SmackDown is back in front of fans tonight and takes place at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. WWE has already announced two big matches with SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defending against Carmella, plus Edge and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio vs. The Usos and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Now it appears WWE is also planning on showcasing the return of a big star to the blue brand.
Insider Twitter account @WrestleVotes claims Finn Bálor is set to appear on this week’s SmackDown. Until recently, the former Universal Champion had been a prominent part of the brand but lost the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April and then put him over again in a rematch a few weeks later.
Bálor was The Fiend’s first opponent, and following a virtual squash match at SummerSlam 2019, the Irish wrestler was off television for two months. He used this time off to marry sports journalist Verónica Rodríguez and heal up. He’d then return as part of NXT on October 2nd, which was when AEW Dynamite debuted on TNT with WWE, trusting his star power would help the show in a ratings battle.
With NXT and AEW no longer going head to head, Balor is no longer required on what many still regard as WWE’s developmental brand. Plus, in a recent interview with Fox Sports, he admitted that he wanted to return to one of WWE’s two main shows, feeling that he didn’t accomplish all he could during his previous run.
