WWE Friday Night SmackDown takes place tonight from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, continuing the build toward Survivor Series: WarGames. With just eight days remaining until John Cena defends his Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio, the race to face the “Greatest of All-Time” in his final match heats up.
The opening round of the “Last Time is Now” Tournament wraps up tonight on the USA Network. The winner of the tournament will earn the right to face Cena in his retirement match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. GUNTHER, Sheamus, Rusev, LA Knight, Jey Uso, and Solo Sikoa have already advanced to the quarterfinals.
Two matches tonight will determine the final entrants. Raw Superstars Finn Balor and Penta will cross brand lines to face one another. Balor and Cena have only met once in singles competition—an Elimination Chamber qualifying match in 2018 won by Cena. In the second qualifying match, Raw’s “Big” Bronson Reed looks to stop former SmackDown first-round draft pick Carmelo Hayes.
A tag team match is set between #DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) and Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom). Tensions boiled over last week when Ciampa, frustrated by his inability to secure a United States Championship match, attacked Axiom. While an Open Challenge from US Champion Ilja Dragunov has not been officially announced, the champion has vowed to face all challengers.
Chelsea Green is set to hold a “grand inauguration” to celebrate becoming the first-ever two-time Women’s United States Champion. Green requested the segment to mark the start of her second term. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Tiffany Stratton are advertised for the show, though no specific segments have been announced for them.
WWE SmackDown Card:
- ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament: Finn Balor vs. Penta
- ‘Last Time is Now’ Tournament: Carmelo Hayes vs. Bronson Reed
- Tag Team Match: Fraxiom vs. #DIY
- Segment: Chelsea Green Women’s United States Championship Celebration
How to Watch:
- Time: 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT
- Network: USA Network
