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The SmackDown Live roster stopped over at Reno, Nevada for another live event that featured some of the biggest of the blue brand in action.
Kofi Kingston defended his WWE Championship in the main event against Dolph Ziggler while Randy Orton took on Aleister Black in the mouth-watering penultimate clash of the night.
Elsewhere on the card, the Intercontinental and SmackDown Tag Team Championships were defended in two high-quality matches. The latter, in particular, was so good that the fans in attendance termed it a 'match of the year' contender.
Roman Reigns was in action as well, as the Big Dog took on The Drifter in singles competition. The card was rounded up by two women's matches and a singles bout featuring Matt Hardy.
Here are the results and highlights from the show:
#1. Finn Balor (C) vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Intercontinental Championship Match)
Now that's how you kick off a house show! WWE put together a title match featuring three of their best in-ring talents and it's safe to say, the fans in attendance were left satisfied with the opener.
The three superstars put on an engaging match from bell to bell with Balor being the most popular amongst the lot.
At the end of a gruelling fast-paced encounter, The Demon King picked up the win and successfully retained the IC title.
Result: Finn Balor def. Mustafa Ali and Shinsuke Nakamura
#2. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Kairi Sane & Asuka
The women of the blue brand came to the fore in a tag team match featuring the Kabuki Warriors and Fire & Desire.
It followed a predictable pattern with the babyface team of Asuka and Sane coming out trumps against Rose and Deville.
Result: Kairi Sane & Asuka def. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
#3. Matt Hardy vs. Buddy Murphy
Next up, Matt Hardy returned to live event action to take on former Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy. The Woken One got loud pops from the Reno fans as he went on to overcome the challenge posed by the former 205 Live Superstar.
Result: Matt Hardy def. Buddy Murphy
#4. Daniel Bryan & Erick Rowan (C) vs. Chad Gable & Apollo Crews (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match)
On a night that opened with an incredible Triple Threat match for the IC title, the tag team division of the blue brand managed to steal the show. Can you believe that?
Bryan, Rowan, Gable and Crews put on a barnburner of a match that was described by a fan who attended the show as a potential 'Match of the Year' candidate. Yes, it was that darn good!
The Superstars were given the creative licence to express themselves which made the match a true spectacle. We're sure the WWE officials backstage were watching and could book it for a future episode of SmackDown Live. We sincerely hope they do. We also hope that the neglected duo of Gable and Crews get a fair share of the spotlight going forward.
Result: Daniel Bryan & Erick Rowan def. Chad Gable & Apollo Crews to retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles
#5. Roman Reigns vs. Elias
It was time for The Big Dog to take centre stage as Roman Reigns took on Elias in a match that we've seen many times before on TV.
Nonetheless, it was an entertaining affair as The Drifter was doing his best to gain heat before and throughout the match. Reigns was the fan favourite as expected and he complimented the heel heat garnered by Elias really well.
No surprises here though as The Big Dog came out victorious.
Result: Roman Reigns def. Elias
#6. Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan
The exceptionally talented Ember Moon took on the eccentric Liv Morgan next, in a match that was seen as a filler before the final two matches of the night.
Both women put on a decent effort in the allotted time. Moon got a good reaction from the fans and picked up the win over the former Riott Squad member.
Result: Ember Moon def. Liv Morgan
#7. Randy Orton vs. Aleister Black
Aleister Black issued an open challenge to any superstar who would like to pick a fight with him on the most recent episode of SmackDown Live.
It seems like he got his first big test in the form of the legendary 13-time WWE Champion Randy Orton. The Viper and The Dutch Destroyer put on a solid match in this showdown and gave us a preview of what to expect when these two battle on SmackDown Live in the near future. Orton got the win here.
Result: Randy Orton def. Aleister Black
#8. Kofi Kingston (C) vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE Championship Match)
The main event of the night was a rematch from WWE Super ShowDown as Kofi Kingston put his WWE title on the line against Dolph Ziggler.
Kingston got some of the best reactions of the night en route to his successful title defence. On a side note, this match was much better than the one we'd seen in Saudi Arabia.
Result: Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE title
