Tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown from the Allstate Arena in Chicago is set to be big. The show will feature what is expected to be the final SmackDown appearance of John Cena’s career, and Chicago’s own CM Punk is also scheduled to be in the building.
The show is a key stop on John Cena’s ongoing retirement tour. Tonight will mark his final appearance in Chicago, and a recent report from WrestleVotes indicated that it is expected to be his final appearance on the SmackDown brand. On SmackDown, he made his debut in the very same building in 2002.
The big question heading into the show is whether or not Brock Lesnar will be in the building to confront him, as Lesnar is reportedly in town. The two are reportedly set to face off at the Wrestlepalooza premium live event on September 20. While he is a member of the Raw roster, CM Punk has heavily hinted that he will be at tonight’s SmackDown in his hometown.
Punk is coming off a loss in the main event of the Clash in Paris premium live event, where Becky Lynch interfered to help her husband, Seth Rollins, retain the World Heavyweight Championship. On this past week’s Raw, Punk made it clear he would not physically retaliate against Lynch, which has led to widespread speculation that his wife, AJ Lee, could be on the verge of a return to even the odds.
Both Randy Orton and the reigning WWE Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton, are also advertised to appear. No official matches have been announced for the broadcast as of this writing. With so many top stars in one building, this looks to be a must-see show. Friday Night SmackDown airs live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
