WWE Friday Night Smackdown preview and schedule: January 14, 2022

With
injuries
plaguing
the
roster,
the
Universal
Championship
storyline
remains
the
feature
attraction
on
Friday
nights.

Nothing
much
has
been
confirmed
for
tonight’s
episode
but
we
believe
more
announcements
around
Royal
Rumble
2022
will
be
made
during
the
show
that
takes
place
at
the
CHI
Health
Center
in
Omaha,
Nebraska.

After
missing
WWE
Day
1
due
to
COVID-19,
Roman
Reigns
returned
on
Smackdown
on
FOX,
last
week
to
have
a
Championship
Confrontation
with
the
newly-crowned
WWE
Champion
Brock
Lesnar
and
his
rehired
Advocate
Paul
Heyman.

The
Beast
Incarnate
was
willing
to
have
a
Champion
vs.
Champion
Match
right
then
and
there
but
Reigns
made
it
clear
that
things
happen
under
his
control
on
the
blue
brand.
He
also
upstaged
Lesnar
with
a
Superman
Punch
before
he
left
the
ring.

An
angle
then
played
out
throughout
the
show
where
WWE
Official
Adam
Pearce
had
to
pick
the
next
challenger
for
the
WWE
Universal
Champion.

The
show
ended
with
a
knock
on
the
door
of
Reigns’
locker
room
suite,
which
turned
out
to
be
Seth
Rollins.
The
former
Shield
member
then
entered
the
suite
and
had
a
brief
staredown
with
Reigns
indicating
that
he’s
the
Royal
Rumble
opponent
for
him.

Over
on
Raw,
it
was
confirmed
that
Rollins
vs.
Reigns
for
the
Universal
Title
will
indeed
be
the
lineup
for
Royal
Rumble
2022.
That
being
said,
a
co-branded
matchup
is
scheduled
in
the
upcoming
premium
live
event
match
as
there’s
no
top
challenger
available
for
the
champion
on
Smackdown.

In
more
news,
Seth
Rollins
has
been
confirmed
for
tonight’s
episode
as
he
intends
to
kick-start
the
so-called
Brother
vs.
Brother
match
storyline
with
The
Tribal
Chief.

The
Monday
Night
Messiah
claims
to
be
in
a
favorable
position
as
he
had
several
victories
over
his
former
Shield
brethren
including
two
world
championship
wins.

SmackDown’s
Women’s
Champion
Charlotte
dropped
a
bombshell
by
declaring
that
she
would
join
the
Women’s
Royal
Rumble
in
an
effort
to
pick
her
own
challenger
for
WrestleMania
after
she
wins
the
match.

Naomi
emerged,
got
engaged
in
a
verbal
war
with
Flair,
and
then
delivered
a
slap
to
set
up
a
Championship
Contender’s
match,
right
there.
WWE
Official
Sonya
Deville
arrived
at
ringside
and
provided
distractions
to
ensure
that
Flair
walks
out
with
the
W.

That
prevented
Naomi
from
becoming
the
next
challenger
for
The
Queen
while
the
ongoing
feud
between
Naomi
and
Deville
continued
with
the
happenings
from
last
week.
Perhaps,
these
two
might
enter
The
Rumble
to
carry
the
storyline
forward.

????
LET’S
GO!!!#RoyalRumble
pic.twitter.com/W5F7c0mSil

—
WWE
(@WWE)

January
8,
2022

Speaking
of
the
Women’s
Rumble
match,
19
participants
including
Impact
Wrestling
Knockouts
Champion
Mickie
James,
Hall
of
Famers
Bella
Twins,
Lita,
and
more
have
been
confirmed,
last
week.
A
couple
of
more
names
for
the
annual
over-the-top-rope
melee
could
be
let
known
when
Smackdown
airs,
live
on
FOX.