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WWE Friday Night SmackDown preview and schedule: October 18, 2019

It will be a real challenge for WWE to pull up the viewership numbers with no additional attraction attached to the show like the previous premiere or Draft special episodes.

By Raja
Poster for this weeks SmackDown (image courtesy Twitter)

Bengaluru, October 18: After the initial hype-ups of FOX hosting SmackDown on Friday nights, the third episode will air tonight from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

It will be a real challenge for WWE to pull up the viewership numbers with no additional attraction attached to the show like the previous premiere or Draft special episodes.

Also, it will be the first time that the Friday Night show will take place under the new creative head, Bruce Prichard after the removal of SmackDown Executive Director, Eric Bischoff.

The main event of the night has been confirmed which brings back the face of the company to the title picture after a long time. Roman Reigns competes for the mid-card title whereas a huge six-pack challenge has also been confirmed to take place on the show to determine the number one contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Apart from that, an eight-man tag team match will also be on the card.

WWE informed us about the main event match of the night which will also be the opening segment featuring the number one draft pick for the SmackDown brand.

Roman Reigns returns to the title picture as he challenges WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura for the title. The match was set up interestingly via a Twitter altercation, overnight.

It was the spokesperson of Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn who tried to instigate The Big Dog with the following comments,

"Nakamura-san & I were eligible to be drafted together & got picked in the 3rd round by #Smackdown. Imagine being able to get a generation-defining performer AND the Intercontinental Champion together in one pick & still deciding to pick The Big D Roman Reigns first. Unreal. - SZ"

Roman Reigns was quick to respond to the tweet issuing a challenge for the champion to come down to his yard and face him like a man. Nakamura also put out a tweet to oblige the same and confirm the matchup for tonight's show.

This will be a fresh contest following the Draft which perhaps starts a new feud between these two veteran superstars. Also, if FOX officials want, Reigns may come out as the new champion following the title match.

WWE.com also announced that this Friday's SmackDown will host a huge Six-Pack Challenge to determine the new number one contender for the SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley. The winner gets a future shot to the women's championship.

The matchup will feature all the newest draftees of SmackDown Women's roster, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose. Below is what the official website of WWE has offered regarding the match,

"The depth of the SmackDown Women's division will be on full display in a loaded Six-Pack Challenge Match. Carmella, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose all square off for the opportunity to face Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Title.

Carmella enters with the experience of a former champion, but all of the competitors are hungry to make a big impression on the blue brand. Who will emerge to challenge the reinvented Bayley, and is the winner destined for a similar fate as the Bayley Buddies?"

With Bayley eyeing to become a bonafide heel of the SmackDown roster, one of the babyfaces of the roster will likely pick up the win.

Carmella is the favorite to pick up the win as she has prior experience of becoming a champion. Or else, a newly turned babyface Lacey Evans could take advantage of the given opportunity.

Another big matchup set for SmackDown is likely to bring us a sneak peek of the chaotic situation waiting for us at Crown Jewel where the largest tag team turmoil match takes place. An eight-man tag team match was confirmed featuring the new tag team draftees from the SmackDown tag team roster.

This match will see The New Day's Big E & Xavier Woods teaming up with Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dojovic) to compete against SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) and Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler.

One of the babyface teams has the chance to get a pinfall win over the champs which might make them new number one contenders for the tag team championships, also.

There is no update on whether the two current competitors of the WWE Championship picture will make an appearance or not. WWE may likely keep both Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez off the show considering their back to back presence on the past two bygone episodes.

If they don't appear, then there will be one final confrontation between these two Crown Jewel main-eventers for next week's SmackDown which will be the go-home episode for the pay-per-view event.

Story first published: Friday, October 18, 2019, 12:43 [IST]
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