WWE SmackDown - Kurt Angle's return & 3 more things revealed for next week's episode (December 9, 2022)

WWE Friday Night SmackDown on Dec 2 was noteworthy, with the main event being the World Cup Tournament Finals match taking place to crown the new #1 contender to Gunther's Intercontinental Championship.

Ricochet, the winner of the tournament, had a staredown with the champion as the show went off the air. The match between the two was announced for the Dec 16 edition, two weeks from the time of writing.

The Bloodline seems stronger than ever, with Sami Zayn and Jey Uso on the same page following the events of Survivor Series. The former even managed to defeat Sheamus in a singles match with an assist from the Usos.

Another newsworthy moment to come out of Friday night was the return of Tegan Nox, who sided with Liv Morgan to defend the two against Damage CTRL.

Here's a look at five things we know so far and what we can look forward to for next week's edition.

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#1. Kurt Angle returns to Friday Nights

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is set to return to SmackDown for a birthday celebration.

The Wrestling Machine will be celebrating his 54th birthday on December 9. WWE announced that Angle will be on SmackDown, which will air from the PPG Paints Arena in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

While there probably won't be much to take home here, aside from a nostalgic moment, much like the recent DX reunion on RAW.

Angle is in no shape to have a match since his retirement in 2019. However, when asked in an interview with Sportskeeda about another match, he didn't rule out the possibility of a tag match.

However, there is a slight bit of a chance that something out of nowhere could happen on SmackDown next week, especially with a strong creative, for the most part, since The Game has been in charge.

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#2. Drew McIntyre and Sheamus to challenge for Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles

McIntyre and Sheamus have had a love/hate relationship in WWE

Drew McIntyre and Sheamus put up a fight before falling short to The Bloodline at Survivor Series.

Sheamus and McIntyre will challenge for the undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships on Dec 9. The match will most likely be the main event at the Friday Night show. It was made official after Sheamus attacked The Usos with a shillelagh and left them laying on the floor backstage.

Whether The Usos will be defending on the show remains to be seen, as they will be defending the titles first against Elias and Matt Riddle on Monday’s RAW.

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#3. After falling short at Survivor Series, Shotzi has a hurdle to jump

Shotzi and Shayna Baszler will meet on Dec 9 in singles action

Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez have feuded with Baszler and SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey for weeks now. Shotzi even lost a title bout at Survivor Series to the Baddest Woman on the Planet.

The recent edition of the blue brand saw Baszler defeat Emma in singles action. The "Submission Magician" attacked Emma after the match before Shotzi made the save. Baszler ended up fighting them both off until Rodriguez saved them both, and the three sent Baszler retreating.

WWE has announced Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi for next week’s SmackDown. It was also noted by the commentary team that Rousey was off tonight as she was away doing PR work.

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#4. Karrion Kross has his eyes set on The Biggest Little Man

After being on the bench for Survivor Series, The Herald of Doomsday was seen backstage alongside wife Scarlett Bordeaux, proclaiming his next target: Rey Mysterio.

It hasn't been revealed why Kross has set his sights on the former world champion, but it probably has something to do with him being omitted from the #1 contender's bout on Oct. 14, which saw Rey replace him.

Nevertheless, there is a major possibility that WWE's luchador legend will return to television on Dec 9.

The Master of 619 competed in his last match to date on November 4, losing to Gunther in a fantastic Intercontinental Championship bout.