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WWE Friday Night Smackdown returns to your screens tonight with a new episode coming live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA.
Wrestlemania 39 weekend is finally upon us and this the final episode of Smackdown before the two-night event begins on Saturday. This is the finish line on the road to Wrestlemania and the two participants of Sunday’s main event will be on the show. This show will also directly precede the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which will begin at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock.
How to watch Friday Night Smackdown
Date: Friday, March 31
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Network: Fox
Live stream: Fox Live or Fox Now App
What to watch for on Friday Night Smackdown
Just 48 hours before their main event title clash at Wrestlemania, undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will come face-to-face with Cody Rhodes one final time on tonight’s show. Rhodes has done an effective job getting into the heads of the Bloodline the last two weeks and most recently toppled Solo Sikoa on Monday’s episode of Raw. We’ll see what these two have to say to each other as they prepare for their epic collision at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Drew McIntyre and Sheamus will face Gunther in a triple-threat match for the Intercontinental Championship on Sunday. Just two nights before that, they’ll team up to face Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci of Imperium tonight. Tensions have fared between the two friends over the past few weeks as they’ve both staked a claim for the IC belt. This is an old-fashioned case of seeing if they can co-exist ahead of a big title match at Wrestlemania.
Tonight’s show will also feature the ninth Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal taking place. The participants for this year’s Andre include Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, Mace, Mansoor, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander, Angel, Humberto, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Top Dolla, Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis, Butch, Ridge Holland, Dolph Ziggler. Mustafa Ali, Rick Boogs, Elias, Xavier Woods, L.A. Knight, Bobby Lashley, Karrion Kross, Baron Corbin, Bronson Reed, and Madcap Moss. Corbin and Moss are the only former winners participating, so we’ll see if they can become the first multi-time winners.