WWE SmackDown: Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan win tag-team titles
Wednesday 8 May 2019 08:16, UK
Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan are the new SmackDown tag champions after fending off a challenge from a returning team.
With The Hardy Boyz were forced to relinquish the belts last week, Shane McMahon confirmed he had 'chosen' Bryan and Rowan as the new title-holders.
However, before he could bestow the titles upon them, Raw duo The Usos arrived and, via the 'wild card rule', convinced Shane that they should earn them in a match between the two teams for the vacant championships.
WWE Late Night Smackdown
A victory for the twins would have seen the blue belts taken to the red brand and they looked in a good position to achieve that unique feat with the superkicks and the top-rope splashes raining down on their opponents.
But Bryan cut off Jimmy on the outside and Jey fell victim to an Iron Claw slam from Rowan to ensure the belts remain on Tuesday nights and around the waists of the heel duo.
Wild card rule prompts surprise title match
Raw superstar AJ Styles returned to SmackDown as part of the wild card rule, proclaiming it was still The House That AJ Styles Built. Sami Zayn, fresh out of the dumpster Braun Strowman threw him in the night before, promptly interrupted and demanded that AJ go back to Raw.
WWE champion Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods quickly interrupted, and Kofi suggested that he was willing to defend the WWE title against The Phenomenal One tonight. However, Zayn wouldn't allow it, saying that he was the most deserving of a WWE Championship opportunity because he tells it like it is.
Kingston responded boldly though, saying that after his defeat of Bryan on Raw, he was confident he could defeat Styles or Zayn and would happily defend his title against either of them, a proclamation which led to a triple threat match.
Zayn almost got the win - thanks to an assist from Kevin Owens - with a Blue Thunder Bomb but Kingston kicked out and rebounded with a Trouble in Paradise to retain.
Fire & Desire set up clash with Paige's pair
There was a tweak to the SmackDown card with Bayley and Charlotte Flair taken out of the six-woman tag match which pitted Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose against Carmella and Ember Moon.
Fire & Desire used their experience as a team to their advantage, with Deville sacrificing herself for Rose in order to isolate Moon with several high-impact maneuvers to get the win as Carmella was downed on the outside.
After their victory, Paige arrived to remind everyone that Asuka and Kairi Sane were ready to take over the women's tag division - starting next week with a match against her former Absolution colleagues.
