WWE Rumors: Reason why popular SmackDown couple missed TV this week

What's the story?

You may have noticed the clear absence of two major names on SmackDown Live this week - Andrade and Charlotte Flair. WWE's power couple were away this week and it was for a rather unfortunate reason - Andrade's mother passed away while he was at Saudi Arabia, according to Wrestling Inc.

However, it seems as though their leave was a very brief one, as their return dates have already been scheduled.

In case you didn't know...

Andrade and Charlotte Flair have been public about their relationship for a few months now. Both have been making really good progress on SmackDown Live with Charlotte having briefly held her ninth Women's Championship before Bayley cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase.

The couple was briefly seseparatedy WWE when they decided to shift Andrade (and Zelina Vega) to RAW for the Superstar Shake-Up. Naturally, Flair wasn't happy about it and within a week, Andrade and Vega were both back on the blue brand.

This also had a ripple effect because Zelina Vega's husband Aleister Black was originally on RAW and was then moved over to SmackDown Live.

The heart of the matter

Wrestling Inc stated that Andrade's mother had passed away last week while he was at Saudi Arabia, which meant that they both got the week off. However, they're reportedly scheduled to return on Sunday for the live event at Salt Lake City.

That likely means that they'll be back on regular television next week onwards. Finn Balor is expected to continue his feud against Andrade for the Intercontinental Championship. Of course, if Balor isn't The Demon again at Stomping Grounds, then you can fully expect Andrade to become Intercontinental Champion.

What's next?

It'll be interesting to see what the direction for Andrade is going forward. He's still one of WWE's biggest prospects.

We at Sportskeeda send our deepest condolences to Andrade and his family.