Battle royal set for July 4 episode of WWE SmackDown
There will be a battle royal on next week’s July 4th episode of SmackDown to determine the next challenger for Kevin Owens’ United States Championship.
The Independence Day battle royal was announced by Daniel Bryan during a backstage segment last night, with the winner going on to challenge Owens for the US title at Battleground on July 23rd. Bryan revealed that AJ Styles would be one of the entrants in it.
A “rap-off” segment between The Usos and The New Day is also advertised for next week. It will further the build to The Usos defending their tag titles against The New Day at Battleground.
John Cena returning to SmackDown as a free agent has been what WWE has hyped most for the July 4th episode. Cena hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since WrestleMania 33 in April due to taking time off to work on film projects.
The Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona will host SmackDown next week.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.