This week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is set to air live from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL and it’s shaping up to be a massive show. John Cena is set to make his final appearance in Chicago, and a major return is being teased for the show.
After Becky Lynch interfered in the main event at Clash in Paris, The Man confronted CM Punk on Raw and things got physical when Lynch attacked him. Punk told Becky that she will regret putting her hands on him, and he later teased during a backstage segment that he will be showing up to SmackDown in Chicago.
Fans have waited a long time for AJ Lee to return, and right now all signs point to the former Divas Champion returning to WWE at SmackDown on Friday. Rumors of AJ Lee’s return have certainly translated to success when it comes to ticket sales for WWE as WrestleTix is reporting that 16,031 tickets have been distributed for the show as of this writing.
WWE Friday Night Smackdown
Fri • Sep 05, 2025 • 6:30 PM
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, ILAvailable Tickets: 15
Current Setup: 16,046
Tickets Distributed: 16,031+265 since the last update (1 day ago)
️ Sections 206 & 207 have now been fully opened. Based on the current setup… pic.twitter.com/8GdJeqUsf0— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) September 4, 2025
Whether or not AJ Lee will actually be showing up at SmackDown remains to be seen, but ticket sales clearly indicate that fans are hopeful she will be there. One way or another it was recently reported that AJ Lee is set to team with CM Punk to take on Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins at the WWE WrestlePalooza premium live event later this month.
Stay tuned for updates.