SmackDown Doesn't See What the Rush Is. BackLash Isn't Going Anywhere...

Happy Friday, Enthusiasts!

I hope it’s a good one for you. As for the Wrestling World, there’s actually some news to chat about and mostly not of the WWE variety. Shall we discuss?

So, first thing is that Jeff Hardy returned to AEW television this week which I think was a genuine surprise. Word having spread that he was recovering from eye surgery, I don’t think anyone expected him to show up anywhere but there he was. 

He looked good enough from what I could tell. Maybe half a step slower. Maybe a little stiff but that’s to be expected. What’s going around now is that he’ll be kept out of matches for the time being so he can fully recover. Regardless, it’s nice to see him back in action.

Also in AEW news, there’s talk that CM Punk may be back soon. Well, if he is, AEW looks like it’s taking my idea of going with Punk being the Scourge of Wrestling with the likes of Chris Jericho and others publicly giving their “thumbs down” opinions. There’s even talk that AEW is considering its own roster split to minimize tensions in the locker room upon Punk’s return. 

If they can have fun with it, I say why not otherwise let WWE run with it. As much as Punk lamented his time with WWE, with AEW fans taking him far too seriously, he’ll at least be able to experiment with the craft in peace. We won’t read that much into it and will probably assume it’s a joke before condemning him. As usual, we’ll be watching.

With the WWE news being so-so today, that more or less brings us to tonight’s SmackDown. The big draw for tonight is the return of Shinsuke Nakamura. We can also expect Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan to celebrate being the Tag Team champs until someone rains on their parade. Damian Priest is set to battle Santos Escobar and it looks like we’ll get more of a look at LA Knight. He’ll be facing Xavier Woods ‘cause neither one likes the look of the other’s face. I’ll take a look with the other West Coasters later this evening. Feel free to join in. You know where to find me for the watch party.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)