Top five storylines to watch on WWE SmackDown tonight: Crown Jewel build-up; Tag Team clash & more (October 3, 2025)

Damian Priest will be in action on SmackDown tonight!

As the 2025 edition of Crown Jewel PLE inches closer, storylines and feuds are reaching a boiling point, with fans expecting more matches to be announced for the show. Before its trip to Down Under, WWE will deliver this week’s episode of the Blue brand.

The October 3 episode of Friday Night SmackDown is set to air live from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Multiple stars, including Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, Randy Orton, Jacob Fatu, Jade Cargill, and Sami Zayn, are being advertised for the show.

The final U.S. show before Crown Jewel will feature a massive tag team match, Sami Zayn continuing his U.S. Title Open Challenge, Damian Priest in action, and an appearance by Tiffany Stratton ahead of her showdown with Stephanie Vaquer. Ahead of tonight’s show in Cincinnati, Ohio, let us take a look at the top five storylines that will be in play on this week’s WWE SmackDown.

5. Damian Priest – Aleister Black

On last week’s segment, Kit Wilson berated Damian Priest for the attack last week, calling him out on the toxic masculinity. Aliester Black, who was behind Priest during the segment, then attacked, taking Priest out with the Black Mass kick.

Priest is now set for action this week, while WWE has not announced his opponent, there is a high chance that Kit Wilson will be revealed as his opponent. Priest will also be fuming with rage over the back-to-back humiliation at the hands of Black.

Also Read: WWE SmackDown: Preview, match card, news, timings & where to watch (October 3, 2025)

4. U.S title open challenge

United States Champion Sami Zayn kicked off the United States title open challenge on the September 5 episode of SmackDown, and to pay homage to the original creator of the challenge, Zayn offered a title shot to John Cena.

Zayn is set to continue the open challenge tonight, in the backdrop of back-to-back promos from Solo Sikoa, a man he defeated to capture the title. The two stars have not faced each other in a rematch, and Sikoa might be building towards the rematch, this time with the help of his MFTs.

3. Tiffany Stratton promo

WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is set for an appearance this week ahead of the upcoming Crown Jewel PLE. Stratton will battle Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer in a ‘Champion vs Champion’ clash for the women’s Crown Jewel title.

Apart from the clash between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, WWE has not given much airtime for other stars to create hype for their respective clashes. Stratton and Vaquer might collide in a promo battle tonight to get the fans engaged.

Also Read: All superstars confirmed for WWE SmackDown (October 3, 2025)

2. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ Drew McIntyre strikes

During last week’s show, Jacob Fatu interrupted Drew McIntyre‘s promo, and the two stars exchanged shots with Fatu coming out on top. This was Fatu’s first major appearance since losing the US title to Solo Sikoa and the beatdown afterwards on the fallout show.

The two powerhouses feuding ahead of the PLE might signal a clash for the first time between the two in Perth. Additionally, McIntyre, seething with revenge on his mind, will likely hunt Fatu on tonight’s show.

1. Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker

In the opening moments of last week’s show, Cody Rhodes was interrupted by Paul Heyman, who was accompanied by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. Rhodes refused to back down but fell prey to the numbers game until Randy Orton appeared to neutralize Reed, while Rhodes took out Breakker.

Cody and Orton are now set to battle Breakker and Reed in a tag team match on tonight’s show. Fans are excited for the clash and the potential appearance or interference of Seth Rollins in the match.

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