Two absent WWE stars return at SmackDown in Australia

At Friday’s SmackDown in Australia, two absent WWE stars made their returns after having been off TV for months.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Tama Tonga both returned on the pre-Crown Jewel edition of SmackDown in Perth, Australia. Nakamura answered Sami Zayn’s United States Championship open challenge at the show. He was going for a Kinshasa at the end of the bout when Tonga interfered and caused a disqualification.

A post-match angle then saw Tonga, Talla Tonga, Tanga Loa, and JC Mateo beat down both Nakamura and Zayn. With his Family Tree now at full strength, Solo Sikoa then appeared with the other four as they stood tall over Nakamura and Zayn. Sikoa had been United States Champion before dropping the title to Zayn at the end of August.

Since becoming champion, Zayn has made weekly open challenges the theme of his United States title reign. Nakamura answering the challenge today pitted him against one of his most memorable WWE opponents, with Zayn having been the first person Nakamura ever faced when he arrived in NXT in 2016.

Nakamura had a babyface presentation today with his old “Rising Sun” theme music coming back.

Before their returns, Nakamura and Tonga had been away since June and April respectively. Nakamura’s absence was due to not being used, while an undisclosed injury had been rumored for Tonga.

Sikoa and his Family Tree also appeared later on today’s SmackDown for a confrontation with The Wyatt Sicks. The episode took place from Perth, Australia and aired live on Netflix outside of the United States. It will be broadcast on USA Network tonight in its regular 8 p.m. Eastern time slot.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

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.