Adding to the excitement of “free agent” CM Punk’s appearance and the tag match featuring recently “signed” Randy Orton, WWE has revealed that Raw’s Cody Rhodes will also make an appearance on tonight’s (Dec. 8) Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown.
Fans are curious about what Rhodes will discuss during his appearance, especially given his recent sporadic appearances. Speculation has centered around the status of AJ Styles, who has been absent from television since the Bloodline’s attack in September.
Earlier reports suggested Styles might return on this week’s SmackDown, fueled further by his presence in advertisements for Tribute to the Troops.
Cody Rhodes (Credits: WWE)
However, PWInsider has updated that Styles is not scheduled for tonight’s episode:
“AJ Styles is not slated for this week’s Friday Night Smackdown taping.”
This development, labeled a “creative decision” by PWInsider, leaves fans anticipating Styles’ return, which could occur in the coming weeks.
When he does return, Styles is expected to seek retribution against The Bloodline for their previous actions. Even before Rhodes began his intermittent appearances, there were already challengers lining up to confront Roman Reigns and his faction on SmackDown.
