Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes was left with a decision to make at the end of the final SmackDown in Toronto before the Elimination Chamber.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson spent most of Friday trying to bribe Rhodes after they met in the middle of the ring last week and The Rock asked Rhodes to be ‘his champion.’ He was not looking for immediate confirmation from Rhodes but is expecting an answer by Saturday.
Both superstars are scheduled to appear in Toronto on Saturday for the Elimination Chamber event.
Aside from his situation with The Rock, Rhodes must also pay attention to the men’s elimination chamber match. The winner of the match will face Rhodes for the title at WrestleMania.
Here’s everything that happened during the final episode of Smackdown building up to the premium live event.
Cody Rhodes closes out the show
Rhodes came out to the ring to close out the show with his final thoughts before the Elimination Chamber. In an attempt to continue to persuade Rhodes to take him up on his offer from last week, The Rock sent him a new red truck and a video message.
LA Knight becomes the No. 1 contender
LA Knight proves he is the No. 1 contender for the United States Championship with a victory over Jacob Fatu and Carmelo Hayes in the triple threat match.
Bayley has all the momentum
Bayley proved she wasn’t afraid to take risks by jumping out of the ring onto various opponents throughout a six-woman tag team match.
Carmelo Hayes receives help in victory over Braun Strowman
Carmelo Hayes became the final man to qualify for the triple threat match on SmackDown. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga made an appearance during the match and distracted Strowman.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn exchange words before match
The former best friends will compete in the ring on Saturday at the Elimination Chamber. Before the two face off, the two men appeared in separate arenas to exchange their final remarks on Friday night.
LA Knight qualifies for triple threat match
LA Knight got the best of Santos Escobar as he continued his quest to recapture the United States Championship.
He will join Jacob Fatu in the No. 1 contender’s triple threat match later tonight.
Drew McIntyre calls John Cena a ‘hypocrite’
Drew McIntyre entered the arena as he interrupted the video package that featured John Cena.
Several members of the men’s elimination chamber match also made an appearance. Logan Paul was among those who came out, trolling the crowd into believing that Cena was set to make a surprise appearance.
Tag team chaos breaks out
Things happened quickly as Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano attacked the Street Profits. Angel Garza and Berto, Pretty Deadly and the Motor City Machine Guns also managed to get involved in the brawl.
Jacob Fatu advances, will compete again tonight
Jacob Fatu filled in for Solo Sikoa and earned a victory over Andrade in the first of three qualifying matches.
Fatu will compete against the winner of the other two qualifying matches for the chance to become the No. 1 contender for the United States championship.
Trish Stratus kicks off SmackDown
Trish Stratus, a Toronto native, arrived for SmackDown wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater in the middle of the ring as her hometown crowd cheered ‘Thank you Trish!’
Stratus is scheduled to have a match at the Elimination Chamber on Saturday. She made her WWE debut on an episode of Sunday Night Heat on March 19, 2000. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
Tiffany Stratton would join Stratus in the ring in a matching sweater and talk about their upcoming match.
When is WWE SmackDown?
SmackDown will air on the USA Network on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
Where is SmackDown this week?
Smackdown will be held at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
How to watch SmackDown: TV channel, streaming
SmackDown will be available on the USA Network. Many other regions outside of the United States can watch the show on Netflix.
Who is expected to make an appearance on Smackdown?
WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus is scheduled to make an appearance. Stratus is a Toronto native.
Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes and WWE women’s champion Tiffany Stratton are scheduled for the show. Women’s United States champions Chelsea Green, Kevin Owens and LA Knight are also expected to make an appearance.
Green and Owens are both from Canada.
SmackDown match card
SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis announced a series of matches to help determine who will be the No. 1 contender for Shinsuke Nakamura’s United States Championship.
The winners will meet in a triple threat match later in the show to determine a No. 1 contender.
Matches are not in order; not all matches announced
- LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar
- Carmelo Hayes vs. Braun Strowman
- Andrade vs. Jacob Fatu (replacing Solo Sikoa)
