On tonight’s SmackDown from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, CM Punk and Kevin Owens will clash in a No Holds Barred match. The event, taped on Monday following Raw, serves as the final SmackDown before the upcoming Crown Jewel pay-per-view this Saturday.
The long-running rivalry between Punk and Owens continues to intensify. Recently, Owens interfered in Punk’s NXT Championship match against Grayson Waller on Wednesday’s NXT, costing Punk the title as Waller secured the pinfall.
In the women’s tag team division, champions B-Fab and Michin will defend their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship against the former titleholders Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. B-Fab and Michin captured the belts from Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley, while Henley and Reid are aiming to regain the championship and become two-time holders.
Former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest is set to go head-to-head with Nathan Frazer. Their feud escalated after Priest attacked his former partner R-Truth, with Frazer and Fraxiom stepping in to support Truth.
Shinsuke Nakamura will battle WWE Tag Team Champion Tama Tonga in a matchup delayed last week due to the theft of the Tongan staff by Kyoki, a move that enraged Haku and the Tonga family.
The announced card for tonight includes:
- CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens (No Holds Barred)
- B-Fab and Michin (c) vs. Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid (WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship)
- Damian Priest vs. Nathan Frazer
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tama Tonga
Additionally, WWE Champion Sami Zayn, WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green, Gunther, and Finn Balor are also advertised to appear. Zayn is scheduled to defend his title against Roman Reigns in a champion vs. champion bout at Crown Jewel, set to take place in Riyadh this Saturday.
SmackDown will air tonight at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.
Fan Take: This episode is crucial for fighting fans as it ramps up storylines that could define WWE’s future heading into Crown Jewel. The intense buildup between major stars like Punk and Owens heightens anticipation for high-stakes clashes, underscoring WWE’s evolving narrative and athleticism in the sport.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
