WWE announces two matches, segments for SmackDown
The lineup for tomorrow’s episode of SmackDown has started to come into focus.
WWE has announced two matches and a couple segments for the show. Samoa Joe will defend his United States Championship against R-Truth, and Ricochet, Aleister Black & The Hardys will team against Cesaro, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev in an eight-man tag match.
Joe won the US title from R-Truth in a fatal four-way match on last week’s SmackDown. The match also included Rey Mysterio and Andrade, with Joe pinning Andrade to win the title.
A rematch of the fatal four-way took place at Fastlane. Joe retained his title, and the finish of the match was Mysterio passing out in the Coquina Clutch.
Ricochet & Black defeated Cesaro & Sheamus on last week’s SmackDown. The Hardys then saved Ricochet & Black from Cesaro, Sheamus, Nakamura & Rusev.
WWE is teasing that Kofi Kingston has something to say to Vince McMahon on SmackDown, with Kingston tweeting today: “I’m not sure what Vince was trying to accomplish last night, but one thing became very clear: He does not want to see me as WWE Champion. After 11 years, I finally have your attention…and I’m not going away. See you Tuesday @VinceMcMahon”
There was a storyline at Fastlane where Vince told Kingston he was making the WWE Championship match a triple threat and said Kingston’s match was next. Kingston then lost to Cesaro & Sheamus in a handicap match. Mustafa Ali was added to the WWE title match, where Daniel Bryan retained against Ali and Kevin Owens.
A segment where Shane McMahon will address his actions from Fastlane has also been announced for tomorrow’s SmackDown. After The Usos retained their SmackDown Tag Team titles against Shane & The Miz, there was an angle where Shane turned against Miz and attacked him. Shane also grabbed Miz’s father by the face and pushed him back.
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.