Former Universal Champion returns to SQUASH promising young star in 90 seconds on SmackDown

Top superstar returns on SmackDown and squashes former champion, hinting at major change during the upcoming transfer window.

Former Universal Champion returns to SQUASH promising young star in 90 seconds on SmackDown

Braun Strowman returns on SmackDown to crush Carmelo Hayes (via WWE)

There was a lot of hype heading into the latest episode of SmackDown. Nick Aldis had told Carmelo Hayes that he was going to be facing a special opponent on this week’s episode. Fans started theorizing about who this opponent could be. Some fans speculated about an NXT debut, while some even thought that this would be Penta El Zero Miedo’s big WWE debut. However, it turned out to be a returning Braun Strowman.

Before his match started, Carmelo Hayes got into the ring and talked about how great he was going to do, no matter who his opponent was. However, he seemed a bit taken aback when Strowman was revealed as his opponent. He tried to hit a crossbody on the giant, but the 41-year-old didn’t even budge. The former Universal Champion eventually caught him with a running powerslam and won the match in less than 90 seconds.

YouTube video

Hayes had approached Aldis last week after the announcement of the transfer window. He wanted to know which brand his future lay with. The general manager said that he wouldn’t mind if the former NXT Champion went over to Raw and set up this match. The 30-year-old had even teased going up against John Cena on this episode.

Meanwhile, Strowman’s last major feud in WWE concluded on the September 30th, 2024, edition of Raw. He faced Bronson Reed in the first-ever Last Monster Standing match. The former Money in the Bank winner came out on top, but only after interference from Seth Rollins, who made his return that night to get revenge on the Australian. 

Is Braun Strowman permanently moving to SmackDown?

After the show ended, Braun Strowman broke his silence on X after making his return to WWE programming. In this tweet, he mentioned being “back on the blue brand,” suggesting that this was not a mere one-time appearance.

Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman (via WWE)

WWE has already announced that they would be doing some major shake-ups to the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT rosters ahead of the red brand moving to Netflix. Chad Gable also appeared on the blue brand last week, teasing a more permanent shift to the show.

While Carmelo Hayes’ future with respect to the transfer window is still uncertain, fans can expect Strowman to stay on SmackDown. The Monster Among Men had already crossed paths with a lot of people on his former brand. This will give the WWE Universe new matchups to enjoy and move the 41-year-old away from the cluttered midcard scene on Raw.

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