Friday Night Smackdown’s first week back on the USA Network will kick off with a bang.
WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will put his title on the line as part of the September 13 show, facing Solo Sikoa in a steel cage match. The bout was confirmed on this week’s episode of Smackdown, with general manager Nick Aldis booking the match as part of the show’s opening segment.
Aldis mentioned his reasoning for the steel cage stipulation being so that The Bloodline won’t be able to interfere and give Rhodes an unfair disadvantage in the match.
The bout will be a rematch from Summerslam, when Rhodes overcame Sikoa in 29 minutes, in part due to a run-in from former champ Roman Reigns.
Along with the title fight, a special tag match and the continuation of a mid-card singles feud have been added to the Seattle, Washington episode of Smackdown.
Kevin Owens will compete alongside a teammate of his choice when he faces A-Town Down Under’s Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Owens, who has been in a long-standing feud with A-Town Down Under, has long been trying to prove that Waller has been using Theory. He tried to make the tag duo turn against each other this week by putting the three of them in a triple-threat match. After Owens prevailed, Theory and Waller asked manager Aldis for the tag match they’ll be getting next week.
A fifth meeting will also take place between Andrade and Carmelo Hayes.
Andrade and Hayes have beaten each other twice in recent weeks, making the upcoming bout a tiebreaker. The match could have title implications, as both wrestlers eye a future shot against United States Champion LA Knight.
Here’s a quick rundown of the show thus far:
- Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa (WWE Championship) (Steel Cage Match)
- Kevin Owens & TBA vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory & Grayson Waller)
- Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes
