John Cena | WWE.com
It is full speed ahead to WWE Night of Champions next Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
WWE Champion John Cena has a huge title defense coming up against his longtime rival CM Punk, but he’s been unable to give the self-proclaimed ‘Best in the World’ his undivided attention because of Ron Killings.
The Truth of the matter is that the Never Seen 17-Time World Champion brought this aggravation upon himself. And whether his match tonight on SmackDown ends in victory or defeat, the only way that John Cena may be able to get Killings out of his life for good is by showing him the respect that he deserves.
While John Cena has both Ron Killings and CM Punk right in front of him, a rematch against either Cody Rhodes or Randy Orton could be in his not too distant future.
The American Nightmare and The Viper have both advanced to the semi-finals of the King of the Ring Tournament and they each have their sights set on becoming the next WWE Champion at SummerSlam in August.
Making it to the finals of the King of the Ring will be no easy task for either man. Orton has the first shot tonight when he takes on Sami Zayn. There’s also a huge Queen of the Ring semi-finals match-up later this evening as Asuka goes one-on-one with Alexa Bliss.
WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is being advertised for SmackDown, and you know that means Miss Money in the Bank Naomi will be lurking around the halls of the Van Andel Arena as well. Nia Jax is also expected to be in Michigan on the heels of her attack on Tiffany last Friday night.
LA Knight is expected to be in the house as well. The Megastar is on an all out revenge tour, having cost both Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed a shot at winning King of the Ring. Two down, just one Seth Rollins to go.
Here’s everything we know about tonight’s episode of SmackDown in Grand Rapids. We’ll continue to provide updates as more matches and segments are announced throughout the day.
Ron Killings is driving now and he’s barreling straight toward a head-on collision with John Cena. The once erratic R-Truth now has a clear vision of his objective. He’s not out to win the WWE Championship, he’s simply looking to earn the respect of his former ‘childhood hero’. Killings has gotten the best of the Never Seen 17-Time World Champion at every turn since his shocking return at Money in the Bank. Will he do it again tonight?
Randy Orton made his return to SmackDown last week and punched his ticket to the semi-finals of the King of the Ring for the second year in a row. Knowing full well he had John Cena dead to rights at Backlash, The Viper is craving another shot at his 15th World Championship. Sami Zayn is still trying to win his first and he’s equally hungry for the guaranteed title match that comes with the King of the Ring crown, but only one man will advance to the tournament finals at Night of Champions.
Asuka is back and she looked as good as she ever has this past Monday night on Raw. The Empress of Tomorrow outlasted three other Superstars to advance to tonight’s Queen of the Ring semi-finals match-up against Alexa Bliss. These former allies and Women’s Tag Team Champions will have to forget the past and focus on the future as a Women’s Championship opportunity at the ‘Biggest Party of the Summer’ is just two wins away for each of them.
