Brock Lesnar’s return date & 3 other things Nick Aldis can announce on WWE SmackDown tonight

Tonight, WWE stops by in Lyon, France, for the go-home edition of Friday Night SmackDown ahead of Clash in Paris this Sunday. With just one of five matches for the premium live event from SmackDown, it is expected that at least one more match will be made official for Paris.

Plus, last week's cliffhanger leaves us speculating about what SmackDown GM Nick Aldis wanted to tell John Cena vis-a-vis Brock Lesnar. With a lot more also on the agenda, including two title matches and another number-one contendership match, tonight promises to be an explosive night of action, implying a hectic schedule for Aldis.

In this article, we will discuss four things that Nick Aldis can announce on tonight's episode of Friday Night SmackDown:

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#4. Nick Aldis may announce a stipulation for Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa for the United States Championship on tonight's SmackDown

Solo Sikoa is set to defend the United States Championship against a familiar face in Sami Zayn tonight. SmackDown's newest signing is the perfect man to dethrone Sikoa and help steer the title into a fresher and more dynamic direction.

Regardless of whether tonight is the night Zayn wins his first United States Championship, it would be wise for Nick Aldis to announce some kind of stipulation to level the playing field, considering the presence of Solo Sikoa's MFTs. It may be as simple as barring everyone from ringside.

A Sami Zayn-Solo Sikoa feud has enough history between the two to not require a prolonged build, and a simple babyface title win in front of a hot crowd would be a fresh and welcome change for SmackDown. Sikoa could then move on to wrapping up his business with Jacob Fatu, while Zayn could wrestle stars such as Aleister Black, Carmelo Hayes, Tommaso Ciampa, The Miz, Johnny Gargano, etc., and elevate himself, his opponents, and the title as well.

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#3. Nick Aldis may provide an update on Drew McIntyre's official status as the No. 1 Contender for Cody Rhodes' title

While Drew McIntyre took out Cody Rhodes with a Claymore Kick through the announce table a few weeks ago on SmackDown, there hasn't been any official announcement regarding his status as the number-one contender for the WWE Championship. That may seemingly be apparent, but Aldis may declare that McIntyre hasn't really earned a shot at the title yet.

Cody Rhodes, being the fighting champion he is, may return and himself declare his intent regarding a potential match with McIntyre for the WWE Championship a few weeks from now. Alternatively, Aldis may, in fact, allow McIntyre to earn his shot at Cody as he recovers from his kayfabe injury. This brings us to the next point.

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#2. Nick Aldis could announce a blockbuster match for Clash in Paris on tonight's show

With a certain room for a match or two for Clash in Paris, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis may announce a blockbuster match between two of WWE's biggest stars for Clash in Paris on tonight's show. Randy Orton appeared for the first time since SummerSlam on last week's SmackDown to deliver an RKO out of nowhere to Drew McIntyre.

Orton and McIntyre are fabled rivals and heavily involved with the Cody Rhodes story on SmackDown, and in case you forgot it, they teamed up with Jelly Roll and Logan Paul, respectively, in a sensational celebrity tag team match at SummerSlam. The two have years of history and conflict and may thus be scheduled to lock horns in Paris this Sunday, planting the seeds for Cody Rhodes' return.

Nick Aldis may even announce their bout to be a number-one contendership match; alternatively, whoever wins (most likely McIntyre) could become the de facto number-one contender for the WWE Championship. McIntyre's win could prompt the return of The American Nightmare and also continue to slowly build the Rhodes-Orton saga before one of them inevitably turns on the other.

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#1. Nick Aldis may provide an update on Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar made a stunning return to WWE, nearly two years to the day, at SummerSlam earlier this month. Following the sensational main event in which Cody Rhodes won back the WWE Championship from John Cena, Lesnar returned to attack the 17-time World Champion when The Franchise Player was in the midst of an emotional moment with the crowd. Lesnar has not been seen or heard from since.

Toward the end of last week's SmackDown, John Cena was seen walking backstage when Nick Aldis asked for a moment of his time, telling him that he had just heard from Brock Lesnar. Before he could share anything further, Logan Paul, Cena's opponent for Clash in Paris, blindsided Cena with a knockout punch he couldn't see, and the show went off the air.

Lesnar vs. Cena is obviously internally set for next month's Wrestlepalooza, which will mark WWE PLEs' debut on ESPN. Tonight, Aldis may share that Lesnar has laid down a challenge for The Unseen 17 for the show. Alternatively, Aldis may announce that The Beast will be returning on a particular date to confront John Cena. Following last week's cliffhanger, expect some kind of update on Brock Lesnar on tonight's episode of the blue brand's show.