superstars Ricochet and Finn Balor will both appear on next week’s SmackDown special.
The two popular stars – who hold the Intercontinental and United States Championship respectively – appear to be missing out on an appearance at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas next weekend as the company has confirmed details for a title clash and the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.
After suffering, Ricochet will now defend his gold against both members of Los Lotharios in a Triple Threat match.
Many fans have been hoping for a high stakes Ladder Match to showcase the athletic champ, and while the scheduled bout will be a lot of fun, it’s a shame he isn’t on either night of the main WrestleMania card.
Similarly, Balor looked primed for a rematch against Damian Priest with the former’s US Title on the line, but both men have been announced for the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.
The multi-man match has, for a long time, been used as a way of letting plenty of stars be part of WrestleMania, although its new spot on WrestleMania SmackDown is a disappointing move when there are two nights each with a Kickoff.
It’s doubly disappointing for fans that the US Title won’t be defended on the Grandest Stage of Them All, with Balor and Priest standing out in the Andre The Giant Battle Royal field.
In a graphic shared by WWE, it was confirmed they will be joined by the likes of Robert Roode, Madcap Moss, Mansoor, R-Truth, Reggie, Jinder Mahal, Shanky and Reggie.
Rounding off the lineup are The Viking Raiders duo Erik and Ivar, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, Commander Azeez, Apollo Crews, Akira Tozawa and Drew Gulak.
Of course, there is always the hope WWE could find something for Balor or Ricochet to do and confirm it on Friday’s special – time will tell.
Meanwhile, Omos hasn’t been announced for the Battle Royal, which suggests he’ll have his own standalone bout added to WrestleMania, with recent reports suggesting a returning Bobby Lashley could have been in the picture.
The All Mighty is yet to make his return from injury though, so it’s unclear what the Colossal’s direction is next weekend.
WrestleMania SmackDown airs on Friday, April 1 as part of a double header with the WWE Hall of Fame 2022 ceremony. Watch SmackDown on BT Sport 1, and the Hall of Fame will air on the WWE Network.
