Roman Reigns appearance, women’s EC qualifier set for WWE SmackDown

Roman Reigns is set to make his first appearance since the Royal Rumble.

WWE has announced that Reigns will appear on tonight’s Royal Rumble fallout episode of SmackDown. It will follow up from the show-closing angle of last Saturday’s pay-per-view, where Sami Zayn hit Reigns with a steel chair and split from The Bloodline. Jey Uso then walked out on The Bloodline as they were beating down Zayn.

Reigns defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes has been made official for WrestleMania 39. Before that, Reigns is expected to face off with Zayn at WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV in Montreal on Saturday, February 18.

WWE.com wrote:

How will The Head of the Table react to the unprecedented turmoil that has rocked The Bloodline? Will Reigns have any response to Cody Rhodes after the Royal Rumble winner addressed their WrestleMania title showdown? Will The Island of Relevancy ever be the same? Don’t miss all the action of SmackDown this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX.

A fatal four-way Elimination Chamber qualifying match has also been added to the lineup for tonight’s SmackDown. Shayna Baszler, Shotzi, Zelina Vega, and Natalya will face off with a spot in the women’s Elimination Chamber match on the line.

The women’s Elimination Chamber match will determine Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair’s challenger for WrestleMania 39. Asuka, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, and Nikki Cross have already been confirmed for the match. The final participant will be determined in a qualifier between Michin, Candice LeRae, Piper Niven, and Carmella on Raw next Monday.

SmackDown is being held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina tonight. The updated card for the episode is listed below:

  • Roman Reigns appears
  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defends against Sonya Deville
  • SmackDown Tag Team title contender’s tournament finals: Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya