Why WWE SmackDown Is on FS1 This Week (July 21, 2023)

The July 21, 2023 edition of WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 rather than its normal home on the FOX network. This is due to FOX’s coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and is the latest example of WWE’s Blue Brand being bumped of its usual network slot due to sports coverage. The move only happens a small handful of times each year. WWE seems to be combating the change by making a few big announcements ahead of time, including a four-way United States Championship Invitational match between LA Knight, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus and Cameron Grimes. The winner of that bout will face Santos Escobar the following week to determine the next No. 1 contender to Austin Theory’s championship.

The show will also feature a segment between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso in which they’ll discuss the “Rules of Engagement” for their upcoming Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match. While not officially confirmed, all signs point to the match taking place on Aug. 5 at SummerSlam in Detroit.

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Card & Rumored Matches

• World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
• Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar 
• Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (Yet to Be Confirmed)
• Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus (Yet to Be Confirmed)
• Ricochet vs. Logan Paul (Yet to Be Confirmed)
• Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre (Rumored)
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair (Rumored)
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. TBA (Rumored)

LA Knight on His Rising Popularity

Despite not having any major feuds for months Knight’s popularity has continued to rise throughout 2023 thanks to his undeniable charisma and promo ability. It has gotten to the point where he acknowledges it in his in-character interviews. He’ll enter Friday’s four-way match as the obvious frontrunner to win.

“Finally, the WWE is gonna give me what I want. Why? Because I had to go out and make it happen. Look, I didn’t ask for anybody, talk about being a fan-favorite, I didn’t go out there and say, ‘Hey, please cheer for me. Hey, please like me.’ As a matter of fact, if they don’t cheer for me, if they don’t like me, doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to me,” Knight said on The Bump.

“So what you got to think about is man, look, I didn’t get shoved down anybody’s throat. I wasn’t anybody’s guy. I came in and I did my thing, and the whole world, whether you take me to Saudi Arabia, whether you take me to London, whether you take me to Puerto Rico, you can take me to Mobile, Alabama, and every single place is gonna make a whole lot of noise for LA Knight,” Knight said. “You know why that is? Because they can see that I stand head and shoulders above everybody walking.”