25-time champion to return for one night only on WWE SmackDown? Exploring potential surprise for the season premiere on USA
WWE SmackDown is all set to move to the USA Network with its season premiere emanating on September 13. To make it a memorable episode, the company will seemingly plan surprises for fans. While Monday Night RAW has been on the USA Network since 2005, WWE SmackDown shifted to FOX for several years.
With the blue brand will also moving to the USA Network, both of the company's weekly episodic shows will be on the same network. Considering the FOX season premiere featured several surprises, fans can expect more euphoria this week. With that said the most delightful surprise for the fans could be John Cena, who is set to start his Farewell Tour next year.
Like he made a surprise return for one night at Money in the Bank 2024, Cena could do the same on the season premiere episode of the blue brand. The veteran could shed light on what he plans to do during his farewell tour like potential matches or championships pursuits.
The Franchise Player has already revealed that he will be working 30-40 dates next year, so he could share some more information about that. Cena could also engage in a heated promo with someone like Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, or Solo Sikoa to start a rivalry.
This is just speculation for now, but considering the 16-time World Champion's recent history, he could appear at any WWE show to surprise his fans.
What happened on WWE SmackDown's FOX Season Premiere?
To set the right expectations, let's go through what happened in the season premiere episode when WWE SmackDown moved to FOX in 2019.
Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show to welcome fans to a new era. After that, Becky Lynch walked down the ramp to share a moment with the fans. Following an interruption from then King of The Ring Baron Corbin, the two engaged in a verbal battle. To everyone's surprise, The Rock's music hit and he entered the ring. After sending thrill waves through the arena, the babyfaces made quick work of Baron Corbin.
After a few matches involving big names like Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, and Shane McMahon, the main event featured Kofi Kingston defending his WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar. After a surprisingly quick match, The Beast was crowned the winner. The surprises weren't over yet, as Cain Velasques made his debut to lay out an assault on his UFC rival.
It is safe to say that the bar is pretty high for this week's WWE SmackDown. Fans will certainly look forward to what's in store.