WWE Super Showdown is scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2020 inside the Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be the third Super Showdown of series, with the first being called Super Show-Down and the only one held outside of Saudi Arabia (Melbourne, Australia). The 2019 version was held in Jeddah, with a main event of The Undertaker defeating Goldberg.
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The event will feature superstars from both WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown. In addition, the Universal Championship, WWE Championship, Raw Tag Team Championships, SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and SmackDown Women's Championship will all be defended at the WWE Network special.
Heading into the event, here are some news and rumors that could have WrestleMania implications.
Goldberg vs. The Fiend Could Change WrestleMania 36
As seen on SmackDown, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt will be defending the Universal Championship against Goldberg at Super Showdown. Although the initial thought was that this is only a one-off appearance for Goldberg, there could have been a change of plans. Dave Meltzer stated on the Wrestling Observer Radio that the expected Roman Reigns vs. The Fiend match at WrestleMania 36 is no longer.
While the Universal Championship replacement match was not stated, either Reigns, Wyatt, or both, will not be a part of it. As of now, Reigns is still rumored to be a part of the match, meaning Goldberg could be walking out of Super Showdown as Universal Champion for the second time.
Hulk Hogan Scheduled to Appear at Super Showdown
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WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is scheduled to appear at the Super Showdown event, PWInsider reports. Hogan's role is currently unknown, but he is expected to appear. Although this will be Hogan's first Super Showdown appearance, he has been a part of both Crown Jewel WWE events in Saudi Arabia. The first one marked his WWE return since being fired in 2015 at the host of the event, and the second appearance was leading his team (Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, and Mustafa Ali) in a victory against Team Flair (Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, King Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura).
Hogan has made it very known that he desires to make one more in-ring return at WrestleMania, ideally against Vince McMahon. While this WrestleMania rematch most likely will not happen, and Hogan's chances of competing at the "Granddaddy of Them All" are slim, Super Showdown could create a big surprise regarding Hogan's in-ring future.
Number of WWE Superstars Will Not Attend
Every time WWE hosts an event in Saudi Arabia, a number of wrestlers do not attend the event. This is due to either certain competitors refusing to go, or not allowed to go due to certain reasons. This time, The Revival, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Aleister Black, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Mustafa Ali are not scheduled to appear, per Wrestling News. The NXT roster will also not be attending the show, as the Wednesday night television event will go on as usual.
In addition, Randy Orton is not on the card. The Miz, who stayed in the United States during the last Saudi Arabia trip, which ended up with most of the roster stuck there and unable to make it back in time for SmackDown, will be taking the trip this time. Miz is schedule to team with John Morrison to compete for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The New Day — Kofi Kingston and Big E.
Rusev Pulled from Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match
Outside of the Universal Championship (The Fiend vs. Goldberg) and WWE Championship (Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet) matches, Bayley is scheduled to defend the SmackDown Women's Championship against Naomi, Seth Rollins and Murphy will defend the Raw Tag Team Championship against The Street Profits, and Roman Reigns will compete against King Corbin in a steel cage match.
There will also be a Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match, which includes AJ Styles, Andrade, R-Truth, Erick Rowan, Rey Mysterio, and Bobby Lashley. On Raw, WWE announced Rey Mysterio instead of Rusev as a part of this gauntlet, although Rusev was still shown on the graphic. This late switch-up is rumored to be due to his ongoing contract dispute with the company.
WWE Super Showdown 2020 is the second to last stop before WrestleMania 36. The final stop is the Elimination Chamber, scheduled for March 8 at the Well Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg confirmed after McIntyre's Royal Rumble win, as well as the rumors circulating around the Universal Championship, Naomi vs. Bayley — a match scheduled for Super Showdown — is also planned for WrestleMania.
