Nick Aldis makes new addition; former champion returns - 5 potential surprises on SmackDown before Clash at the Castle

The final SmackDown before Clash at the Castle will take place in Glasgow, Scotland, this Friday and fans can expect the feuds between the champions and challengers to continue less than 24 hours before the premium live event.

For the time being, the blue brand's match card includes a Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles 'I quit' match, a battle between Bayley and Piper Niven and a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles (Belair/Cargill vs. Fyre/Dawn vs. Baszler/Stark).

At the same time, this week's SmackDown could see a few surprises taking place and we take a look at five of them.

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#5. Kevin Owens confronts Solo Sikoa to set up last minute CATC match

Kevin Owens continues his feud with The Bloodline on the blue brand, but he has struggled to take out the faction so far, overcome by the numbers game each time. Still, The Prizefighter is not willing to back down and fans can expect him to fight back following another beatdown he received last week.

Friday Night SmackDown will see him and Solo Sikoa take on each other each other and the match may cause a further aggravation in this feud, leading to a last-minute match being booked for Clash at the Castle, adding more action to the PLE.

#4. Bayley adding a stipulation for her title match with Piper Niven

Bayley takes on Piper Niven at her home country this Saturday (via WWEUK X account)

Bayley will put her WWE Women's Championship on the line against Piper Niven, who will get a title match after a very long time.

Even though Bayley is the favorite to win, Chelsea Green, Niven's tag team partner, could become a factor in the match. So, the reigning champion could arrive at WWE SmackDown ready to add a stipulation to ban Green from ringside at the PLE.

That could be by making the title match a Steel Cage Match. An easier choice could be by taking on Chelsea Green in an impromptu match on the blue brand with the stipulation that if Green loses, she will be banned from ringside for the title match on Saturday.

#3. Nia Jax telling Jade Cargill she will appear at Clash at the Castle

Nia Jax has already seemingly started a feud with Jade Cargill, which is expected to extend to the coming episodes of SmackDown as well as premium live events.

This Friday night could see the new Queen of the Ring confront the Women's Tag Team Champion and let her know that she will be ringside for her title match at Clash at the Castle: Scotland.

Cargill and Bianca Belair will take on Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre in a Triple Threat Match for the tag team titles. An interference from Nia could very well cause the champions to lose the titles, leading to an escalation in hostilities between the two powerful wrestlers.

#2. Nick Aldis says he has last-minute announcement for Clash at the Castle

SmackDown GM Nick Aldis has been busy with AJ Styles lately, but he could have another issue to take care of. And this could very well be RAW GM Adam Pearce's struggles with managing Bron Breakker on the red brand.

Breakker has been out of control ever since Pearce didn't let him enter the King of the Ring tournament and has been taking out other stars, without concern for their safety. This included the violent attack on Ricochet last Monday which caused the star to be declared out indefinitely. Thus, instead of suspending him, Pearce might send the former NXT Champion to SmackDown, where he's been before without causing any damage.

#1. Cody Rhodes hints at superstar that will be at his corner vs. AJ Styles

AJ Styles will go against Cody Rhodes again for the title this week at Glasgow (via wwe.com)

Cody Rhodes will put his Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against AJ Styles in an I Quit Match, where The OC could appear to assist The Phenomenal One. At the same time, Rhodes is expected to appear on SmackDown this week. He could give a hint on a superstar that could be in his corner in the match to even the odds at Glasgow.

This star could be Shinsuke Nakamura, who could return as a babyface and help the reigning champion, while at the same time re-igniting his old feud with The Phenomenal One, which goes back to their title match in 2018 on the blue brand and their battles in other wrestling promotions outside the Stamford-based company.