WWE SmackDown Preview For Tonight: MITB Qualifying Matches, Ricochet vs. Gunther
A title match is being promoted for tonight's WWE "SmackDown" episode. Ricochet is set to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Gunther.
Ricochet won the title from Sami Zayn on the March 4 episode of "SmackDown". Since then, he's successfully defended the gold in a rematch against Zayn, in a "triple threat match" against Angel and Humberto, and in separate singles defenses against Jinder Mahal and Shanky.
Gunther is undefeated since he was called up to the "SmackDown" roster in April. He and Ludwig Kaiser got a tag team win over Ricochet and Drew Gulak on "SmackDown" late last month when they pinned Gulak to get the win.
The first Money in the Bank qualifying matches are also being promoted for tonight's "SmackDown".
One of the qualifying matches will feature Lacey Evans taking on Xia Li. Evans is returning to in-ring action for the first time since February 2021, when she went on maternity leave. Evans' return has been preceded by a series of heartfelt vignettes in which she recounted the struggles she has overcome in her life. In the midst of the hype surrounding her return, Evans was also moved from the "SmackDown" roster to the "Raw" roster, and then back to the "SmackDown" roster.
The other Money in the Bank qualifying match being promoted for tonight is Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus. McIntyre recently declared his intentions to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Clash at the Castle event in Cardiff, Wales coming up in September.
As of Friday morning, three matches are announced for tonight's show:
- WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Gunther vs. Ricochet (c)
- Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
- Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Lacey Evans vs. Xia Li
Also tonight, Max Dupri has promised to reveal the first client in his Maximum Male Models stable.
Stay tuned for more on tonight's "SmackDown" and be sure to join us for live coverage at 8 PM ET.