Updated WWE SmackDown preview for April 3
Update —
WWE has announced that Rhea Ripley vs. Michin will take place on SmackDown tonight, with Ripley looking to get revenge after recent attacks by Jade Cargill, Michin, and B-Fab. Ripley is challenging Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
Plus, Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will take on Bayley & Lyra Valkyria.
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New United States Champion Sami Zayn will be on SmackDown tonight one week after his title win.
WWE has announced that we’ll hear from Zayn on tonight’s show. He regained the United States Championship from Carmelo Hayes last Friday and is now headed toward a title defense against Trick Williams at WrestleMania 42.
Over the past week, there’s been some backlash on social media with fans unhappy over Hayes dropping the U.S. title and not being factored into WWE’s WrestleMania plans. We’ll see how WWE handles that tonight, and we’ll find out if Zayn plans to continue the United States title open challenge series that he instituted during his August-October 2025 title reign. Ilja Dragunov and Hayes continued that tradition during their respective U.S. title runs.
Williams appeared on the Mornings with Mero radio show this week and said he believes Hayes “deserves” a WrestleMania moment and hopes that Hayes ends up getting one.
Counting tonight, there are only three SmackDown episodes left before WrestleMania. The Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri is hosting tonight’s show.
WWE SmackDown (Friday, April 3) —
- Cody Rhodes looks to spoil Randy Orton’s homecoming
- Rhea Ripley vs. Michin
- Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
- We’ll hear from Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu
- We’ll hear from new United States Champion Sami Zayn
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.