WWE News: Surprise announcement of pre-SummerSlam special -'Smackville', several title matches to take place

What's the story?

One of WWE's criticisms is they just don't surprise us anymore. Here we are, wondering if The Demon will wrestle at SummerSlam or not - but they have surprised us with the announcement of a WWE Title match for a Network special show called Smackville.

In case you didn't know...

The last WWE Network show the company put on was 'The Shield's Final Chapter', a special dedicated to celebrating one of the company's best stables and Dean Ambrose's send-off, before anyone knew he was going to AEW.

The heart of the matter

WWE Twitter just nonchalantly tweeted that Kofi Kingston would defend the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler and Samoa Joe in a Triple Threat match at Smackville - which will stream live on the WWE Network on July 27.

However, they appear to have forgotten the small detail of announcing at all that Smackville was a thing to begin with.

.@TrueKofi will put the #WWEChampionship on the line against @SamoaJoe and @HEELZiggler in a Triple Threat Match at #SMACKVILLE, streaming LIVE on Saturday, July 27th on @WWENetwork!https://t.co/BZkiVxY7vX

— WWE (@WWE) July 18, 2019

Still, we now know the show - which will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, is being considered a special show by WWE. This isn't the only match being announced though, as the website reveals more:

The explosive in-ring action will include a main event Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship in which Kofi Kingston will be challenged by Dolph Ziggler and Samoa Joe.

In addition, newly crowned Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura will go head-to-head with former titleholder Finn Bálor in a rematch from WWE Extreme Rules. The evening will also feature a special musical performance by Elias.

It's also very interesting this takes place mere weeks before SummerSlam, as it has potential to carry huge ramifications for what happens at that show. Kofi has his toughest title defence yet and there's every chance WWE throw in a shock title change to drum up interest in their big summer PPV.

What's next?

We'll have to wait and see if more matches are made official for this impromptu Network Special, but I think we can all agree right now that Smackville is giving 'Great Balls of Fire' a run for its money in the bad show namestakes.