Top WWE Raw Stars Set For This Week's SmackDown

Two of WWE Raw's biggest and brightest are heading to SmackDown this Friday.

by Andy H Murray
Raw wrestlers SmackDown
WWE

This week's WWE SmackDown show will be bolstered by two top Raw stars - though they might not appear on camera.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports that Bobby Lashley and Austin Theory are both due to be at Friday's tapings in Anaheim, California. It is possible that they will close the event with a dark match.

Lashley and Theory have wrestled each other extensively in 2022, most notably for the United States Championship throughout the summer. Their most recent televised bout came at SummerSlam 2022 on 30 July, where Lashley successfully defended the secondary strap against Mr. Money in the Bank, having defeated Theory for the belt four weeks prior.

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The duo last shared a ring in a United States Championship Triple Threat (also featuring AJ Styles) on a 28 August Sunday Stunner house show.

This week's episode of Raw saw the genesis of a US Title feud between Lashley and Seth Rollins. Set up through a backstage segment, they will now go one on one next week. Theory, meanwhile, is locked into simultaneous rivalries with Kevin Owens and former The Way stablemate Johnny Gargano, having thus far failed to cash his MITB briefcase in.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.