With Vince McMahon no longer calling the shots in WWE, the company is a little more willing to give its Superstars some time at home with their families over the holidays. As a result, WWE has taped several upcoming shows in advance (in an undeniably confusing manner).
As a reminder, Friday's December 19 SmackDown was taped on Monday (December 15) after the live RAW. There was also a non-televised taping on December 19, for this past Monday's RAW (December 22) and tomorrow night's SmackDown (December 26).
Pre-taped WWE shows tend to be pretty uneventful. However, this edition of SmackDown will be a big one, with a main roster appearance from NXT's Joe Hendry, a major title change, and a huge development in WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre's feud.
Here's a full breakdown of what you can expect from SmackDown, courtesy of Cageside Seats:
A Joe Hendry concert is followed by...
Hendry def. The Miz in a Christmas Street fight
A backstage segment with both Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes was shown, followed by ones featuring Drew McIntyre, Jade Cargill, and Michin individually.
Charlotte Flair def. Lash Legend
Trick Williams confronts Cody Rhodes in General Manager Nick Aldis office
Carmelo Hayes def. Ilja Dragunov to become the NEW Men’s United States champion
The women’s tag division (represented by Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Lash Legend & Nia Jax, Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY, and Asuka & Kairi Sane get a backstage scene.
Giulia & Kiana James defe. Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre
Another Drew McIntyre attack on Undisputed WWE champ Cody Rhodes closes the show, setting up a "Three Stages of Hell" title match for the Jan. 9 SmackDown.
There's a very good chance we'll see more of Hendry on the main roster moving forward. It's previously been reported that he's being paid main roster money, despite being part of the NXT brand, and over the past year, this viral sensation has proved he has staying power.
Talking to Chris Van Vliet in April, Hendry reflected on making his surprise WrestleMania debut for a match with Randy Orton. "So I heard Triple H say recently, and I don’t want to misquote, but this is what I heard him say. I heard him say that revealing things before they happen is ruining the surprise, saying how it was done afterwards is almost like just the intrigue of how that happened."
"So with respect for that, he’s talked about conversations we’ve had. So I will say I found out about a week before and Triple H called me personally. And I thought, because I was at WWE World. That’s one of the reasons it was so well hidden, because I was already booked for WWE World. So there was no shock or surprise with me being around the company."
"I thought I was going to be getting a promo there, maybe presenting a Slammy, something like that. And so he said, can you talk? Phone goes, and very quickly we got to, 'So I’m sure you’re aware that Randy needs an opponent,'" he continued. "And I’m in the airport, I did not think that’s what the call was going to be, and I said yes immediately."
Stay tuned for more highlights from SmackDown after the show airs this Friday.