WWE has made a noticeable change to the lineup being promoted for the August 21 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
As of Friday afternoon, WWE’s official SmackDown preview is only listing two items under its “Quick Hits” section: CM Punk defending the Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens, and the latest involving Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton ahead of their upcoming match at Sunday Night’s Main Event.
Missing from that main preview are two matches WWE advertised online yesterday: Giulia vs. Blake Monroe and WWE Tag Team Champions Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga defending against Damian Priest and R-Truth. That is a noticeable change considering both matches had been part of the advertised lineup heading into Friday’s show.
There is one wrinkle with Giulia vs. Monroe. WWE still has a standalone page on its website advertising Monroe against Giulia as her first SmackDown match, but the bout is not currently included on the main August 21 SmackDown preview page.
The tag team title match is also absent from WWE’s current main preview. Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga captured the WWE Tag Team Championships last week, and their first advertised defense was supposed to come against former champions Priest and R-Truth.
For now, WWE’s current SmackDown preview is advertising the following:
- Undisputed WWE Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Kevin Owens
- Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton appearance
Punk vs. Owens remains the biggest confirmed match of the night. WWE’s official website still has the title match listed, with Owens challenging Punk in Toronto after earning his championship opportunity at SummerSlam.
Rhodes and Orton are also still being promoted after their wild brawl on last week’s SmackDown. WWE is teasing more problems between the two as they move closer to their match at Sunday Night’s Main Event.
It remains to be seen whether Giulia vs. Blake Monroe and the WWE Tag Team Championship match are still happening and simply missing from the current preview, or whether WWE has made changes to tonight’s show. Either way, both being left off the main SmackDown preview after being advertised a day earlier is worth keeping an eye on.
What do you think is going on with the two missing SmackDown matches? Do you think WWE changed the card, or will both matches still happen tonight? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
