Tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown on FOX will reportedly be a tribute to Bray Wyatt and WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk.
We reported earlier today that WWE was still promoting a standard SmackDown from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY, featuring a Jimmy Uso promo, WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defending against Zelina Vega, and 2023 WWE Hall of Famer & WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio facing Grayson Waller in a non-title match. It was also stated that plans had been scrapped and that the show was in doubt, but this was not confirmed. The show was expected to begin with graphics in memory of Wyatt and Funk, with other tributes throughout the broadcast, but no specifics were known until now.
A follow-up report from WWE insider Boozer Rasslin notes that SmackDown will be a tribute to Wyatt and Funk. “The show will go on,” it was said, but there will be tributes to both wrestlers throughout the episode, from match types to promos.
It has also been stated that this will be an emotional show and a difficult night for all involved. It was stated that “the lantern will be shut off forever,” which could be a hint at plans for the Wyatt tribute.
As PWMania.com previously reported, WWE’s Director of Longterm Creative Rob Fee tweeted that tonight’s SmackDown will be a “really special” show. Fee was hired as a full-time employee in September of last year and collaborated closely with Wyatt on his creative, including the viral White Rabbit teasers for his 2022 return, as well as the direction and production of the successful campaign. Fee, a long-time pro wrestling fan, once pitched a film based on The Fiend, and while the idea reportedly resonated with WWE higher-ups and had the potential to be produced, the project never got off the ground because Wyatt was released shortly after the pitch in July 2021.
The Uso promo segment appears to have been removed from tonight’s SmackDown, as it is no longer listed in the official show preview. WWE had announced that Jimmy Uso would speak for the first time since his brother Jey Uso “quit” two weeks ago, but it appears that The Bloodline’s ongoing storyline has been delayed until next week. Mysterio vs. Waller remains on the card, as does SKY’s title defense against Vega.
PWInsider reports that Cody Rhodes and Braun Strowman will be present at tonight’s show. Strowman is currently on the shelf after undergoing neck fusion surgery in early June, and there is no word on whether he will appear on TV, but he will almost certainly participate in honoring Wyatt.
