SmackDown gets Ryan Phillipe to guest star as part of Randy Orton trade

Continuing to craft their new identity as “the show that tries to shoehorn celebrities into kayfabe”, SmackDown will welcome Ryan Phillipe to next week’s episode. On Dec. 20, he’ll show up in Detroit and hopefully ask why Randy Orton, who just last week guest starred on his USA Network show, Shooter, is trying on sheep masks.

Here’s WWE’s announcement, which remarkably doesn’t shy away from Phillippe’s 2010 Raw appearance:

Ryan Phillippe is coming to SmackDown LIVE.

The star of films like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Cruel Intentions,” Phillippe currently leads USA Network’s hit show “Shooter,” playing Bob Lee Swagger, an expert marksman living in exile who is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to assassinate the president. WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently guest starred on the show as a former Navy SEAL and leader of a militia group who comes into contact with Phillipe’s character. Don't miss new episodes of "Shooter," Tuesday nights imediately after SmackDown LIVE.

Phillippe is no stranger to the world of WWE, having guest co-hosted Raw in 2010 on a night that saw R-Truth blown up by “Saturday Night Live” character MacGruber.

What will Phillippe have in store for Team Blue? Find out Tuesday night at 8/7 on USA Network.