Daily Update: Sonya Deville, WWE Raw, Roman Reigns

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

In this issue:

  • Match of the week and performer of the week
  • Feds investigating Vince McMahon and more
  • AEW signings Kenny Omega, Young Bucks and Adam Page, lots behind it with comments from any going into details on the reason the decision was made, their pact to stay together and far more
  • WWE financials for quarter two, including why the next TV deal is taking longer to negotiate, how every sector of business is doing, USA Network with and without WWE and looks to the future
  • SummerSlam, why matches were changed, the huge Saturday night of events, ticket sales and more
  • Updating All In, where it stands on all-tie records, two straight weeks of PPV shows, the last time it happened and the history, rumored matches and more
  • G-1 Climax, what everyone needs to advance to the final eight, cards for the rest of the tournament and running down the shows from the past week
  • UFC 291 coverage, the stories behind the stories, what is next, business notes
  • NXT Great American Bash notes with full coverage
  • The life and times of Adrian Street, his death, his start, the famous photo, his U.K. heyday, why he came to the U.S., thinking wrestling was real, meeting Linda and his life after wrestling
  • The most detailed look at the television ratings for all the pro wrestling and MMA shows, including what the numbers mean, rankings, segment-by-segment and how shows are doing compared with one year ago.
  • Promotion shooting new star to the top
  • One of the best matches of the year in Mexico
  • Top pro wrestler worked as an Uber driver during the pandemic
  • Why Stardom is bringing back 80s and 90s legends
  • Wrestle Kingdom notes
  • Minoru Suzuki match in a unique location
  • Second generation star celebrates his 50th birthday on show this past week
  • Update on the number of homes and carriage rates for the shows that carry wrestling and MMA
  • More on a new television wrestling promotion starting in the fall
  • More matches on All In weekend in London
  • Who Giulia is likely defending her New Japan Strong title against next
  • Men’s All Japan Strong title match in Defy
  • Business of AEW and its value
  • Tony Khan talks business growth
  • Update on WBD business
  • Health updates on AEW & WWE wrestlers out of action
  • Paul Levesque and Tony Khan exchange words
  • International TV ratings
  • Streaming numbers
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
  • Top merchandise sellers in WWE & AEW
  • UFC pushing Slap Fighting at commission meeting
  • Dwayne Johnson buys a house for a UFC fighter
  • Backstage fight at show in Japan
  • Notes on Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz
  • Crawford-Spence PPV numbers
  • WWE returns to India and details on that
  • Kevin Owens talks future
  • Former WWE personality working in TV news
  • WWE house show notes

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter

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Monday Update

Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, G-1, the cursed women’s tag titles, SummerSlam fallout, Kairi Sane and many other topics with Wrestling Observer radio.

Sonya Deville suffered a torn ACL on the 7/28 Smackdown show and will be undergoing reconstructive surgery in the morning. TMZ first reported this. The belief is the titles will be held up but the official word from WWE is that the title situation will be addressed on tonight’s show.

Raw is tonight from Minneapolis. No matches were announced as of this afternoon. No Brock Lesnar on the show tonight nor any time soon. There were 8,855 tickets out as of this morning. This is already up 40 percent from a Smackdown taping in the same building last year in the summer. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Raquel Rodriguez are there. Rodriguez could face Rhea Ripley tonight or next week. Nick Aldis is backstage working as a producer in his first night with the company.

Roman Reigns will be on Smackdown Friday night.

The C block top place-winners in G-1 will be determined in a show that starts tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. from the Yokohama Budokan. The standings are:

  • David Finlay 4-2
  • Evil 4-2
  • Eddie Kingston 4-2
  • Tama Tonga 3-2-1
  • Shingo Takagi 3-2-1
  • Mikey Nicholls 2-4
  • Aaron Henare 2-4
  • Tomohiro Ishii 1-5

The tournament matches are:

  • Ishii vs. Nicholls – both out of the running
  • Tonga vs. Henare – Tonga with a win is alive
  • Evil vs. Takagi – Winner is alive
  • Kingston vs Finlay – Winner is alive

The top two go to the playoffs. If Evil beats Takagi, he’s in the playoffs. If Finlay and Evil win, Finlay finishes first and Evil second. If Kingston and Evil win, then they both advance. If Kingston & Finlay draw and Evil loses, Takagi will make it in with Kingston. There are other options as well, but those are the most likely.

The former A.J. Lee, now A.J. Mendez, noted this week that she is leaving her role as Executive Producer at WOW.

Cory Sandhagen noted that he tore his triceps off the bone in the first round of his main event fight with Rob Font on Saturday’s UFC show in Nashville. He still won the fight doing four rounds with the injury. He will have surgery later this week. He said he wasn’t able to punch or elbow with the bad arm without it hurting like hell.

PWInsider reported Brian Pillman Jr. will be at the NXT tapings tomorrow night and that they believed he had signed with WWE. Those at NXT didn’t confirm or deny this. Pillman had hinted that he had something big happening shortly after he got a tryout at the Performance Center.

Impact on Thursday has:

  • Moose & Brian Myers & Bully Ray vs. Black Taurus & Laredo Kid & Samuray del Sol
  • Mike Bailey vs. Kushida
  • Chris Bey & Ace Austin vs. Sami Callihan & Rich Swann in a tournament for a tag title shot
  • Alisha Edwards vs. Jody Threat
  • Dirty Dango vs Bhupinder Gujjar

TBS sent out a release that last Wednesday’s episode of Dynamiet was viewed by 2.5 million viewers. That number is every single person who watched the show both live and on DVR through Saturday at midnight. It did a real 0.80 rating in 18-49 which was 0.68 live and 0.12 over the next three days. That was a 1.03 in men 18-49. 

Defy on Saturday night in Seattle at Washington Hall has Ninja Mack vs. Artemis Spencer, Clark Connors vs. Cody Chhun, Titus Alexander vs. Judas Icarus, Shigehiro Irie vs. Tom Lawlor, Nicole Matthews vs. Masha Slamovich and Travis Wlliams & Evan Rivers vs. Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl.

Jonathan Gresham suffered a training injury yesterday and is expected to be out of action four to six weeks.

Elon Musk claims that his potential fight with Mark Zuckerberg will air live on X with all proceeds going to charity for veterans. 

Our buddy Jay Dumont (Great Fowler) had heart ablation surgery earlier today. He said it’s not a cure for his issues but it may give him more energy and give him enough strength for a hernia surgery that he also needs. 

Season seven of Dana White’s Contender Series debuts on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Eastern. The show will air live the next two Tuesdays at 7 p.m. from the Apex in Las Vegas. After that it will move to its regular 8 p.m. Eastern start time.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sonya Deville suffers torn ACL

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sonya Deville will be out of action for the next several months.

TMZ Sports reported on Monday that Deville suffered a torn ACL in a recent SmackDown match. Deville is undergoing knee surgery this Tuesday to repair the injury.

The injury happened when Deville and her tag team partner Chelsea Green faced Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair on the July 28 episode of SmackDown. Belair & Charlotte won the non-title match when Charlotte pinned Green.

TMZ Sports notes that WWE will be addressing the situation with the Women’s Tag Team titles on Raw tonight. If the titles are vacated, it will be the second time that’s happened in the last three months. Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan had to relinquish the championships this May due to an injury suffered by Morgan.

Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler became champions after Rodriguez & Morgan had to vacate the titles. Rodriguez & Morgan then won them back at Money in the Bank.

Deville & Green became champions by defeating Rodriguez & Morgan on the July 17 edition of Raw.

Chelsea Green: Winning WWE Women’s Tag Team titles was ‘the moment’

Chelsea Green is a WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion.

Green and Sonya Deville defeated Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez for the titles on the July 17th Raw from Atlanta’s State Farm Arena and the next day, she was walking the red carpet for the premiere of Cody Rhodes’ upcoming documentary on Peacock.

I had the opportunity to chat with her about winning gold for the first time in WWE and her return to the promotion. You can watch our entire interview above for free on YouTube.

Winning gold

Green explained how winning the titles was “eight years in the making” and that it was the perfect time and place for it to happen.

“I want to tell you that I was overwhelmed with emotion. But honestly, you know my story. Everybody watching this probably knows my story. They’ve seen the ups and downs. I feel like that was the moment. That was the moment: eight years in the making from the time I met Sonya and nine years in the making from when I starting wrestling. That was the moment. It was a perfect place. It was a perfect time. It was the perfect audience. I’m so happy that it was here and now,” she said.

The “Karen” persona

One of the topics I brought up during our conversation was the popularity of her on-screen persona of being a “Karen.” Every week on Raw, fans see Green portray an entitled, demanding, high-maintenance character that has seen a lot of positive feedback from fans on social media. 

“The funny thing is I don’t necessarily know that I came back with this cult following that supported me, but I think slowly but surely, I have gained the fans confidence and the fans love,” she said. “Maybe I’ve just entertained them. I don’t know what it is, but I’m okay with that. Whatever it is, I just want to get a reaction when I go out there and I feel like I’ve been getting it. So, I’m so happy for that.”

Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville win Women’s Tag Team titles on WWE Raw

New WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were crowned on Monday’s Raw.

Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville defeated Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan to win the titles for the first time. The finish had Deville pulling Rodriguez off the apron, landing on her injured leg on the floor. Deville and Green then double teamed Morgan, with Green delivering an unprettier. Deville then hit a running knee strike for the win.

Earlier in the show, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley confronted Raquel Rodriguez. After Morgan made a comment to Ripley, Ripley responded by headbutting Morgan. It turned into a brawl, with Ripley targeting Rodriguez’s leg, injuring it in the process. Later in the trainer’s room, a WWE medical staff member told Rodriguez he wanted some more scans. Rodriguez said she wanted to defend the titles on Monday’s show despite the injury. WWE official Adam Pearce then allowed Rodriguez to defend the titles later in the show.

Rodriguez & Morgan held the titles for only 16 days, defeating Ronda Rousey and Shayna Bazler at Money in the Bank on July 1.

New Women’s Tag Team title number one contenders crowned on WWE Raw

Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green are next in line for a Women’s Tag Team title match.

Deville & Green won a tag team turmoil match that took place on Monday’s Raw, defeating Indi Hartwell & Candice LeRae, Emma & Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke & Tegan Nox, and Katana Chance & Kayden Karter to earn a shot at the new champions, Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan. It was not said when the Women’s Tag Team title match will take place.

Rodriguez & Morgan defeated Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler at Money in the Bank this past Saturday to win the titles for a second time. They won after Baszler turned on Rousey, allowing Morgan and Rodriguez to score the victory. Rousey and Baszler had another confrontation on Raw Monday, with Baszler once again laying out Rousey.

Deville & Green have been teaming since earlier this year, qualifying for a match at WrestleMania where they lost a four-way women’s tag team showcase match. In May, they took part in a four-way match for the vacant Women’s Tag Team titles that were won by Rousey and Baszler.

WWE’s Sonya Deville was ‘living in fight or flight mode’ after attempted kidnapping

In a new interview, WWE wrestler Sonya Deville opened up about her mental well-being and recovery following a 2020 attempted kidnapping at her home.

Talking on Maria Menounos’ podcast, Deville (Daria Berenato) said she is still dealing with trauma from the August 2020 incident where Phillip Thomas broke into her home with a knife, zip ties, and duct tape following threatening messages on social media.

He was sentenced to 15 years in jail and 15 years of probation after the judge accepted a plea agreement in which Thomas pleaded guilty to the charges, which include attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking, and armed burglary.

“That night after the incident, I thought I was gonna go back into the house and sleep there, because I was stubborn and I was in shock, and I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know left from right at that point, and then the sun goes down, and I’m uncontrollably shaking, and I’m in a hotel room under an alias name because I’m so paranoid that even though he’s arrested, he’s somehow gonna find me, and I have the dresser pushed up against the door.”

She later said the full effect of the incident didn’t hit her initially and she was “living in fight or flight mode for months, maybe years.” She talked to her father at one point about building a home with a moat, 24/7 security and five guard dogs.

In March of this year, she was arrested on a firearm charge in New Jersey after a gun was found in her glove box by a valet. She began carrying a gun following the incident and it was registered in Florida.

After taking time off after SummerSlam 2020, she returned to WWE in January 2021 as an authority figure before eventually returning to the ring.

Two women’s Money in the Bank qualifying matches set for next WWE Raw

Two women’s Money in the Bank qualifying matches have been announced for the June 5 episode of WWE Raw. 

As announced during this week’s show, Becky Lynch will face Sonya Deville in a qualifying match on next week’s Raw. Lynch is coming off a loss to Trish Stratus at last week’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, while Deville is coming off a loss in Monday’s Women’s Tag Team Championship bout on Raw. 

Also set for next week, Zoey Stark will face Natalya in a Money in the Bank qualifier. Stark helped Stratus defeat Lynch at Night of Champions, and that program continued in an angle on this week’s Raw where Stratus and Stark laid out Lynch. Natalya is coming off a defeat in a SmackDown Women’s title match against Rhea Ripley at Night of Champions. 

Next week’s Raw lineup: 

WWE Raw, Monday, June 5 —

  • Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: Becky Lynch vs. Sonya Deville
  • Women’s Money in the Bank qualifying match: Zoey Stark vs. Natalya

WWE’s Sonya Deville issues statement on attempted kidnapper being sentenced

Sonya Deville is feeling grateful for the support she has received since undergoing a harrowing home invasion and attempted kidnapping three years ago. 

Phillip Thomas was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this week as part of a plea agreement with Florida prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking, and armed burglary in regard to the home invasion of Deville’s residence in August 2020. 

Deville released the following statement on Wednesday: 

Thank you to everyone who has reached out today. After almost 3 years we finally got some closure last week. I am happy and healthy and have amazing people by my side. To say it’s over feels odd but I am beyond grateful for the support and help I received over the past 3 years from HCSO, Tampa PD, to everyone in the courts, attorneys, friends, security and so so many more. I have a lot to say pertaining to this situation which I feel can help a lot of people in similar situations now that the legalities are over. BUT for now thank you

Deville took time off from WWE following SummerSlam that year after losing a “Loser Leaves WWE” match to Mandy Rose. She would return the following year in an on-screen authority role. 

Deville began carrying a firearm following the attempted kidnapping. She was arrested on February 19, 2023, after police discovered the weapon in her vehicle. Deville has a permit for the gun in Florida but not in New Jersey. She was charged with one count of unlawful weapon possession — handgun without permit but last was known she was in the process of having the charges thrown out. 

Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted kidnapping of WWE’s Sonya Deville

A man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for the attempted kidnapping of WWE star Sonya Deville.

Fox 13 reported on Tuesday that Phillip Thomas was sentenced to 15 years for the attempted kidnapping, which took place in August 2020. Judge Barbara Twine-Thomas accepted a plea agreement in which Thomas pleaded guilty to the charges, which include attempted kidnapping, aggravated stalking, and armed burglary. In addition to 15 years in jail, he was also sentenced to 15 years of probation.

Prosecutors said that following repeated threatening text messages on social media, Thomas drove from South Carolina to Florida with a knife, zip ties, and duct tape with the intention of kidnapping Deville. Surveillance footage from Deville’s home shows Deville checking on a sliding door after her alarm system was triggered. Footage could then be seen of Thomas walking into the house looking for Deville, who managed to flee her house with then fellow WWE star Mandy Rose in a car.

Deville took time off following SummerSlam 2020, losing a loser leaves WWE match against Rose. She returned in January of 2021, first being an authority figure before eventually becoming a wrestler again. In recent weeks, she has been teaming with Chelsea Green.

Zelina Vega challenges Sonya Deville for next week’s WWE SmackDown

A matchup between Zelina Vega and Sonya Deville looks to be set for next week’s SmackDown.

On the latest edition of The SmackDown LowDown, Deville and Chelsea Green interrupted an interview with Vega. The confrontation led to Deville accepting Vega’s challenge for a match next Friday (April 28).

Deville and Green were upset that Vega is getting a SmackDown Women’s Championship shot before they are. Vega is challenging Rhea Ripley for the title at Backlash in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Saturday, May 6.

Deville & Green attempted to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles on SmackDown last night but lost to champions Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan.

Next Friday’s SmackDown will be the first night of the WWE Draft. The episode is taking place at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. It’s set to feature:

  • The WWE Draft begins
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defend against The Usos
  • Zelina Vega vs. Sonya Deville

Fatal four-way match announced for WWE SmackDown

A new match announcement has been made for SmackDown’s WrestleMania 39 go-home show.

Tonight’s SmackDown will feature a fatal four-way match between Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, and Sonya Deville. The bout is a preview of the women’s WrestleMania Showcase match that’s taking place at WrestleMania 39 night two this Sunday.

That Showcase match will be Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Baszler & Ronda Rousey vs. Deville & Chelsea Green.

WWE.com wrote:

Tonight on WrestleMania SmackDown, four of the eight WrestleMania Showcase participants will face off in a star-studded Fatal 4-Way.

Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya, Shayna Baszler and Sonya Deville will get a chance to gain some momentum for their teams as they look forward to the Fatal 4-Way Tag Team WrestleMania Showcase match.

Don’t miss this showcase before the Showcase on WrestleMania SmackDown, tonight at 8/7 C on FOX!

Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is hosting SmackDown tonight. After the show goes off the air, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place. The HOF ceremony is streaming live on Peacock/WWE Network.

The updated SmackDown card is listed below:

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes go face-to-face for the final time before WrestleMania
  • 2023 Andre the Giant Battle Royal
  • Drew McIntyre & Sheamus vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
  • Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville

Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville qualify for WWE WrestleMania 39 Showcase match

The final team has been added to the four-way women’s tag team Showcase match at WrestleMania 39.

Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green were the final team added after they won a qualifying match, defeating Michin and Candace LeRae. The two joined forces earlier in the show, when Adam Pearce suggested the two team up. The duo will meet Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, Natalya & Shotzi, and Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan this weekend at WrestleMania.

In recent weeks, Chelsea Green has been looking for a tag team partner. At first she teamed with Carmella, but last week Carmella vanished from television. Green last week instead teamed with Piper Niven, however Pearce told Green this week that Niven wanted nothing to do with her.

Here is the updated lineup for WrestleMania 39

WWE WrestleMania 39, Saturday, April 1 & Sunday, April 2, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns defends against Cody Rhodes
  • SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair defends against Rhea Ripley
  • Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair defends against Asuka
  • United States Championship: Austin Theory defends against John Cena (opens night one)
  • Intercontinental Championship triple threat match: Gunther defends against Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
  • Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Usos defend against Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
  • Hell in a Cell match: Edge vs. Finn Balor
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Omos
  • Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch & Lita vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai & IYO SKY)
  • Women’s four-way tag team showcase match: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Sonya Deville & Chelsea Greene
  • Men’s four-way tag team showcase match: Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy

WWE’s Sonya Deville arrested on firearm charge

Sonya Deville was arrested in New Jersey recently for having a firearm in her vehicle. 

According to a social media post from Sean Ross Sapp and a report from TMZ, the 29-year-old began carrying a firearm following the home invasion incident she was victim to on August 16, 2020. 

The arrest occurred on February 19 in Atlantic City and Deville has been charged with one count of unlawful weapon possession — handgun without permit. A valet reportedly discovered the weapon in Deville’s glovebox and contacted police. Deville was then arrested at the scene when the police arrived. 

Deville is said to have a permit for the firearm registered in Florida but not in New Jersey. She is in the process of having the charges thrown out. TMZ is reporting Deville is due in court later this month. 

24-year-old South Carolina man, Philip A. Thomas II was arrested on Deville’s property when police responded to a 911 call reporting the home invasion. He was charged with aggravated stalking, armed burglary of a dwelling, attempted armed kidnapping, and criminal mischief. He was later deemed to be “unfit for trial” following a competency hearing and transferred to a mental health facility. 

Deville and her fiancé, Toni Cassano, were recently featured in PEOPLE magazine after getting engaged last month. The SmackDown superstar proposed to Cassano at a wine cellar cave in Towaco, New Jersey. 

Deville’s last match on WWE programming took place on the February 10 edition of SmackDown. She teamed with Chelsea Green in a losing effort to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez on the show. Deville also wrestled on this weekend’s house shows in Champaign and Rockford, Illinois. Charlotte Flair defeated Deville, Morgan, and Zoey Stark in four-way matches on both nights. 

WWE’s Sonya Deville gets engaged to girlfriend Toni Cassano

Sonya Deville is engaged. 

The 29-year-old SmackDown wrestler proposed to her girlfriend, fitness model Toni Cassano, on February 15 at a wine cellar cave in Towaco, New Jersey, the couple told PEOPLE.   

The two met last April when Deville invited Cassano to a WWE show. 

Deville said:

“I got her a front-row ticket to my show, and I was going to take her out to dinner after. But I didn’t have time to meet her before the show, so the first time I ever saw Toni was when I was coming out doing my entrance ready to wrestle and I looked into the crowd,” she recalls.

Deville would continue to say that after she proposed, Cassano presented her with an engagement ring of her own. 

“I proposed, then Toni’s like, ‘Grab my purse.’ And she pulls out a freaking ring box, and she’s like, ‘I’ve been carrying this around in my purse for four months. So whenever you proposed, I could give you a ring immediately back.’ “

Deville also reflected on her journey over the last seven, or eight years as a gay female in WWE. 

“It’s so cool to me to be in this position right now, to be engaged as a gay female in the WWE, and to have proposed to my fiancée. Because I look back at seven years ago, eight years ago when I wasn’t even openly out yet, and I was hiding relationships, and I was still trying to figure out my comfortability with being gay and who I was,” she says.

Cassano has two daughters, aged 7 and 11, who were included in Deville’s proposal. 

 “I wanted to make it something that they were super involved in,” she says. “But I also wanted them to be surprised because I wanted them to have a memorable moment too.”

Deville has been with WWE since joining the cast of Tough Enough’s sixth season in 2015. She made her main roster debut in late 2017 as a member of Absolution.  

No DQ match added to next week’s WWE SmackDown

Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville’s feud will continue on the November 4 WWE SmackDown with a No DQ match. 

Following an angle on this week’s SmackDown show where the two brawled backstage, WWE has added Morgan vs. Deville in a No DQ match to next week’s SmackDown lineup. 

Already announced for next week’s show, Gunther will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Rey Mysterio. 

Due to next Saturday’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, the November 4 SmackDown show is being taped tonight in St. Louis. 

SmackDown will also return to Fox next week after this week’s show was bumped to FS1 due to Fox’s coverage of the MLB World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Here is the updated lineup for next week: 

WWE SmackDown, Friday, November 4, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Fox —

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
  • No DQ match: Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville