A modern-day David vs. Goliath anchors WWE SmackDown as Rey Mysterio tries to overcome the mountain of a man named Gunther. The legendary luchador looks to add the intercontinental championship to his crowded trophy case on Friday night. This week’s SmackDown kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and was pre-taped from Enterprise Center in St Louis, Missouri.
Mysterio, desperate to get away from The Judgement Day and his estranged son Dominik Mysterio, made the transition from Raw to SmackDown in October. A successful outing in a fatal four-way No. 1 contender’s match rewarded Mysterio with a shot at the Imperium boss. Gunther and his right-hand men, Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci, have bullied Mysterio in the weeks leading to their intercontinental title match. Will Mysterio’s speed and experience edge close the 122-pound and 10-inch height gap between them?
Two additional matches are being promoted in anticipation of Friday’s show: the unhinged Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville and Ricochet vs. the rechristened LA Knight. The show was filmed immediately after last week’s episode of SmackDown to allow superstars to make the trek to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel this weekend.
CBS Sports is with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Enterprise Center in St Louis.
WWE SmackDown preview
- Intercontinental championship — Gunther (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
- Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville (No disqualification match)
- Ricochet vs. LA Knight