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‘WWE Thursday Night SmackDown’ Spoiler-Free Preview: AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston & Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 21:10 PST, Jun 1, 2016

John Cena made his expected return from injury to WWE on Monday Night RAW this week. Seth Rollins made a surprise return from injury just eight days prior by attacking WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns at WWE Extreme Rules after The Big Dog successfully defeated AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules Match. WWE SmackDown is going to be converted from a taped show that airs on Thursdays to a live show that airs on Tuesdays, ushering in a WWE brand-split now that the New Era has made the roster crowded.

All of this is happening as the WWE Universe and WWE Superstars look ahead to WWE Money in the Bank 2016 on June 19. Six men have already earned a spot in the coveted Money in the Bank Ladder Match, while everyone else waits to find out who might get a chance to claim the seventh spot. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day are being threatened by the recently reformed faction known as The [Bullet] Club, while WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and gal-pal Dana Brooke can’t seem to shake off Natalya and the New Era Irish Lass-Kicker, Becky Lynch.

SmackDown spoilers are currently available for this week’s show, but a spoiler-free preview is below. Following the spoiler-free match list for this week’s SmackDown is an updated card for Money in the Bank 2016. This episode of WWE Thursday Night SmackDown, airing on the USA Network on June 2, was taped in Rockford, Illinois, on May 31.

WWE SmackDown match-list preview: June 2, 2016

  • WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte (w/ Dana Brooke) vs. Becky Lynch
  • The Golden Truth (Goldust and R-Truth) vs. The Dudley Boyz
  • Sami Zayn and Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio
  • WWE United States Champion Rusev (w/ Lana) vs. Jack Swagger
  • WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (w/ The New Day) vs. AJ Styles (w/ The Club)

In addition to those matches this week, the following characters and story arcs will be a part of WWE SmackDown.

  • The New Day get WWE SmackDown started by addressing the WWE Universe regarding the sneak attack from The Club on Monday Night RAW earlier this week.
  • Titus O’Neil makes an appearance.
  • No matches are added to WWE Money in the Bank 2016, and the final spot in the MITB Ladder Match remains open.

RELATED REPORTS BY THE INQUISITR

Updated WWE Money in the Bank 2016 Match-List

  • WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match — Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins
  • Money in the Bank Ladder Match — Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. TBD
  • WWE Tag Team Championship Match — The New Day (c) vs. The Club (unconfirmed)
  • WWE United States Championship Match — Rusev (c) vs. Titus O’Neil (unconfirmed)
  • John Cena vs. AJ Styles (unconfirmed)
  • Charlotte & Dana Brooke vs. Natalya & Becky Lynch (unconfirmed)
  • Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (unconfirmed)
  • The Golden Truth vs. Breezango (unconfirmed)

The above matches have been corroborated by WWE’s official MITB 2016 preview, unless otherwise noted.

Where To Watch

USA airs WWE Thursday Night SmackDown weekly at 8/7c. Episodes of WWE SmackDown are made available to stream on-demand through the WWE Network several weeks after the episodes air on the USA Network. Replays of SmackDown are made available on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription beginning Fridays.

WWE Money in the Bank 2016 airs live on the WWE Network on Sunday, June 19 at 8/7c. The Money in the Bank Kick-off Show begins at 7/6c.

[Image via WWE]

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