Massive grudge match announced for WWE SmackDown

A major grudge match has been announced for tonight's edition of WWE SmackDown. This week's show will air live from the Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield, California.

LA Knight defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Aleister Black to qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match on the May 23 edition of WWE SmackDown. Black connected with the deadly Black Mass on Nakamura, but Knight threw the former AEW star out of the ring and pinned The King of Strong Style to qualify for the six-man bout.

Knight boasted about the victory during a backstage interview with Byron Saxton last week, and Black interrupted to remind The Megastar that he stole the victory. Ahead of tonight's edition of SmackDown, WWE announced that the two stars would be competing in a massive grudge match on the blue brand:

"TONIGHT on #SmackDown: @RealLAKnight goes one-on-one with @Aleister_Blxck 24 hours before he competes in the #MITB Ladder Match! 👀🔥"

Black spent some time in All Elite Wrestling before departing the promotion earlier this year. He was the leader of The House of Black faction in AEW alongside Buddy Matthews, Brody King, and Julia Hart.

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Former WWE writer claims Triple H does not like LA Knight

Wrestling legend Vince Russo recently claimed that Triple H does not like LA Knight, and it has negatively impacted The Megastar's push in WWE.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing with Russo, the former head writer for the Stamford-based promotion, stated that he had heard a rumor that The Game was not a fan of Knight, which has led to limited opportunities for the 42-year-old:

"I was told that Triple H does not like LA Knight. And you are seeing that, bro. LA Knight goes so far, then we pull him back. LA Knight goes so far, then we pull him back. And again, bro, that's the competition between the boys... It just boggles my mind because, bro, when you go back and you watch Vince McMahon, Vince never put himself front and center." [9:30 onwards]

You can check out Russo's comments in the video below:

It will be interesting to see if LA Knight can defeat Aleister Black on SmackDown ahead of the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match tomorrow night.

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Edited by Robert Lentini