WWE SmackDown preview (Oct. 7, 2022): They made the right decision on Logan Paul

SmackDown airs tonight (Oct. 7) with a live show from DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. This is the final SmackDown episode during the five week build towards Extreme Rules, which takes place tomorrow night (Oct. 8).

WWE made the right decision on Logan Paul

Logan Paul and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will go face-to-face tonight on SmackDown. Paul is challenging Reigns for the gold in November at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

A lot of pro wrestling fans (and maybe some wrestlers) are miffed that the YouTube star is actually getting a shot at the top prize in WWE. But WWE’s decision to book this match actually makes a lot of sense.

Logan Paul’s novelty as a pro wrestling attraction probably has a limited shelf life. WWE could go the safe route and keep booking him to beat mid-card fodder like The Miz, but why waste Paul’s first loss on someone like that? They might as well throw him in the deep end with Roman Reigns while the novelty of Paul’s act is still there. The YouTube star has impressed in his prior two matches and has shown that he can deliver in the ring. WWE might as well take advantage of that fact while the iron is hot and get a PPV main event out of it.

There’s also the fact that Roman Reigns has been the champion for over two years and it’s getting hard to find new opponents for him to smash. A feud with Logan Paul is definitely something fresh and new, that’s for sure. If not Paul, who else is there for Roman to face on this card?

Kevin Owens doesn’t work Saudi Arabia. Drew McIntyre couldn’t get the job done in the United Kingdom. Karrion Kross needs more time to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with in WWE. Braun Strowman or Seth Rollins could work, but we’ve seen Roman wrestle them so many times before. Overall, there aren’t many plausible challengers, so this is a good time to throw Paul to the wolves.

Logan will be outnumbered in tonight’s face-to-face confrontation; Reigns’ has The Bloodline backing him up while Paul is a douchebag who rubs most people the wrong way. Is any babyface willing to put his neck on the line to have Logan’s back tonight?

The rest of the title scene

Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER defends his title against Sheamus tonight. Their first fight (at Clash at the Castle) received “WWE Match of the Year” level of praise from fans and critics alike, so expectations are set high for the sequel. Imperium has gotten the better of the Brawling Brutes lately, so this might be the right time for Sheamus to get one over on GUNTHER. Then again, the two factions have a Six-Man Tag Team Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match scheduled for tomorrow at Extreme Rules, so tonight’s match could very well have a chaotic finish with lots of interference and no decisive winner.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan tried to take the fight to Ronda Rousey with a baseball bat last week, but I don’t think she convinced many people that she has what it takes to retain her gold against Ronda in their Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules. Look for Morgan to continue coming after Rousey tonight.

Women’s Tag Team Champions IYO SKY and Dakota Kai’s priority right now is to make sure that Bayley defeats Bianca Belair for the Raw women’s championship at Extreme Rules. Will Bayley and the EST of WWE be in the house tonight?

The Usos are the undisputed WWE tag team champions but don’t have anything on the books (yet) for Extreme Rules. There’s no doubt that Honorary Uce Sami Zayn will do something to get under Jey’s skin tonight.

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross are scheduled to wrestle in a Strap match at Extreme Rules. Thankfully it’s not a Yapapi or Apple Pie Strap match, because this feud hasn’t reached that perfect crescendo quite yet. Kross wasn’t live in the arena last week, so Drew took out his frustrations on that dweeb Austin Theory. I’d be surprised if McIntyre and Kross (and Scarlett) don’t cross paths tonight on the eve of their Strap match.

- Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet is booked for tonight. Sikoa kicked Ricochet’s ass backstage two weeks ago and beat him in a tag match last week, so Ricochet will try to turn his luck around here.

- Max Dupri said he was never a good fit for Maximum Male Models and has left the group. Can the group survive with Maxxine leading the way? And are we about to see the return of LA Knight?

- Hey, Legado Del Fantasma might finally get called up to the main roster tonight. That’s pretty cool.

- Wade Barrett is joining Michael Cole on SmackDown commentary, at least while Pat McAfee is away from WWE. You’ll have to tune into Raw (and PLEs) if you want your fill of Corey Graves in the broadcast booth.

- Ever since he returned to WWE, Braun Strowman is having a lot of fun running over mid and low card heels. It looks something could be brewing between Omos and Braun on Raw, but that doesn’t mean The Monster can’t continue obliterating fools on the SmackDown roster tonight.

- Shotzi finally has her tank back, which means it’s just a matter of time before she’s winning matches again.

- Can you imagine the disappointment if all these White Rabbit teases lead to the return of Baron Corbin at Extreme Rules instead of Bray Wyatt?

- This episode is being promoted as the “season premiere” of SmackDown on FOX. That’s strange, because I can’t recall a season finale or any down time between seasons.

What will you be looking for on SmackDown?