WWE Friday Night Smackdown preview and schedule: December 9, 2022

Shayna vs Shotzi announced for Smackdown (image courtesy Twitter)

Bengaluru, December 9: "Oh, it's true! It's damn true!" will echo through this week's Smackdown when WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle returns to his hometown to celebrate his birthday with the WWE Universe.

Also on the show, the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships will be on the line for the second successive episodes of WWE programme as The Usos will defend the belts against the team of Sheamus and Butch.

Plus, Shayna Baszler is set to compete in a singles contest against the former number-one contender for the Women's Championship when the December 9 episode of Friday Night Smackdown airs from the PPG Paints Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Here's what's in store for the weekly episode of WWE:

Kurt Angle birthday celebration

The WWE Hall of Famer who won the Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freaking neck is back on TV on a very special occasion. On the night of his 54th birthday, Kurt Angle is set to have a sweet homecoming.

Angle is retired from WWE in-ring competition for almost three years now. He was last seen in a match inside the squared circle at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 against Baron Corbin. He ended up losing that match and it was a controversial decision on WWE's part.

Just a few weeks prior to that match, Angle also competed in his final match on Smackdown during the March 26, 2019 episode where he faced AJ Styles. The match ended in a no-contest due to interferences from Randy Orton.

In recent times, the former multi-time world champion has spoken about wrestling one more match while reports also affirm that WWE wants him to appear at WrestleMania 39 in some capacity. Over on SmackDown, we expect to learn an update regarding this when the legendary superstar appears.

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match set

The Usos are literally living up to their "main event" gimmick by featuring in marquee matches on regular basis be it on WWE PLEs or weekly programme. That tradition will continue through the latest Smackdown episode.

As announced by WWE, Sheamus and Butch will challenge Jimmy and Jey Uso for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles in the potential main event match of the night.

Originally, Drew McIntyre was set to form a team with Sheamus in the title match showdown. But McIntyre had since declared to have ruptured his eardrum and he's not medically cleared to take part in the match.

This is why Butch was named as the replacement for the Scottish Warrior as he teams with his fellow Brawling Brutes cohort in the high-stakes matchup to secure the first title match win on the main roster.

Shayna Baszler in action against Shotzi

After years of staying away from each other on WWE TV, the former UFC Four-Horsewomen members, Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler finally formed an alliance on Smackdown to show off their vicious heel side.

After injuring Raquel Rodriguez, a few weeks ago, Baszler attempted to attack Emma after her win over the recent WWE returnee. However, Shotzi and Rodriguez hit the ring to confront Baszler and forced the latter to back out of the scene in a 3-on-1 situation.

As an aftermath of what happened, now Baszler will take on Shotzi in a singles contest. While the former challenger for Smackdown Women's Champion is up for redemption, Ronda Rousey will be there at ringside for The Queen of Spades to take care of her.