At least one big time showdown has been officially announced for next week’s episode of WWE SmackDown in “The Golden State.”
During Friday’s early morning WWE SmackDown taping in Perth, Western Australia, serving as the kickoff to the WWE Crown Jewel: Perth weekend festivities, it was officially announced that Jacob Fatu will go one-on-one with Drew McIntyre on the Friday, October 17 edition of WWE SmackDown, which is taking place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The upcoming clash between “The Scottish Psychopath” and “The Samoan Werewolf” stems from their heated confrontation on a previous episode of WWE SmackDown. During that encounter, the returning Fatu made his WWE return, confronting McIntyre in the ring and calling him out on the spot for constantly “complaining about everything” and “blaming others” for his shortcomings. McIntyre responded by headbutting Fatu, and Fatu answered in kind by flattening the former WWE Champion and leaving him laying, setting the stage for an explosive rivalry.
The tension boiled over again at today’s WWE SmackDown taping in Perth. The episode, which aired live internationally on Netflix but will air in the usual 8/7c timeslot on USA Network for North American audiences tonight, featured a heated backstage confrontation involving Fatu, Cody Rhodes, and McIntyre.
In the segment, Fatu approached the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and told him, respectfully, that he has his eyes set on a future title opportunity once Rhodes finishes his business with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel: Perth this Saturday, October 11, at RAC Arena.
Before Fatu could say more, McIntyre blindsided him from behind, attacking him and leaving him laid out.
Later in the show, Fatu got some payback, ambushing McIntyre during a meeting with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis, sparking a wild brawl between the two.
Aldis eventually made the match official for next week’s episode of WWE SmackDown in San Jose, CA. McIntyre told the GM that he’s “looking forward to beating some respect” into Fatu in front of his “hometown fans” in California.
In related news from the same WWE SmackDown taping earlier this morning in Australia, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss were involved in a backstage segment where they accepted a challenge from NXT’s Sol Ruca and Zaria for a future title defense. While many expect that match to take place alongside the McIntyre–Fatu showdown next Friday night in San Jose, WWE has not officially confirmed a date or location for the women’s tag team title bout as of this writing.
The blue brand fallout from WWE Crown Jewel: Perth goes down next Friday, October 17, 2025, live at 8/7c on the USA Network and Netflix from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com every Friday night for the best WWE SmackDown results live coverage.
For those interested, you can check out our complete WWE SmackDown Spoilers From Perth, Western Australia For October 10, 2025 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.
Nick Aldis tells Drew McIntyre that him and Jacob Fatu will go one on one next week on SmackDown…
AND THEN FATU ATTACKS MCINTYRE 😲#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/tJ4KQowj5M
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) October 10, 2025
🚨 Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair are giving ZaRuca a tag title opportunity!
This backstage segment was so funny 😭 #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/UkGEfPcg4h
— Scorched Bliss (@ScorchedBliss) October 10, 2025
