Vince McMahon Shares Message Welcoming Back WWE Fans
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took to Twitter on Thursday morning with a message for WWE fans — [...]
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon took to Twitter on Thursday morning with a message for WWE fans — welcome back! McMahon uploaded a video that featured some of the loudest crowd reactions of all time, including Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III, Steve Austin arriving as the glass shatters, Triple H's return from injury, Shawn Michaels rappelling from the rafters at WrestleMania XII, John Cena and The Rock's first match at WrestleMania XXVIII, Drew McIntyre winning the 2020 Royal Rumble and Edge returning from retirement
McMahon wrote, "For over a year and a half, we have waited. This weekend, we once again welcome the @WWE Universe back!" Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE has been unable to run shows with fans (with the exception of WrestleMania 37's limited crowd) since March 2020. Things will finally go back to normal as WWE has confirmed a 25-city tour marking its return to the road, starting with this Friday's edition of Friday Night SmackDown in Houston and the Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Sunday in Fort Worth, TX.
For over a year and a half, we have waited. This weekend, we once again welcome the @WWE Universe back! #SmackDown #MITB #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/Q1GGhLhqRD
— Vince McMahon (@VinceMcMahon) July 15, 2021
Only three matches have been confirmed for SmackDown, but Stephanie McMahon has already confirmed the show will see the debut of a new entrance set. Plus, reports of big surprises dropping on both Friday and Sunday night have been popping up for weeks. Here's what's on the card for the Blue Brand:
- Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. Edge, Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
- SmackDown Women's Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Carmella
- Kevin Owens vs. Big E vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins
As for Money in the Bank, six matches have been confirmed for the show, headlined by a WWE Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Edge. But an even bigger match, Reigns vs. a returning John Cena, will reportedly start its build one week from Friday when SmackDown is in Cleveland. Here's the card for the pay-per-view:
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Edge
- WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston
- Raw Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
- Raw Tag Team Championships: AJ Styles & Omos vs. The Viking Raiders
- Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Ricochet vs. John Morrison vs. Riddle vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. King Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins
- Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. TBA