Several RAW superstars are scheduled for this week's Friday Night SmackDown
Several superstars from Monday Night RAW are scheduled to appear on this week's upcoming Friday Night SmackDown, which will emanate from the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.
As reported by PWInsider, local advertisements are showcasing Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes to appear on the blue brand this week.
The point to note here is that these stars will probably wrestle in dark matches, or matches that are not filmed and are only for the live audience. This has been the norm for the past few months, with wrestlers from both brands wrestling in dark matches on the other show.
#WWE Nothing's official but the Weekly Show split is almost over, half of Raw's wrestlers will be behind the scenes on the upcoming SmackDown Show like Seth and Cody Edge.
–(WON) https://t.co/cNfF1cQ5ZA
Cody Rhodes may go up against Seth Rollins in such a match as a teaser for their bout at WWE's upcoming premium live event, Hell in a Cell.
However, there has been some precedent in recent times of some stars appearing on the "other" brand. As the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Usos have been on RAW and the red brand's tag champs RK-Bro have crossed the barrier too. The two teams wrestled on last week's episode of the blue brand to unify the tag championships.
The decision to unify the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team titles was reportedly last-minute
#AndNew
@WWEUsos reign supreme! https://t.co/Zu318SyXu6
The Usos defeated RK-Bro to unify both brands' tag team titles with an assist from the Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns on last week's Friday Night SmackDown.
Dave Meltzer had this to say on Wrestling Observer Radio:
"I was only told the big thing was the angle. As for what they would do about the finish, they went back and forth and Vince made the call. Basically, you know what, 'we've been pushing this so much we might as well do it.' It's not like it was some long-term plan and this was the day that they're gonna go back. I mean literally, there was no plan other than the big angle…The decision itself wasn't made until Friday," (H/T: Wrestling News)
Further reports say that Riddle and Randy Orton will be Reigns' next two challengers at Hell In a Cell and Summerslam respectively. Tag title unification could be a way to free up RK-Bro for a shot at the World Championships, but that would just be speculation at the moment.
What are your thoughts on this story? Did you like the RAW and Smackdown Tag Team Championships being unified? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!