NXT star to compete on next week’s WWE SmackDown
Joe Hendry will be on the final SmackDown of 2025.
During Friday’s taped show, The Miz appeared in Nick Aldis’ office upset about getting laid out by Hendry at Saturday Night’s Main Event, suggesting he wanted to have a match with him. Aldis agreed to it, setting the stage for next week.
It was also announced that Ilja Dragunov will have another open challenge for his United States Championship. He and Carmelo Hayes emerged victorious on this week’s show, defeating DIY in a tag team match. Prior to that match Dragunov and Hayes were talking when Tama Tonga appeared in the background, apparently still interested in getting a future title match.
Drew McIntyre will also make his return to SmackDown next week. Technically, McIntyre is still suspended but will be reinstated if he pays a fine and apologizes to referee Dan Engler for the assault that led to his suspension. Once reinstated, he will not only get a WWE Championship match, but Cody Rhodes will not be able to touch him until the match takes place due to Rhodes assaulting McIntyre at his home over the weekend.
Next week’s SmackDown is being taped tonight along with this coming Monday’s episode of Raw. Following tomorrow’s AAA Guerra de Titanes event, WWE will be done with their television for the rest of the year.
WWE SmackDown (December 26)
- The Miz vs. Joe Hendry
- United States title open challenge: Ilja Dragunov defends against TBA
- Drew McIntyre returns
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.