WWE SmackDown Results: Kevin Owens Punches His Ticket to MITB, Blake Monroe Arrives
Friday Night SmackDown rolled into Denver, Colorado with Money in the Bank looming and two final spots still up for grabs. By the time the dust settled, Kevin Owens and Tiffany Stratton had their tickets punched, Blake Monroe finally made her official SmackDown in-ring debut, and Randy Orton made sure Cody Rhodes' road to Money in the Bank came to a screeching halt.
And honestly? That's a pretty productive Friday night.
Tiffany Stratton Is Going to Money in the Bank: SmackDown wasted little time getting down to business, opening with Tiffany Stratton, Tatum Paxley and Candice LeRae battling for the final spot in the Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Just an aside real quick here: I don't know about anyone else, but I felt a sense of happiness seeing Tatum's gear. It reminded me a little bit of Daffney's gear, and that made me smile thinking of The Scream Queen...
This was exactly what a television triple threat should be: movement, interruptions and enough urgency to make the opportunity feel important. Paxley continues to look increasingly comfortable on SmackDown, while LeRae remains one of those wrestlers who can quietly make almost any combination work.
But this was Tiffy Time.
After the three women traded offense and near falls, Stratton connected with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever onto both opponents and scored the victory, officially qualifying for Money in the Bank. Later, Stratton found herself face-to-face with fellow qualifier Lash Legend, who made it abundantly clear she intends to bully her way straight to the briefcase.
With ladders involved, that's not exactly an empty threat.
Paige Sends Nikki Bella a Message: There was no shortage of tension outside the ring either. Following Stratton's victory, Chelsea Green was discussing Money in the Bank when Nikki Bella entered the conversation and turned her attention toward Green's championship. Paige wasn't far behind.
Paige reminded Nikki that simply showing up doesn't automatically put her at the front of the championship line, challenged her to another match — giving Nikki two weeks to prepare — and punctuated the exchange with a slap across the face.
Sometimes wrestling storytelling doesn't need fifteen minutes.
Sometimes it just needs a good slap.
Ricky Saints & The War Raiders Pick Up the Win: Rey Fenix joined Fraxiom's Axiom and Nathan Frazer against Ricky Saints and The War Raiders in six-man tag team action. As you'd expect from that collection of wrestlers, once the match found its rhythm there was plenty happening.
The finish was particularly smart. Fenix took Ivar off the top rope but failed to notice Saints had made the blind tag. Saints took advantage, caught Fenix and hit Roshambo to secure the victory for his team.
For Saints, it was an important win. More importantly, the finish protected the chaos of the match while giving him the opportunity to look opportunistic rather than lucky.
There's a difference.
Sami Zayn Has a Respect Problem: WWE Champion Sami Zayn came to the ring looking for something he doesn't believe he's receiving enough of lately: respect. Zayn reminded Denver just how long his journey to the WWE Championship took and pushed back against the idea that whoever wins Money in the Bank can simply take what he fought years to achieve.
Then the sharks started circling...
Je'Von Evans interrupted and promised that if he wins the briefcase, he knows exactly where he's cashing it in. Penta followed with championship intentions of his own before Trick Williams joined the party and, naturally, proclaimed himself the man who looks, talks and smells like Money in the Bank. PENTA! PENTA! PENTA!
This is where Zayn's current character is getting interesting.
There's truth buried underneath his frustration. He did spend years fighting his way to this position. But the harder he demands respect, the more he seems to push everyone else away. That's a fun place for a champion to live because the best wrestling characters usually believe they're right. Things only got worse when Finn Bálor entered the picture and Gunther ultimately attacked both Bálor and Zayn near the ladders. Money in the Bank hasn't even arrived yet and the WWE Championship already feels surrounded.
Blake Monroe Finally Makes Her SmackDown In-Ring Debut: Third time's the charm. After previous attempts to get this match into a SmackDown ring fell apart before the opening bell, Blake Monroe finally made her official SmackDown in-ring debut against Giulia.
And Monroe walked away with the win.
The match featured plenty of physicality between the two women, with Giulia coming dangerously close to putting Monroe away. Late in the match, however, Monroe tripped Giulia on the turnbuckle and Giulia crashed into the post. Giulia was left motionless, Monroe recognized the opening and covered her for the three-count.
It wasn't a dominant victory. If anything, Monroe looked almost surprised she'd gotten it. But here's the thing about wrestling: the record book doesn't come with an asterisk explaining how pretty your win was. Blake Monroe's first official SmackDown match is now also Blake Monroe's first SmackDown victory.
That's a pretty good way to introduce yourself. And honestly? I love this!
Kevin Owens Qualifies — With a Little Help From Randy Orton: Then came the main event. Cody Rhodes. Johnny Gargano. Kevin Owens. One final spot in the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. All three men had something to prove, but the story ultimately became about the man who wasn't officially in the match.
Randy Orton.
Gargano came close after connecting with One Final Beat on Owens, while Cody appeared to be closing in on his own opportunity. But Orton made sure the American Nightmare wasn't leaving Denver with a Money in the Bank invitation. Orton interfered and prevented Rhodes from stopping the deciding fall, allowing Owens to hit Gargano with the Pop-Up Powerbomb and score the three-count.
Kevin Owens is going to Money in the Bank.
Cody Rhodes is going to have questions for Randy Orton.
Lots of them.
The final Men's Money in the Bank field is now Kevin Owens, Bron Breakker, Je'Von Evans, Trick Williams, Penta and CM Punk. That's not a ladder match. That's six completely different kinds of trouble waiting to happen.
Final Thoughts: This week's SmackDown understood the assignment. With Money in the Bank approaching, WWE didn't need to reinvent anything. It needed to make the briefcases feel valuable, move stories forward and leave Saturday's possibilities hanging over its champions.
It did exactly that.
Tiffany Stratton and Kevin Owens completed their respective Money in the Bank fields. Blake Monroe finally got her SmackDown debut — and her first victory. Sami Zayn suddenly has challengers seemingly materializing from every direction. And Randy Orton just made Cody Rhodes' business very, very personal.
Now we climb.
And anyone who has spent time inside a wrestling ring knows something important about ladders:
Getting to the top is one thing.
Staying there is quite another. Ask me how I know...