WWE Confirms Daniel Bryan’s Return to WWE SmackDown, Season Premiere Card Updated

This week’s Friday Night SmackDown will serve as the Blue Brand’s “Season Premiere” on FOX, and WWE made another major announcement on Thursday to hype up the show. Daniel Bryan, who has not been seen on WWE television since mid-June when he lost the finals of the vacant Intercontinental Championship tournament, will make his return to WWE programming on Friday. WWE didn’t give any indication as to what Bryan will be up to, though it’s likely he’ll start a new feud with someone on the updated roster.

During his absence from television, Bryan and Brie Bella welcoming their second child — a son named Buddy Dessert Danielson.

The show will also feature a pair of title matches, as well as the farewell sendoff for The New Day as they compete in a six-man tag match. Check out the full card below:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
• SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
• The New Day vs. Sheamus, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura
• Lars Sullivan vs. Jeff Hardy
• Daniel Bryan Return Promo

The main event will obviously be Reigns vs. Strowman, even though Reigns admitted on First Take this week that he barely sees “The Monster Among Men” as a threat.

“To be honest I don’t think Braun Strowman deserves the opportunity,” Reigns said. “I beat him, I pinned him, I took the Universal Championship. But because of the competitor I am, the type of guy that I am, the face of the company, I’m going to hold my obligation. I’m going to be accountable and responsible fore being at the very top of the business. And I’m going to show up and Friday and I’m going to whoop his a—.”

Here’s the full list of every wrestler who swapped brands during this year’s WWE Draft:

Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, The Miz & John Morrison, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, Murphy, Drew Gulak, Tucker, Bray Wyatt, The Street Profits, Braun Strowman, Matt Riddle, Kevin Owens, Jeff Hardy, Alexa Bliss, Elias, Lacey Evans, Sheamus, Nikki Cross, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode, Apollo Crews, Aleister Black, Natalya, The Riott Squad, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado, Billie Kay and Zelina Vega.

WWE’s next pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell, takes place on Oct. 25 inside the WWE ThunderDome. Check out the full card (so far) below:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (Hell in a Cell I Quit Match)
• WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (Hell in a Cell Match)
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell Match)