Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, taped from the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, will feature two championship matches as the final stop before Clash in Paris. Solo Sikoa is set to defend the United States Championship against Sami Zayn, while Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss will put their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against Piper Niven and Alba Fyre.
The United States Championship bout is the culmination of Sami Zayn’s recent move to SmackDown. Zayn has targeted Sikoa after The Family Tree faction interfered in his opportunity to become World Heavyweight Champion. Building momentum, Zayn has already secured two pinfall victories over Sikoa heading into their title clash.
In the women’s tag team division, challengers Piper Niven and Alba Fyre of the Secret Hervice earned their opportunity after Niven scored a singles victory over Charlotte Flair on a recent episode of SmackDown. Flair’s partner, Alexa Bliss, was not medically cleared to compete at the time.
Also on the card, a number one contender’s match will determine the next challengers for the WWE Tag Team Championships, currently held by The Wyatt Sicks. The newly formed team of The Miz and Carmelo Hayes, known as “Melo Don’t Miz,” will face The Street Profits.
Beyond the scheduled matches, the show will also feature the final build for this Sunday’s Clash in Paris. Both John Cena and Logan Paul are confirmed to be in attendance ahead of their match. Their appearance follows last week’s segment where Paul attacked Cena as General Manager Nick Aldis began to share information he had received from Brock Lesnar.
The broadcast will also address the fallout from Randy Orton’s surprise RKO to Drew McIntyre last week in Dublin. Orton interrupted McIntyre while he was sending a message to Cody Rhodes, and a face-to-face confrontation between the two is anticipated.
Other stars scheduled for the show include Cody Rhodes, Tiffany Stratton, Jade Cargill, and LA Knight.