It’s Valentine’s Day! And for this very romantic episode, Friday Night SmackDown is live from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC!
Here is a rundown of what to expect from tonight’s show (of love).
Bayley puts her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Carmella, after “The Princess of Staten Island” won– a little unexpectedly– the Fatal Four-way #1 Contender’s match against Naomi, Dana Brooke, and “The Goddess” Alexa Bliss. It seems telegraphed that Bayley would starting a new feud with, and defending her championship against, the returning Naomi, but ‘Mella stole the win, only to be immediately attacked by the champ. The fact that this match is happening just a week later indicates that Naomi is likely still the longer-term booking decision, and this title match is just a placeholder until after Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on 27 February and leading into Elimination Chamber on 8 March where we might get the Naomi/Bayley matchup. Expect a Bayley retention here.
Roman Reigns is set to do battle with the stars of Once Upon a… Dirt Sheet, The Miz and John Morrison after, well, a Twitter beef (this is the modern WWE, after all).
I doubt anyone has seen your terrible movies, let alone care if you actually make the show. But if you do make it, stop by and get your ass whooped real quick, again. #HobbsAndShaw 😉 #Smackdown https://t.co/7mV8boEJCj
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) February 13, 2020
Yo! I thought you quit the business years ago! Ha, welcome back!
P.S. ass-whooping waiting for you too! https://t.co/bTRca0Tmq4
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) February 13, 2020
I know you don’t pay attention to anything outside the WWE bubble- not much inside the bubble either for that matter. But you’re not the only one that’s been hustling all these years 😎😎 regards ~ #TheMayorOfSlamtown https://t.co/s1WyiwZsh5
— John Morrison (@TheRealMorrison) February 14, 2020
To sum up: The Usos will not be at SmackDown and as Reigns leaves his rivalry with King Corbin behind, he pivots towards a tag match against the #1 Contenders for The New Day’s SmackDown Tag Team Championship. It should be a good match, with Reigns’ partner being played up as a mystery.
And finally, Otis finally gets his date with Mandy Rose. There is still some trepidation as to whether Rose is being sincere in this budding romance, or if there’s some swerve still coming where she rips the poor guy’s heart out. Hopefully the workout video from last week is an indication of the comedy tone they will go with this. Either way, it’s been a pleasantly fun angle so far, so more of it isn’t a bad thing.
Will we see more from the more aggressive Daniel Bryan as he pummels another random member of the SmackDown roster? Will Goldberg have more to say to the Universal Champion, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt? What’s next for Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman against the crew of Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and the apparently newly recruited, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson?
It all goes down live at 8pm EST on FOX (… and Sportsnet 360 for the Canadian viewers).