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What's the story?
The main event of SmackDown Live saw five men compete for a WWE Championship opportunity and the victor was not who fans were expecting.
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Rusev defeated The Miz to win the gauntlet match and will face AJ Styles at Extreme Rules for the WWE Championship.
In case you didn't know
Styles ended his three-month feud with Shinsuke Nakamura at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view after he defeated The King of Strong Style in a Last Man Standing Match.
With no other challengers named, SmackDown General Manager Paige booked a gauntlet match to determine a new No.1 Contender.
The heart of the matter
The gauntlet match started with Daniel Bryan versus Big E and served as a great showcase for the member of The New Day, but Bryan would get the victory.
Samoa Joe would emerge as the next challenger and got several near falls in the match, but would lose to Bryan via count-out.
While Bryan laid exhausted on the mat, The Miz ran down to the ring and lifted Bryan's limp body and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale for the victory.
Rusev would emerge as the final wrestler for the gauntlet match and had the support of the crowd as he attempted to secure the title shot.
Eventually, The Miz got to his feet and attempted to hit Rusev with Bryan's running knee, but the Bulgarian Brute knocked The Miz to the mat with a superkick and locked in The Accolade to win the gauntlet match.
What's next?
Rusev's upcoming match will mark his first opportunity at a world championship since the 2016 Royal Rumble match and his first singles match for a world championship.
The crowd has continued to show support for Rusev and have wanted to see him capture the world championship and they just got their wish.
If Rusev manages to defeat Styles, he will have ended Styles' reign at 250 days.
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