On WWE SmackDown, Roman Reigns will face his next title opponent

Finn Balor confronted Roman Reigns in this week’s SmackDown on FOX closing segment, challenging him to a title fight on next Friday’s episode.

Balor attacked Reigns and was triple-teamed by The Usos and Roman until The Street Profits intervened. The Usos were taken out by the babyfaces inside the ring, as Reigns stood on the stage and watched.

WWE officially confirmed Balor vs. Reigns for next week’s SmackDown after the show ended. Furthermore, PWInsider reported that Balor, not Brock Lesnar, will be Reigns’ next planned opponent. Many expected Lesnar to be backstage at the concert in North Little Rock, Arkansas, but he was not.

Balor vs. Reigns will take place on Extreme Rules, while Lesnar vs. Reigns will take place on either the October 21 Crown Jewel special from Saudi Arabia or the November 21 Survivor Series pay-per-view from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to the report. There’s no word on when Lesnar will return to SmackDown after his historic return at SummerSlam 2021.

There’s no word on what will happen next week on SmackDown between Balor and Reigns, but it should lead to a pre-determined bout between the two at Extreme Rules. Balor’s promo featured a remark about how he still has unfinished business with John Cena, hinting at a future confrontation between the two.

Balor said that it was Cena that cost him the SummerSlam title battle against Reigns, in which Cena lost. He also stated that he would deal with Cena as soon as possible. Cena is set to work the Super SmackDown from Madison Square Garden on September 10 until he is done with the WWE storylines. On that night, it’s expected that Cena will only compete in a dark match.

Seth Rollins and WWE Hall of Famer Edge both appeared in separate promos on SmackDown on FOX, discussing how they are focused on reclaiming the Universal Championship. At SummerSlam, Edge stated that the chapter with Rollins had ended, while his opponent stated that he needed to be a little more like Edge in order to get closer to the Universal Title. With that condition, a rematch between the two is expected at Extreme Rules.