WWE Friday Night Smackdown preview and schedule: January 7, 2022

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Bengaluru, January 7: Fireworks will be on full display as two top WWE Superstars and two top champions will be under one roof during this week’s Friday Night Smackdown.

In the very first 2022 edition, both Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns are being advertised to appear and thereby continue their ongoing rivalry heading into Royal Rumble.

Also on the show, the next plans for Smackdown Women’s Championship should be revealed. Plus, we expect to get an update about two top superstars’ injuries from this past week when the inaugural 2022 episode of Smackdown airs from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In the main event of WWE Day 1, Roman Reigns was scheduled to kick off 2022 in a big way by defending the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar. But that match was nixed because Reigns tested positive for COVID-19, earlier that night.

Lesnar was then added to the WWE Championship match at Day 1, making it a Fatal-5-Way. He eventually won that match to become the new WWE Champion and thereby go back to the top of the Raw roster.

The next night on RAW, Bobby Lashley won a Fatal-4-Way Number-One Contenders match and he will now face Lesnar for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble 2022 PPV.

However, Lesnar still remains a Free Agent who is confirmed to appear on this week’s SmackDown to continue his feud with The Head of the Table. This announcement already came, this past Monday Night while there were some speculations about Reigns’ presence due to his COVID-19 situation.

A few hours ago, WWE has confirmed that the Universal Champion has been medically cleared and he will appear on SmackDown. That being said, his confrontation with the WWE Champion is happening and things will definitely be explosive, given the recent history.

It’s a good thing for WWE that they have received Roman Reigns in the fold, sooner than later. But another top superstar will reportedly be out of action and it’s Drew McIntyre.

The Scottish Warrior defeated Madcap Moss in a singles match at WWE Day 1. Then in a backstage interview segment, he got brutally assaulted by Happy Corbin and Madcap. The two heels hurt his neck by wrapping a steel chair around it as Corbin hit the chair with a piece of Scaffolding.

Reports from PWInsider suggested that McIntyre has been dealing with neck issues for the past several weeks and this injury angle was filmed just to write him off TV.

With everything reportedly “up in the air” regarding the former WWE Champion, we expect to learn more about the top Smackdown superstar whose long absence could be a major headache for the company.

Another top name, Sasha Banks from the Smackdown female roster is reportedly dealing with a sprained leg. Sasha challenged SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at Sunday’s WWE live event in Fayetteville for the title.

While digesting an over-the-knee backbreaker, she hurt her leg. Flair secured the win after a Natural Selection but Sasha was unable to go to the back on her own.

The good thing is that the concerned name herself provided an update on the injury, mentioning that she is okay. If that’s the case then Sasha should be the next in line to challenge Flair for her Women’s Title given the former challenger Toni Storm has been released from the contract.