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WWE SmackDown preview: Xia Li debuts, plus Sonya Deville and RK-Bro in action
Xia Li is set to make her debut (Picture: WWE)
WWE SmackDown is hours away, and it’s looking like a stacked episode on paper.
As well as Xia Li making her highly anticipated main roster debut, this week’s show is also set to feature a rare blue brand appearance from Randy Orton and Riddle as RK-Bro take part in a blockbuster tag team match against The Usos and The New Day.
There’s also the return of the Championship Contender Match as Toni Storm faces Charlotte Flair, and there’s been a tease of Sonya Deville making her one-on-one return against Naomi.
Of course, fans should also expect more of a build to Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship battle with Brock Lesnar at the upcoming Day 1 pay-per-view.
There’s a lot on tap, with Xia Li’s much-hyped debut being built up as something that could shake up the women’s division in a big way.
The company has introduced her to the SmackDown fans through a series of comic-book inspired vignettes painting her as a ‘Protector’ of those who have been wronged.
Her arrival will make her the first female Chinese superstar on the blue brand, following her run as part of the Tian Sha group on NXT back in its black and gold days.
WWE hasn’t given anything away though, with the official preview simply reading: ‘After weeks of vignettes touting the powerful story of SmackDown’s newest Superstar Xia Li, find out what happens when the dangerous “Protector” makes her stand on Friday Night SmackDown.’
Reflecting on the way the company has build to her debut, she told Daily DDT: ‘They asked about my background and about my family, so I told them my story. That vignette is a real story about my real life.
‘I’m really happy they put my real story on TV and there’s a lot of feeling there. When they [aired] it, I cried. If I have that feeling, they will have that same feeling.
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‘Also, I had a dream, like a superhero dream, when I was a child, so this is kind of my dream come true with a superhero dream on TV. I’m very happy that they have this whole package for me and they did an amazing job.’
And when it comes to being on the blue brand, she added: ‘I think there’s a lot [of people she’s familiar with] because a lot of people were in NXT, so we were friends before and now it’s going to be a lot more casual.
‘Superstars like Sasha Banks have always been very nice to me and she’s there, too. Everybody at SmackDown is very nice to me and I’m very happy.’
*WWE SmackDown airs Friday nights at 1am on BT Sport 1.
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