WWE has announced a new championship match and a segment for the October 17 episode of Friday Night SmackDown from San Jose, California. In a social media post, General Manager Nick Aldis revealed that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships will be on the line, and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will address the fans.
Women’s Tag Team Title Defense
Nick Aldis announced that the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, will defend their titles against the NXT tandem of Sol Ruca and Zaria. The challengers earned their opportunity two weeks ago on SmackDown when they defeated the team of Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre in what was presented as a de facto number one contender’s match.
Following that victory, Ruca and Zaria issued a challenge to the champions, which has now been made official for this Friday’s broadcast.
Cody Rhodes Speaks
Also announced for the show, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will speak in the ring. According to Aldis, this segment will serve as a follow-up to Rhodes’ loss to Seth Rollins at the Crown Jewel Premium Live Event last weekend. Aldis also suggested that Rhodes might use the time to discuss the angle from this past Monday’s episode of RAW, where The Vision launched an attack on Rollins. This will be Rhodes’ first time speaking since the events of both Crown Jewel and Raw.
McIntyre vs. Fatu Still On
Previously announced for the show is a one-on-one match between Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu. Despite a report on Thursday that Fatu could be sidelined with an injury well into next year, WWE is still advertising the match. It is possible the match will be used as part of an angle to write Fatu out of storylines to allow him time to recover. The updated lineup for the show now includes:
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Sol Ruca and Zaria
- WWE Champion Cody Rhodes speaks
- Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
