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WWE Friday Night SmackDown preview and schedule: January 17, 2020

SmackDown will look to add major hype to the Road to WrestleMania through tonight's episode which is all set with a packed card.

By Raja
Reigns vs. Roode in Tables Match made official for SmackDown (image courtesy Twitter)

Bengaluru, January 17: SmackDown will look to add major hype to the Road to WrestleMania through tonight's episode which is all set with a packed card.

A monstrous return which should give a major boost to the angles leading up to Royal Rumble has been announced. The Devil's Favorite Demon Kane will be in attendance on the show bringing hell alongside him.

Three huge matches have also been made official for the card with the first one marking the in-ring return of a former Intercontinental Champion after ten years.

Plus, two superstars of the women's division will settle their differences in a grudge match, while the franchise player of the WWE will in action for the main event match in SmackDown which takes place at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Big Dog will be on the hunt for a new prey from King Baron Corbin's heel faction. Last week, Robert Roode made his return after serving a 30-day suspension to unleash a relentless attack on Roman Reigns.

This set up the plot for tonight's marquee match in which Reigns gets a shot at redemption against Roode. In addition, WWE.com confirmed this as a gimmick match,

"Last week’s SmackDown featured a Glorious return and a subsequent attack that ended with King Corbin’s court sending Roman Reigns viciously through the announce title. Now Reigns will look to deliver royal justice to Robert Roode for his surprise assault in what promises to be a brutal Tables Match on Friday Night SmackDown."



As mentioned above, the match will be contested under Tables Match rules which means the competitors won't have to gain pinfall or submission to get the win. This gives an advantage to the heel team as they will look to bank upon the No-Disqualification environment. Corbin and Ziggler will definitely be at ringside to showcase their mean skills and let Roode pick up a big win heading into Royal Rumble.

Another huge matchup is now confirmed on SmackDown from the women's division where months of personal bad blood will be settled. After weeks of verbal shots aimed at each other, Lacey Evans will be able to vent her frustration at Sasha Banks in a one-on-one contest.

The match was originally scheduled for last week. But Sasha chose to miss the show to record her newest rap single in Los Angeles. So, the promotion pushed the match for this week.

As seen recently, Sasha Banks has hit out at Evans's daughter. Even the SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley did the same to the Lady Of WWE by going bad-mouth on Summer Evans.

By the end of the night, Bayley stood tall by attacking Evans in the backstage area. So the potential contender for the women’s title must be fuming from the set of incidents which makes her the favorite to win the match against Banks. A victory at this point can hand her a title opportunity at Royal Rumble, as well.

After almost a decade, The Guru of Greatness, John Morrison will be seen in action on WWE TV after returning to SmackDown two weeks ago. He will have his hands full as the muscle of the Tag Team Champions, Big E will be his opponent.

It will be a visual delight for the WWE Universe to see the Prince of Parkour back with his high flying maneuvers. Meanwhile, he should be determined to pick up a win in the first match since his return which could put him and Miz in the tag team title picture.

The Big Red Machine, Kane is set to make his return on SmackDown, tonight. WWE has officially announced the legend’s appearance on the show without revealing the reason behind his appearance.

As Royal Rumble is just a few days away, Kane, who is one of the greatest performers in this format, is expected to confirm his Rumble entry on SmackDown. Even the official statement from WWE also hints the same,

"Former WWE Champion and current Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, Kane makes his return to SmackDown this Friday for a special appearance. The Big Red Machine has competed in more Royal Rumble matches and has more eliminations than any Superstar in WWE history, and with the match on the horizon, could Kane be ready to make history once again?"

Story first published: Friday, January 17, 2020, 13:14 [IST]
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