Tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown from the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia, is a loaded show on the road to the Wrestlepalooza premium live event. The broadcast is set to feature an appearance by Brock Lesnar, a SummerSlam rematch for the WWE Women’s Championship, and a match between two multi-time world champions. The fallout from last week’s chaotic show and the build to the September 20 PLE will be the central focus of the night.
Following his appearance on last week’s show, where he laid out both John Cena and the new United States Champion Sami Zayn, Brock Lesnar will be live on SmackDown tonight. Lesnar has been silent since his shocking return at SummerSlam last month, letting his actions do the talking. With his match against John Cena at Wrestlepalooza just eight days away, “The Beast” is expected to send one final message to Cena.
The show will also feature a championship match. In a rematch from SummerSlam, Jade Cargill will challenge Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton. At the premium live event, Cargill failed to beat Stratton and capture her first singles championship in WWE. Tonight, Cargill has another chance.
In another bout, two of the top stars on the SmackDown brand will collide in a match, as Drew McIntyre is set to go one-on-one with Randy Orton. This is the third singles match between the two rivals this year, with each man holding one victory. The rivalry has become personal, especially after McIntyre’s recent attacks on the absent Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes, who is a close friend of Orton.
The history between McIntyre and Orton is a long and storied one, including a memorable feud over the WWE Championship. Their recent tag team match at SummerSlam, where McIntyre’s team was victorious, only added more fuel to the fire. Friday Night SmackDown airs live tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
