One of the co-main-events of Bash in Berlin 2024 has been announced on the latest bygone episode of WWE Smackdown in the form of the Undisputed WWE Title Match where Cody Rhodes will defend his title against Kevin Owens. Moving on from Summerslam, further builds are expected for this late-August premium live event in the coming weeks on the blue brand and we can expect a former world champion to be a part of it.
Going by the previous reports of PWInsider Elite, AJ Styles was reportedly set to make his return on WWE Smackdown on the August 9 episode which would have marked his first outing in more than two months as he hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since his loss to Cody Rhodes in an “I Quit” match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland on June 15.
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WWE Smackdown: AJ Styles wasn’t present during the August 9 TV taping
However, that wasn’t the case as the two-time WWE Champion wasn’t present during the TV taping. A further update was provided through the same source stating that Styles not only missed the show but wasn’t even there in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the host city of this past episode of WWE Smackdown.
It was further noted that The O.C. leader is still expected to return to WWE Smackdown on TV and storylines before the Bash in Berlin PLE on August 31. The report added that the reason for his absence despite prior confirmation of his presence can be attributed to the company’s creative team already finalizing their creative plans and deciding that it wasn’t the right time for his return.
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Following his Clash at the Castle title match in Scotland, The Phenomenal One participated in the NOAH Destination event in a cross-brand match against Naomichi Marifuji. Later, he also competed at WWE Live Events in Japan for the company’s tour, a couple of weeks ago. But he was kept off WWE Smackdown TV indicating that a creative signal for his TV comeback was yet to be received.
On the August 9 edition of WWE SmackDown, the other reported world champion Roman Reigns was back on the scene as he single-handedly took out Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa of The Bloodline.
