The Last Time is Now mystery opponent revealed on WWE SmackDown
LA Knight’s mystery opponent in The Last Time is Now tournament was revealed on Friday’s WWE SmackDown.
The returning Zack Ryder was introduced as the surprise opponent for Knight in the tournament on Friday’s SmackDown episode.
Knight pinned Ryder in the contest with a BFT to advance to the next round.
Triple H posted about Ryder’s return:
WWE has not officially announced Ryder as having signed a contract with the company, but new Ryder merchandise has been released on WWE Shop, often an indicator that some kind of contractual arrangement has been reached.
Friday’s bout was the first main roster match for Ryder since a March 2020 Raw episode where he lost to Bobby Lashley in a squash match. Ryder did take on Josh Briggs on an NXT TV episode last month.
In Friday’s other tournament match, Jey Uso defeated The Miz to advance to the round of eight. A bracket has yet to be revealed for The Last Time is Now tournament.
Sheamus, Rusev, Uso, and Knight have advanced to the quarterfinals. Two more first round matchups are set for Monday’s Raw — Gunther vs. Je’Von Evans, and Solo Sikoa vs. a mystery opponent. The final first round matches will take place on next Friday’s SmackDown with Penta vs. Finn Balor, and Bronson Reed vs. Carmelo Hayes.
Our full report from SmackDown is available here.
An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.