After five years on Fox, WWE SmackDown is making its return to USA Network for this Friday’s September 13 episode.
You only get one chance to make a first impression, so WWE will likely be looking to make some headlines with this show, and one way to do that is for some popular stars to make their returns after being away from the company for a period of time.
Here are nine returns that could take place at the WWE SmackDown premiere episode on USA Network.
9. Jimmy Uso
Following the return of Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, there’s another original Bloodline member that’s been away for months and we’re waiting to see come back.
That is of course Jimmy Uso, who was taken out by Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga as the first step in the formation of Sikoa’s new Bloodline lineup.
With Survivor Series getting closer and many expecting a Bloodline vs Bloodline WarGames match, Jimmy Uso will likely be back in the fold soon.
Whether it happens this Friday remains to be seen, but with the Sikoa vs Cody Rhodes steel cage match, the stage is set for something big to go down, and this could be it.
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8. AJ Styles
AJ Styles has been off WWE TV since he lost an I Quit match against Cody Rhodes at Clash at the Castle in the middle of June.
In the meantime, he had a match in Japan for Pro Wrestling NOAH against Naomichi Marufuji, but it’s been two months since that happened now as well.
Styles has returned to WWE shows including the live events on the recent European tour, and at one point was reportedly planned to return on a recent episode of SmackDown, but the plans ended up changing.
That says it’s literally just a matter of timing, and making a headline on the USA premiere could be the move.
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7. Shinsuke Nakamura
Another absentee is Shinsuke Nakamura, who hasn’t been on WWE television for almost FIVE MONTHS at this point.
Like Styles, Nakamura has remained active on untelevised live events during that time, so it’s not like there’s a medical issue keeping him out of action.
It’s seemingly just a matter of timing and perhaps giving enough time for his aura and image to be rehabilitated after being beaten pretty consistently in his latest run.
It was SmackDown who landed Nakamura in the WWE Draft this year, so he should be heading to the blue brand, it’s just a matter of when.
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6. Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss has been out of action since early 2023 due to pregnancy, but there seems to be more steam than ever behind a potential return right now.
She appears to be dropping hints on social media, she’s mentioned getting back into ring shape, and it certainly seems like the time is approaching.
The big caveat here of course is that most people expect Bliss to be involved with the Wyatt Sicks when she returns, and if that’s the case, she’ll be on Raw, not SmackDown.
However, if the plan is for her to NOT be involved with the Wyatts – or at least not yet – it might be best to keep her as separated from them as possible on the opposite show. It would be too weird for her to be on Raw and not interact with them if that’s not the plan.
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5. Randy Orton
This might be stretching the definition of “return”, but there’s a very specific opening for Randy Orton to make his comeback on WWE SmackDown.
Kevin Owens is set for a tag match against Grayson Waller & Austin Theory, with Owens’ partner currently a mystery.
The obvious choice would be Randy Orton, who missed last week’s SmackDown after he was beaten by GUNTHER at Bash In Berlin.
So not a return from a very long absence, but I bet WWE would call it one, so for the purposes of this list, we will too.
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4. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch has been out of WWE since then end of May when her contract legitimately expired and she opted to take what was referred to as an “extended break”.
It might seem a little bit soon and an undersell of the word “extended” if she’s back less than four months later, but if a headline is what WWE is after, this would make one.
All signs have always indicated Lynch returning to WWE whenever she’s ready, and the relationship is still positive and she’s repeatedly been mentioned on TV – as recently as this past Tuesday’s NXT in fact.
Maybe too soon, and she’d likely land on Raw to pick things up with Liv Morgan and/or Rhea Ripley, but again, it’d be a talking point, so never say never.
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3. Charlotte Flair
There is someone Becky Lynch has a lot of history with that’s more likely to return than herself at this point, and that’s Charlotte Flair.
Flair has been out of action since she suffered an injury in December, and has been showing off her amazing recovery process on social media regularly since then.
Recent reports indicated that she’d likely be cleared to return “around November”, so perhaps this is a little premature, but she could always return to TV for a little while before she’s ready to get back into the ring if that’s the case.
Those same reports from PW Nexus noted the plan is for Flair to land on SmackDown and enter a feud with WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and/or Tiffany Stratton, so it’s just a question of whether everyone is ready to pull the trigger yet or if there’s still a little bit of time left for her recovery.
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2. Roman Reigns
At one point this wouldn’t have even been considered a surprise, but now we kind of have to.
That’s because Roman Reigns was originally advertised for this specific show… until the listings were changed and he was removed.
That means there’s a big ol’ question mark over why that happened – is he still planned to return but they want it to be a surprise, or is he off legitimately off the show?
As mentioned earlier with Jimmy Uso, there’s an opening for something major to happen during or after the cage match, and Reigns showing up could very well be it.
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1. The Rock
You wanna show that the move to the USA Network isn’t a step down from Fox, and it’s the start of something big? This is how you do it.
The Rock would not need to do much. All he’d have to do is show up, and stare at three people – Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa.
That would give the fans enough questions to keep them going until whenever Rock’s next actual run is coming and we can get some actual answers. Who’s he coming after, who’s he working with, who’s his next match going to be? Plant all of those possibilities down and let the games begin.
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and this would be a heck of a way to make sure people don’t look at WWE SmackDown moving to USA as a step down from Fox.
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