WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown has gone through a bit of a shake-up in recent weeks. With Jey Uso now moving over to Monday Night Raw, the Blue Brand is expected to pick up a star from Raw as part of the “trade compensation,” though there’s still no word as to who that might be. In the meantime, @WrestleVotes dropped a new report on Tuesday stating the latest behind-the-scenes “talent board” for the show (similar to a depth chart in sports). It currently has rising star LA Knight as the top babyface on the brand while also moving the trio of Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits over to the heel side.ย
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Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins solidified their newfound group last month just before SummerSlam, but haven’t done anything too heel-ish up until this point. This new report all but confirms that is on its way.ย
Meanwhile, Knight has been feuding with The Miz recently, who demanded a rematch after Knight won at Payback with John Cena as the special guest referee. Knight and Cena also stood face-to-face on the entrance ramp after the match, possibly hinting at a program between the two in the future.ย
John Cena on His Final Match
Cena returned to WWE TV on last week’s SmackDown and is scheduled to be a consistent presence on the show for the next few months. He also discussed the possibility of getting back in the ring to compete but indicated in a backstage interview with WWE that his retirement match is on the horizon.ย
“As I said out there in the ring,ย the last one is not tonight, but I know it’s soon,” Cena said. “Every single chance I get to go out there becomes more and more special. There is no denying the fact that I’m 46 and staring down 47. I’ve been here for over two decades. As I said out there in the ring, the last one is not tonight, but I know it’s soon. To speak candidly, when you’re involved in this every day in a full-time capacity, you just think about what’s next.”
“The WWE Universe being gracious to invite me and allow me back to be part of this family, for the last two or three years, I’ve been able to focus on what’s now. I never miss any of those wonderful moments in the ring. I know it may sound repetitive, but so is me saying ‘Never give up,’ and I never mind saying that, so I never mind saying ‘thank you’ to the people that make this special,” Cena said. “Without them and them caring, I don’t get to come back.”
