Kevin Owens returns as SmackDown prepares for Money in the Bank buildup

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SmackDown airs tonight with a live show emanating from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is the first episode of SmackDown during the nine week build to Money in the Bank, which takes place on October 10. WWE is shaking things up on SmackDown now that Kevin Owens is back The biggest surprise of SummerSlam weekend had to be the return of Kevin Owens, who is now the number one contender for the WWE championship after being added to Sami Zayn and Finn Balor’s match. WWE’s official preview for tonight’s show says Owens’ return will shake things up on the blue brand. He’ll get his first chance to turn SmackDown back into The KO Show tonight when he shares the ring with WWE Champion CM Punk for a highly anticipated promo battle. This could be the most compelling promo segment of the year, given Owens’ longtime grudge against Punk that is related to his close relationship with AEW stars Colt Cabana and the Young Bucks. As these guys tear each other apart on the mic, hopefully we’ll find out when the Punk vs. Owens title match is actually happening. But don’t be surprised if their promo is interrupted by Zayn and Balor, who were screwed over by Nick Aldis’ decision-making at SummerSlam. GUNTHER could also show up to attack everyone and send the message that he’s hell-bent on winning the WWE championship. How exactly will KO’s return shake things up on SmackDown? Tune in tonight to find out. The rest of the card Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green is scheduled for an appearance tonight, where she will discuss her plans for SmackDown now that she is the top star in the women’s division. If WWE really wants to shake things up on the blue brand and start Green’s title reign on the strongest note, they should fix the mistake they made a few weeks ago by now vacating Ripley’s title and removing Green’s “interim” label, which only weakens her status while it remains in place. Ripley just had knee surgery and said she’ll see us “down the road,” so there’s no need to pretend like she’ll be back in a few weeks. Come on Nick Aldis, you know what you need to do. The one match announced for tonight’s card is Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill. Does the winner of this match cut to the front of the line for a title shot against Green? Will there be interference from Alexa Bliss and The Baddies that determines the winner of this match, which used to be seen as a WrestleMania level attraction? Other stuff to keep an eye on – Randy Orton returned to WWE at SummerSlam, where he RKO’d Cody Rhodes to prevent him from winning the WWE championship. Can Rhodes and Orton now have the proper build to a grudge match that doesn’t involve doofuses like Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll? – Baron Corbin is very tall, and he is also the new United States champion after defeating Trick Williams at SummerSlam. Will Corbin enter the ring tonight to rip out every piece of fur from Trick’s custom belt? Is Williams coming for a title rematch, or does he know better than to get into a prolonged feud with the ultimate mediocre mid card guy in WWE? – The Bella Twins turned on Paige at SummerSlam, but Brie suffered a broken shoulder blade along the way. Will Nikki now try to do a 180 and reunite with Paige so that the Bellas can turn on her again in a few months when Brie is healthy? – Solo Sikoa loves hamming it up as a babyface in WWE, but it might be no laughing matter if Jacob Fatu and The Bloodline show up to hunt him down tonight. Is Royce Keys in any shape to watch Solo’s back after Fatu destroyed him in the main event of Raw? – Are there any babyface teams for WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Fatal Influence to defend their belts against on the blue brand, or do Nia Jax and Lash Legend stand out as the top contenders? – Last week’s winner-take-all match between WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest & R-Truth and AAA World tag Team Champions War Raiders had a really shitty disqualification ending. Does this mean they’ll have to settle the score in a rematch next month at TripleMania 34? Or will Tama and Talla Tonga get a shot at some gold before then now that they are managed by Haku? – Is “The Glamour” Blake Monroe ever going to wrestle on SmackDown? Does she have any interest in going after United States Champion Tiffany Stratton? – How much money will WWE pay Johnny Gargano to lay around backstage and do absolutely nothing tonight? – What’s next for Giulia after she was damn near squashed by Lash Legend last week? – Will Danhausen press some random buttons in his science laboratory so that The Miz and Kit Wilson can go back to not being electrocuted zombies? – Where the f*** are Jordynne Grace and Ilja Dragunov? What will you be looking for on SmackDown?