WWE had planned a match between Rey Fenix, the AAA Cruiserweight Champion, and Ricky Saints for Friday’s SmackDown but decided against it at the last minute.
PWInsider reported that WWE had the match planned for the SmackDown taping that took place on Monday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, shortly after that night’s RAW. But WWE changed course later in the day, and the match didn’t happen.
It would have been the fourth singles match between the two on SmackDown in eight weeks. Fenix successfully defended the title in each of their previous matches. He beat Saints on September 11 in Mexico City, on October 16 in Sacramento, California, by DQ, and on October 30 in Charleston, West Virginia.
That match would have taken place just three days after he last beat Saints.
Saints has beaten Fenix only once. On October 2, he teamed with the War Raiders to defeat Fenix and Fraxiom in a six-man tag team match. It was that win that led to his title shots.
Friday’s show was the last SmackDown before Crown Jewel, which takes place on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.