WWE SmackDown preview (Sept. 1, 2023): Jimmy Uso is completely delusional

SmackDown airs tonight (Sept. 1) with a live show from Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This is the final episode of SmackDown during the four week build towards Payback, which takes place tomorrow (Sept. 2).

Jimmy Uso is completely delusional

Jimmy Uso returns to SmackDown for the first time since his twin brother Jey superkicked him in the face and walked out of WWE. Jimmy will presumably grab a mic tonight and respond to his brother’s actions.

When we last saw Jim, he said that he betrayed Jey at SummerSlam because he loves him. He had to prevent Jey from becoming the next Tribal Chief because the power would corrupt Jey and turn him into an asshole just like Roman Reigns.

These are the statements of a completely delusional man. If Jimmy really had Jey’s best interests at heart, he wouldn’t have to worry about Jey turning into en egotistical douchebag who needs constant acknowledgment from everyone around him. Jimmy should know that he is Jey’s most trusted ally, and therefore could help guide him down a better path as the Tribal Chief.

Instead, it’s easy to conclude that Jimmy was jealous of his brother’s rising star and had to make sure that Jey didn’t prove to be the more successful twin. When Jimmy gets on the mic tonight to address WWE fans, I expect more of his delusions will be exposed right on the spot as he tries to justify his unthinkable actions at SummerSlam.

So, what is all of this leading to? There should be a brother vs. brother match coming out of it, but Jey walked out of WWE and probably won’t appear tonight. Even if he does return, it might be too soon to book that match for Payback, because WWE fans should get more than a one day notice about such a match.

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is a part-timer who also isn’t expected to show up tonight. That leaves Solo Sikoa and Paul Heyman as The Bloodline members who might come out to confront Jimmy tonight. Will they try to get him back in the fold, or will they treat him like an enemy?

The rest of the title scene

United States Champion Rey Mysterio teams up with Santos Escobar tonight for a match against Grayson Waller and former champ Austin Theory. Theory is challenging Mysterio for the belt at Payback, so he’s probably going over here. However, his partner Waller has never won a televised match on the main roster, so the babyfaces should try to keep him in the ring as long as possible in order to secure the win.

It sounds like we won’t be seeing Bianca Belair on TV for a while after WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and Bayley targeted her knee in a backstage attack two weeks ago. Belair’s absence might pave the way for Charlotte Flair to get a shot at the champ.

WWE Tag Team Champions Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are listed in WWE’s advertising for tonight’s show. Does that mean their current rivals The Judgment Day might also show up, or will it just be a dark match for the champs?

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Piper Niven and Chelsea Green sit atop a division that barely exists. When will WWE remember that Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are on the SmackDown roster?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- John Cena returns to WWE tonight! He’s joining forces with Seth Rollins next week in India at Superstar Spectacle for a tag match against Raw roster members Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Does that mean Imperium will show up tonight and try to ruin Cena’s return?

- Cena is around for the next two months and will almost certainly cross paths with LA Knight at some point during this time. Could it happen as soon as tonight?

- On the eve of a WWE Payback card that is lacking the usual part-time crew like Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Edge, will Cena be a late add to the PPV card?

- It sounds like Karrion Kross wants to start a stable. Can he actually find some suckers who will buy into his generic sales pitch about pain, suffering, and ticking clocks?

- Shotzi has been quiet of late, but I’m pretty sure she still wants to torture Damage CTRL with sharp objects and/or cut their hair.

- Bobby Lashley helped the Street Profits win their match last week against Ridge Holland and BUTCH. Will Sheamus respond by demanding a fight with The All Mighty? Bob hasn’t wrestled a match since late June, more than two months ago.

- What’s next for former top guy AJ Styles?

What will you be looking for on SmackDown?