Roman Reigns receives new challenger; Returns announced for WWE Raw & Smackdown

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Bengaluru, Nov. 27: Sami Zayn was crowned to be the new number-one contender to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns over on this week’s Smackdown.

This week’s post-Survivor Series edition of SmackDown on FOX had a huge main event on the card in the form of a Black Friday Invitational Battle Royal to determine the next challenger for Reigns.

The 18-man Battle Royal featured Sami Zayn, Erik, Ivar, Angel, Humberto, MACE, Mansoor, Cesaro, Ricochet, Drew Gulak, Rick Boogs, Jinder Mahal, Shanky, Madcap Moss, Ridge Holland, and Sheamus.

The win was secured by Zayn, who was originally knocked through the middle rope and spent outside the ring for the better part of the match. The finish saw Jeff Hardy eliminating Happy Baron Corbin to secure the apparent win which wasn’t the case.

Zayn suddenly re-entered the ring and tossed Hardy over the top rope for the victory. Fans and viewers then realized that Zayn was never eliminated from the contest. The Great Liberator’s winning celebration was also short-lived given that Brock Lesnar’s returning announcement for next week was made by Kayla Braxton, at the same time.

There’s no update available on when Zayn will take on Roman Reigns for the Universal Title. In the meantime, the reigning champion dropped an interesting line during his in-ring promo on Smackdown, indicating a possible departure from the WWE.

While addressing the WWE Universe in the opener of the show from the Greensboro Coliseum, Roman Reigns called himself the Greatest of All-Time and teased leaving WWE with the following statement: “When my days are done around here, which could be soon, you all will acknowledge me.”

There’s no update available on what Reigns was referring to but rumours are there about his potential exit from the WWE for pursuing a career in Hollywood.

In more news, WWE has announced a massive return and two matches for Monday Night RAW from the UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. WWE’s debut at the new venue will feature the return of the WWE Hall of Famer Edge.

This will be the first appearance for the eleven-time world champion since the WWE Draft 2021 edition over on Raw following his shift to the red brand. Also, it marks the first appearance for him since defeating Seth Rollins in the Hell in a Cell match at WWE Crown Jewel in late October. No update is available on what WWE has in store for Edge.

Apart from this return, WWE is advertising two big singles contests on the show – Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor and WWE Champion Big E vs. Kevin Owens in a non-title affair.

Story first published: Saturday, November 27, 2021, 11:39 [IST]