Drew McIntyre to be replaced vs. Cody Rhodes; Ilja Dragunov to lose his title? 4 Things that could happen on WWE SmackDown tonight

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre [Photo: wwe.com]

The October 24 edition of WWE SmackDown will be held in Tempe, Arizona. The show will continue the build for Saturday Night's Main Event on November 1, and a couple of surprising twists could take place tonight.

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In this listicle, we'll go over four possible things that could happen on SmackDown.

4. Randy Orton could injure Drew and take his place

Last week, Jacob Fatu was mysteriously attacked backstage and was unable to compete in the number one contender's match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre had a massive brawl at ringside, and a match between the two was later made official.

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In yet another twist, McIntyre could be attacked backstage, ruling him out of his title match. Randy Orton could emerge as his replacement, and the story could enter another chapter if Orton is later revealed to be Fatu and McIntyre's mystery attacker.

3. Solo Sikoa could defeat Ilja Dragunov for the United States Championship

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The MFTs made an instant impact with their return a few weeks ago, owing to their change in appearance. To capitalize on their newfound momentum, the creative team could put the United States Championship on Solo Sikoa.

It is worth noting that the faction made its return during Sami Zayn's United States Championship open challenge match against Shinsuke Nakamura. Moreover, Sikoa distracted Zayn on SmackDown last week, which caused him to lose his title to a returning Ilja Dragunov.

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This week, Sikoa could demand a title match after his unintentional assist to The Mad Dragon. With help from his stablemates, Sikoa could once again become the United States Champion, ending Dragunov's reign at only one week.

2. Tiffany Stratton’s new challenger could be revealed

Tiffany Stratton suffered her first singles loss in 2025 at Crown Jewel, coming up short against Women's World Champion Stephanie Vaquer. The Buff Barbie doesn't have a challenger for her WWE Women's Championship yet, but things might change tonight.

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Before her match against Vaquer, the two champions teamed up to face Giulia and Kiana James in a tag team match on SmackDown. It hinted at the start of a rivalry between the WWE Women's Champion and the Women's United States Champion. Tonight, Stratton and Giulia could officially begin their rivalry with an in-ring promo segment.

1. Oba Femi could make his main roster debut on SmackDown

After losing the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints at NXT No Mercy, it seems likely that Oba Femi will move up to the main roster. The Ruler has been one of the most dominant NXT Champions of all-time, and fans expect him to continue his dominance on the main roster.

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Although he has competed at NXT Live shows over the past week, there is no reason why he couldn't make his main roster debut as soon as tonight. Perhaps he could confront Ilja Dragunov and challenge him for the United States Championship. Or, he could back up Sami Zayn against the MFTs, instantly coming into the spotlight.

It remains to be seen how things turn out tonight in Arizona.

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Edited by Arsh Das
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