As New Year’s Revolution came to a close, it’s safe to say that the first SmackDown of 2024 brings in new faces.
Literally and figuratively, perhaps.
After a lot of whispering, we recently saw a teaser package indicating that the Authors of Pain would be back soon, aligned with Karrion Kross.
That end of 2023 teaser came after months of reports telling us that the former NXT tag champions had been re-signed months ago.
And their return happened on the first SmackDown of 2024. Best of all, the tag team did not come alone.
Manager Paul Ellering was reunited with the duo, and together they are working with Karrion Kross and Scarlett.
But..that was not our only return or debut of the night.
First SmackDown Of 2024 Brings In New Faces
If a return to WWE by Ellering and the Authors of Pain was not enough…
Butch needed a tag partner. Logic said we’d see a returning Sheamus.
Instead, we got a first SmackDown match for Tyler Bate.
Bate, a former NXT UK Champion, has a long history with Pete Dunne. Friday marked his first on air match with Butch.
And it did not shock me that this team looked quite sharp and picked up the win.
There was an added bonus in all of this fun, too.
It’s been a while since we saw Gable Steveson.
When last we saw him, he was in NXT. And, at one point after his “big decision”, the Olympic champion disappeared.
At that time, questions arose on if Steveson was still with WWE, or if the two sides very quietly parted ways.
Well, it seems he has resurfaced.
While not on television, it was reported by several outlets that the Olympian worked a dark match in Vancouver.
To me, this is notable. We know from past SmackDown dark matches, often times NXT talents are given that showcase to determine their readiness for a call-up.
Could this appearance indicate that a Steveson main roster arrival might actually be happening?
