WWE could have a stacked night planned for their first Premium Live Event of 2023, with two possible stipulation matches being added to a card that will already feature both eponymous battle royals and - if he remains on the advertising - a Roman Reigns Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match.
Title matches were mooted on the taped 23/12 SmackDown but (tapings spoilers in link) Wrestlingnews.co have also reported the following bouts could also occur on the show:
Pitch Black Match - Bray Wyatt Vs LA Knight
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Hell In A Cell - Edge Vs Finn Bálor
The Wyatt/Knight feud was escalated on the 16th December edition of the show with the reveal of Uncle Howdy as a living breathing giggling entity. "Pitch Black" could well be the character's take on WWE's more literal version of the Lights Out match.
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Meanwhile, Edge hasn't featured on WWE television since losing an I Quit encounter to Bálor at October's Extreme Rules. 'The Rated-R Superstar' surrendered when The Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley threatened to smash his wife Beth Phoenix with a steal chair. Sure enough, after they procured the result, the heels did the deed anyway.
As noted, both contests are currently still only rumoured, but WWE could move to confirm one or both on the huge December 30th live SmackDown set to be headlined by Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn Vs Kevin Owens and John Cena.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
