With Extreme Rules in the books and the "Payback" PPV on the horizon, WWE Smackdown has a big card in store for wrestling fans Friday night.
In his first singles match since becoming the United States champion at Extreme Rules, Dean Ambrose of the Shield will take on Kofi Kingston, the man he took the title from. Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett goes one-on-one with The Miz.
Curtis Axel, fresh off a shocking win over WWE legend Triple H, will also be in action tonight. Fandango will also be in the house for a special interview on "Miz TV." Daniel Bryan will face fellow submission specialist Jack Swagger. And Chris Jericho will take on the Big Show in singles action.
In other news, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "the King" Lawler will be making his return to the ring following his scary on-air cardiac arrest incident in September. Lawler is scheduled to team with fellow Hall of Famer Dory Funk, Jr., at the !Bang! TV event this Saturday.
In an interview with Ocala.com, Lawler revealed that he received the clearance from his doctor to participate in wrestling again.
"He said everything looked great, that I was good to go," said Lawler. "I asked if I can go back to doing what I've always done, and he said it wouldn't be a problem, that it actually should be good because it will be cardio work, which is good for me. Anything to get my heart rate up."
Lawler collapsed while on commentary at ringside last fall and has not wrestled before the scheduled Saturday event. Regarding whether his body was up to the rigors of wrestling again, Lawler said he could do so.
"I asked if taking a body slam would be an issue. He said nothing like that would affect my heart," he said.
WWE Champion John Cena will not be at this weekend's Raw live events, according to Wrestling Inc.com. Missing those events will likely aid in his recovery from a leg injury that has been plaguing him since last month. To substitute for Cena, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels and the New Age Outlaws will be appearing at the shows.
Michaels tweeted about his scheduled appearance at the weekend shows on his Twitter account, writing, "Headed back to TX for a quick turnaround, pack, etc, then on the road w/ @WWE. Hooking up w/ @WWERoadDogg & @RealBillyGunn ! #DX #DXRoadTrip"
And on a new development with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, WrestleZone.com reports that the eight-time WWE Champion and movie star ended up missing the overseas premiere of "Fast 6" and the promotional tour that accompanied the film's premiere. The reason was because he still had not been medically cleared to travel following his surgery in April to fix abdominal injuries he sustained against Cena during their WrestleMania 29 main event match.
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