Report: Roderick Strong scheduled for dark match at WWE SmackDown
Update —
LA Knight defeated Roderick Strong in a dark match before Friday’s SmackDown.
**********
NXT’s Roderick Strong looks to be set for a dark match at tonight’s SmackDown.
PWInsider reported today that Strong is backstage at SmackDown and scheduled for a dark match tonight. The show is being held at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
PWInsider also reported that NXT roster member LA Knight is backstage at SmackDown.
The previous two weeks, Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have faced each other in dark matches at SmackDown. Ciampa and Dunne have also wrestled on WWE’s tapings for Main Event before Raw both this week and last week.
Strong was in action in the main event of this week’s NXT, losing to WALTER. After the match, WALTER announced that his new name is Gunther.
Strong’s Diamond Mine stable is currently feuding with WALTER’s Imperium faction. A brawl between the two groups closed this week’s NXT after The Creed Brothers made the save for Strong when Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner ran in to help WALTER beat him down.
At New Year’s Evil earlier this month, Strong lost a title unification match against NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes. Strong was NXT Cruiserweight Champion going into that match. The title is now inactive, with Hayes just being recognized as North American Champion.
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.