WWE Announce HUGE Intercontinental Title Match For Next Week's SmackDown

There's one big reason to tune in on Friday...

by Jamie Kennedy
AJ Styles Matt Riddle
WWE

WWE announced on Friday's episode of SmackDown that Matt Riddle will challenge AJ Styles for the latter's Intercontinental Title next week.

There wasn't much set-up for the bout; AJ was cutting a promo backstage when he was informed that Riddle would be his next hurdle. In typical smart-arsed heel fashion, Styles then berated the chance of this ex-NXT upstart beating him and poked fun at the fact he wrestles barefoot.

Yep.

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In better news, there's no way this match can fail in-ring. AJ is one of the best workers out there, and he'll surely be motivated to put on a show against someone like Riddle. Of course, WWE could book a screwy DQ or some other non-finish so that they can run a rematch at Extreme Rules.

That might actually be the plan. It'd make sense too, and be along the same lines of what happened on this week's show between New Day and the team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro.

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For the record, Riddle didn't even appear on this week's SmackDown. Maybe he was warming up his "frost-bitten feet" (AJ's words) in anticipation for the big title shot.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.