WWE To Decide Ronda Rousey’s Next Opponent Tonight On SmackDown
It took two weeks, four days, two walkouts, and one suspension of Sasha Banks and Naomi for "letting the fans down", but it appears WWE will finally have their six-pack challenge to determine a number one contender for a Women's Champion. The only change is it'll be to challenge the "SmackDown" Women's Champion, not the "Raw" one.
As announced earlier today on the WWE website, "SmackDown" will see Raquel Rodriguez, Aliyah, Shayna Bazler, Natalya, Xia Li, and Shotzi Blackheart battle for the right to challenge Ronda Rousey for the "SmackDown" Women's Championship. The preview doesn't specify when the winner would get the title shot, however, meaning the match may be saved for after WWE's premium live event Hell in a Cell this Sunday.
In a sign that the "SmackDown" women's roster lacks depth following the suspensions of Banks and Naomi, the match will feature one woman in Li, who has wrestled only once on "SmackDown" this year, and two others in Aliyah and Shotzi who have barely been featured since the start of 2022. As such, Natalya, Bazler (a long-time associate of Rousey on and off-screen), and Rodriguez would seem to be the favorites but as they say in WWE "never say never."
The other marquee match announced for the show was Riddle and Shinsuke Nakamura challenging The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. The Usos defeated Riddle and Randy Orton two weeks ago to unify the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Titles; with Orton since out, Riddle has teamed with Nakamura in his steed, defeating the Usos by DQ this past Monday on "Raw" to earn a title shot.
Also announced was the return of Madcap Moss, who the preview describes as returning "with payback on his mind." Moss was last seen being taken out by Happy Corbin several weeks ago; it was reported that he may be returning with a new gimmick to continue his feud with Corbin, who he defeated at WrestleMania Backlash in early May.
As per usual, "WWE Friday Night SmackDown" will air at 8 p.m. EST, only on Fox.