcer was involved in quite a public clash with rapper Westside Gunn. Gunn is a big wrestling fan and used a sample of Hamiltion’s voice on one of his latest tracks.
Gunn didn’t clue Hamilton in on this beforehand, angering the announcer. Hamilton publicly threatened legal action on Instagram via a number of posts and replies to comments that have since been deleted. At one point, Hamilton threatened Gunn by saying if he didn’t contact him and his lawyer to settle and resolve the issue, he would employ the help of WWE’s lawyers instead and take the rapper to court.
Again, it is currently unclear why WWE has released Hamilton. His recent comments towards Gunn might be completely unrelated. It’s also possible Hamilton requested his release from the company, although it’s unclear why he would do that. Unless the two things are linked and the announcer didn’t have the backing of his employers after threatening to use their legal team for all to see on social media.
Source: TheSportster
Earlier today, Hamilton posted a statement, calling his release “a mutual respect departure.” Hamilton noted family is his priority and being on the road all year was too much.
“After six years and 52 weeks a year, it’s time to say ‘goodbye,’” Hamilton wrote. “First and foremost, don’t let the internet or social media gas you up; this was a mutual respect departure from a great company. Nothing but respect from both sides. It’s business. Also understand that what you see on social media is exactly that. It’s not real life. Especially for your favorite Superstars. They are human beings with real lives, and INCREDIBLE human beings. The hate, the bullying…that is read and internalized by real human beings…not characters. That needs to be said for my friends.
“And as I get older, my mother is in her 70’s; my sister Jessi, who has cerebral palsy…those are my priorities. Not chasing fame, not being on television. 52 weeks a year became too much. Without our mental health, we have nothing. But man…what a ride. There are truly no fans like the #WWEUniverse. Wow. Six continents over six years; embracing your love and passion has truly changed me as a person. I am forever grateful.”
Hamilton worked for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and the Miss America organization before coming to WWE, and did other TV work for FOX, NBC and CBS in various key markets.
No word yet on who will replace Hamilton on SmackDown going forward.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
