Major Return Expected on WWE SmackDown
The road to WWE WrestleMania 39 is in full throttle. Following WWE Royal Rumble, two championship matches are all but locked in for the showcase of the immortals: Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley. The latter came as a bit of a surprise, as many expected Ripley to remain on Monday Night Raw and pursue her old rival, Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair. Alas, Ripley's challenge to Flair has been done with the intention of avenging one of her biggest losses, as she previously came up short against the Queen at WWE WrestleMania 36.
Flair vs. Ripley was set in motion at the very end of 2022. On the final WWE SmackDown of last year, Flair made a surprise return, challenging then-SmackDown Women's Champion Ronda Rousey to an impromptu title bout, which she walked away from victoriously.
Since losing that title, Rousey has vanished. The Baddest Woman on the Planet has yet to appear on WWE programming in 2023, but that appears to be changing tonight. As reported by PWInsider, Rousey was spotted in Connecticut today, the same state that is hosting tonight's edition of WWE SmackDown.
Reports have signaled that Rousey's road to WWE WrestleMania 39 will be in the tag division. She is supposedly set to pursue the WWE Women's Tag Titles alongside longtime friend and recent on-screen partner Shayna Baszler. This match is reportedly at the request of Rousey herself, who has "always wanted" to have a tag run with Baszler.
Outside of Rousey's expected return, WWE SmackDown will feature two matches with championship implications. Undisputed WWE Tag Champions Jimmy and Jey Uso will put their SmackDown Tag Titles on the line against Braun Strowman and Ricochet. Jey Uso has not been spotted since WWE Royal Rumble, when he walked out on The Bloodline following their assault of Sami Zayn.
The next challenger for the WWE Intercontinental Title will also be determined tonight. Karrion Kross, Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar and Madcap Moss will face one another in a four-way, with the winner getting a title match against WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther in the future.
WWE SmackDown airs tonight at 8 PM ET on FOX.