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WWE SmackDown in Denver saw Kevin Owens and Tiffany Stratton qualify for Money in the Bank, while Cody Rhodes fell short due to Randy Orton's interference.
WWE SmackDown took place on Friday in Denver, featuring Cody Rhodes' much-anticipated return and the final Money in the Bank qualifying matches. Rhodes, a former world champion, came up short in his match thanks to his bitter rival, Randy Orton. In the end, Kevin Owens and Tiffany Stratton rounded out the upcoming six-wrestler fields for the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Kevin Owens Qualifies for Money in the Bank
The main event saw Kevin Owens defeat Johnny Gargano to secure his spot in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Gargano was the expected fall guy, wrestling alongside powerhouse names like Rhodes and Owens. However, in every recent opportunity, he has reminded us he belongs in this mix.
The match was thought to be Rhodes' to lose, but Randy Orton still exists. And if Orton isn't qualifying for this year's ladder match, neither is Rhodes. Orton made sure of that by stopping two Rhodes pin attempts or break-ups. The last saw Owens hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb on Gargano to secure his spot.
Ultimately, the story was Rhodes, for a change, valuing personal action over winning. Instead of going back in the ring when he had the chance, Rhodes saw an opening to punt Orton outside the apron, only for an airborne Gargano to intercept him. That spot was kind of funny, but it was an objectively nice wrinkle, and continues to point Rhodes and Orton toward their inevitable stipulation blow-off match.
As for Owens, he joins a stacked field of CM Punk, Bron Breakker, Penta, Je'Von Evans, and Trick Williams in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match.
Tiffany Stratton Wins Women's Qualifier
Tiffany Stratton won her way into this year's women's Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Candice LeRae and Tatum Paxley. But this match cannot be glossed over, as it would have earned a perfect crown score had Paxley been the victor.
Nonetheless, the finish sequence was spectacular, and Stratton always makes for a fun addition to a ladder match, so you cannot complain too much. The only problem, per se, is that tonight's match only further highlighted Paxley's in-ring brilliance. She has been great so far in her main roster run, but holy cow, this woman absolutely has between the ropes, and was the undeniable star of this match.
That is without mentioning anything about her character work, which is clearly ever-present. Her style played into her two opponents' perfectly as well, making this match a nonstop, 100-mile-per-hour sprint. And there is nothing more I love than a good high-speed triple-threat. In other words, WWE: Push Paxley. This match was SmackDown's equivalent of Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch at Evolution last year.
Sami Zayn Shines in Overbooked Promo
WWE lazily putting on overbooked multi-person promos annually ahead of Money in the Bank has gotten hilarious. But as devoid of creativity as they usually are when everyone just boasts about their future plans to cash in, tonight's one was good solely thanks to Sami Zayn. Zayn continues to take his victory laps, but he does it by playing into claims that he is a weak champion and mentioning his experience.
He really should not be viewed like a chump compared to Penta, Trick Williams, and Je'Von Evans, who all confronted him too. The history baked into this segment with Trick was great as well, especially their head-to-head moment that absolutely felt like improv.
Finn Balor and Gunther got involved to end it on the ramp. That was kind of odd and left those two feeling more aimless than ever, having just lost their qualifiers last week. But the clear move here is to get Gunther vs. Balor in some sort of contender progression match. Yet there is Danhausen also lurking.
Overall Show Recap and Grade
While that is the Uncrowned Gem of this show, it should not be alone. Tonight's program started with wrestling from the jump, getting into the women's triple-threat, then gave plenty of time to each of the remaining four matches. Overall, it was a great wrestling show, and that is always welcome for obvious reasons.
In terms of name value in matches, it is wild how much better Friday nights are than Mondays right now. I give Friday's SmackDown a crown score of 9.5 out of 10.
Women's Money in the Bank qualifying match: Gargano runs into a Super Kick. The Pop-Up Powerbomb follows! Orton prevents Rhodes from breaking up the pin, and Owens gets the win!
Owens lifts Cody and punches him in the middle of the ring. Cody punches back, and Owens goes for a Stunner. Cody counters with a Cross Rhodes! Randy Orton pulls the referee out of the ring! He eggs on Cody, and they battle outside the ring. Randy launches Cody into the steps. They approach the announce desk, but Cody regains control by smashing Orton into the post. The punt is lined up! Cody goes for it, and Gargano stops him with a suicide dive! He jumps in the ring to DDT Owens for a near fall! Cody hits a Super Cody Cutter to Gargano! He takes an Owens Super Kick.
WWE Smackdown Money In The Bank Kevin Owens Tiffany Stratton Cody Rhodes Randy Orton Denver
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