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It was a busy night of WWE action on Sunday, with the Raw roster entertaining fans in Binghamton, New York and the SmackDown Live roster travelling to Greenville, North Carolina for another live event.
The show featured eight matches, three of which had titles on the line, and the main event saw Sami Zayn challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in a steel cage match. Kevin Owens was notably absent from the show due to an injur
In this article, we take a look at the results from the show and see what the fans in attendance made of it all.
(Results courtesy of PW Torch)
#1 New Day vs. Rusev Day
As we’ve seen on SmackDown Live in recent weeks, the unlikely duo of Rusev and Aiden English have become one of the most popular acts in all of WWE. However, despite gaining the support of the WWE Universe, they continue to work as heels on live events.
In the opening match in Greenville, their attempts to cheat against Kofi Kingston and Big E backfired and the New Day picked up the victory after hitting English with the Midnight Hour.
Result: New Day def. Rusev Day
#2 Tye Dillinger vs. Mike Kanellis
We haven’t seen much of Tye Dillinger or Mike Kanellis on SmackDown Live recently, with both men seemingly not in WWE’s creative plans following their initial pushes on the main roster.
Dillinger gained the victory in this match and, as has been the case at recent live events, he hinted at a possible heel turn by refusing to engage in the crowd’s “TEN!” chants.
Result: Tye Dillinger def. Mike Kanellis
#3 The Bludgeon Brothers vs. The Ascension vs. The Colons
It’s one thing to have the Bludgeon Brothers defeat one tag team at a time on SmackDown Live, but it’s another to have them squash two established duos in the same match.
That’s exactly what happened on Sunday, with Harper and Rowan dismantling The Ascension and The Colons in convincing fashion.
Result: Bludgeon Brothers def. The Ascension and The Colons
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin
In a change to the show’s original match card, which stated that Shinsuke Nakamura would take on Jinder Mahal, the Greenville event actually featured Nakamura facing former on-screen rival Baron Corbin instead.
One hilarious moment during the match saw Corbin react to “Where’s your briefcase?” chants by stealing a fan’s Money In The Bank briefcase, presumably merchandise that they bought that night, before walking around the ring with it.
As for the match itself, “The King of Strong Style” was in control for much of the contest and emerged victorious after hitting a Kinsasha.
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin
#5 Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal
The rivalry between Bobby Roode and Jinder Mahal over the United States Championship continued in Greenville, with Roode putting his title on the line just five days after winning it.
Of course, live events being live events, the title didn’t change hands. Jinder, who cut a heel promo on the crowd before the match, was defeated after being on the receiving end of a Glorious DDT from the new US champion.
Result: Bobby Roode def. Jinder Mahal
#6 Charlotte, Naomi & Becky vs. Natalya, Carmella & Lana
This was originally supposed to be a 4-on-3 handicap match with Tamina joining Natalya, Carmella and Lana on the heels’ team. However, even though her music played, she didn’t appear and it wasn’t explained to fans why she wasn’t there.
A 3-on-3 match took place instead, with fan favourites Charlotte Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch getting the win after “The Queen” made Lana tap to the Figure Eight.
Result: Charlotte, Naomi & Becky def. Natalya, Carmella & Lana
#7 The Usos vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable
One week before their 2 out of 3 falls match at the Royal Rumble, The Usos put their SmackDown Tag Team titles on the line against Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable.
This was one of the best matches of the night, with Jimmy & Jey receiving lots of cheers before they picked up the victory over Benjamin after hitting him with a double superkick and splash.
Result: The Usos def. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable
#8 AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn
With Kevin Owens missing live events this week due to injury, Sami Zayn was forced to battle alone in a steel cage match against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in Greenville.
The two men received the loudest reactions of the night, with Zayn’s obnoxious mannerisms prompting plenty of jeers before the match and Styles’ entrance forcing everyone to stand up out of their seats.
The title didn’t change hands, of course, and AJ retained after climbing over the cage and slamming the door against Zayn’s face before jumping to the floor.
Result: AJ Styles def. Sami Zayn
