WWE SmackDown: What To Expect Tonight (January 22nd)

Just nine days until this year's WWE Royal Rumble, SmackDown airs tonight on FOX. With the show [...]

By Ryan Droste

Just nine days until this year's WWE Royal Rumble, SmackDown airs tonight on FOX. With the show closing last week with the revelation that Kevin Owens will be taking on Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Rumble, we're sure to get some follow-up on that story tonight as the pair take their feud into a second consecutive PPV event, this time in a Last Man Standing Match.

So what else is announced so far for the show tonight? In sum, not a whole lot has been revealed by WWE. Long gone are the days of the "five point previews," as WWE has been playing it close to the vest in advertising lately. Two contests (one is not a match) have been announced for tonight's SmackDown:

  • Big E defends the WWE Intercontinental Title in a rematch from a couple weeks ago against Apollo Crews
  • Bayley vs. Bianca Belair in Bayley's Ultimate Athlete Obstacle Course Challenge

We'd expect some new entrance in the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches to be announced as well tonight.

Big E vs. Crews is a rematch from the January 8th edition of SmackDown. Via WWE.com:

After Big E successfully defended his Intercontinental Title against Apollo Crews on the Jan. 8 edition of SmackDown, the defeated challenger was left reeling from a stern pep talk he received from Paul Heyman on Talking Smack over how he screwed up in his pursuit of the illustrious title.

Then, after being spotted the following week having a serious discussion with Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Crews went into his match against Sami Zayn with a new resolve and grabbed his opponent's tights to prove he was going to win at any cost.

Tonight, Big E will once again look to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Crews, who appears determined to do anything to win the title. But does he have what it takes to topple The Powerhouse of Positivity? Don't miss the Intercontinental Title Match at 8/7 C on Friday Night SmackDown!

ComicBook.com will have full coverage of tonight's SmackDown as it airs. What are your predictions for the show? Let us know in the comments section below!

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