SmackDown LIVE General Manager Paige kicked things off on the blue brand and quickly looked back to the events of WWE Backlash, then began to look forward to the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank event and its two Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. Tonight, several bouts would feature male and female Superstars attempting to qualify for the clashes, including the match that was about to begin — United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz.
Miz and Hardy both came out firing, with The Charismatic Enigma looking to build off his win this past Sunday against Randy Orton, and The A-Lister was attempting to bounce back after his nail-biting defeat to Seth Rollins in the Intercontinental Title Match at WWE Backlash. In the pivotal moments, Miz was in dire straits when Hardy hit the Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb. However, incredibly, Miz used Hardy’s momentum against him, countering the pin attempt into one of his own to get a surprising three-count for the win, becoming SmackDown LIVE’s first entry into the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Credit: WWE.com
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WWE Photos > Weekly & Pay-Per-View Digitals > 2018 > Smackdown > May 8th – Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
Screen Captures > WWE Programs > Smackdown > 2018 > May 8th – Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas officially cast The Miz aside last night, meaning the former Miztourage are finally their own leading men. Unfortunately, they still have a few things to work out. Despite their confidence, they were relatively easy pickings for “Woken” Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt, competing for the first time as Raw Tag Team Champions.
The titleholders were brimming with confidence from the jump — Wyatt turned his back on Axel to give the former Intercontinental Champion a free swing — and it turned out their faith in themselves was more than justified. Wyatt stopped an early run cold, and after dispatching a meddling Bo Dallas, he tagged in The Woken One to drop Axel with a double Sister Abigail. Wonderful.
Credit: WWE.com
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WWE Photos > Weekly & Pay-Per-View Digitals > 2018 > RAW > May 7th – Tag Match
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NEWARK, N.J. — The Jeff Hardy comeback tour rolls on, as The Charismatic Enigma dispatched Randy Orton to retain his United States Title at WWE Backlash, capping a rivalry that has been tenser than anticipated, even though Hardy and Orton have only been on each other’s radars for a short period of time.
Jeff Hardy drops Randy Orton with a vicious flying kick: WWE Backlash 2018 (WWE Network Exclusive)
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United States Champion Jeff Hardy stops The Viper in his tracks with a brutal kick: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Ever since Hardy supplanted Jinder Mahal as U.S. Champion, Orton — who had already invoked his rematch clause after losing the title to Mahal at WrestleMania — has been seemingly overlooked by The Charismatic Enigma. Having reminded Hardy of his skills with an RKO after a tag team match on SmackDown LIVE, The Viper opened the WWE Backlash contest with another display of ruthless efficiency, targeting the champion’s lumbar with a trifecta of backdrops onto the barricade. The veteran Orton was clearly hoping to slow Hardy down and turn the match into the kind of drawn-out beatdown that typically precedes the RKO.
Hardy vs. Orton
Jeff Hardy puts the star-spangled championship on the line in a melee against WWE’s Apex Predator.
Even when Hardy fought to quicken the pace, the threat of the RKO loomed large. The Charismatic Enigma had to stop cold to avoid the maneuver at one point, allowing The Apex Predator to reclaim the advantage, though the champion was more familiar with Orton’s playbook than he let on. Hardy took a page out of his challenger’s repertoire, surprising Orton with a Twist of Fate and following up with an immediate Swanton Bomb to retain his title.
Even for Randy Orton, it seems, defeat can come from out of nowhere.
Credit: WWE.com
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WWE Photos > Weekly & Pay-Per-View Digitals > 2018 > Pay-Per-Views > Backlash – May 6th, 2018
Screen Captures > WWE & TNA Pay-Per-Views > WWE Pay-Per-Views > 2018 > Backlash – May 6th, 2018
WWE.com has some photos of Matt and Jeff backstage at The Greatest Royal Rumble. I’ve added them to our gallery.
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WWE Photos > WWE.com Exclusives/Features > The Greatest Royal Rumble 2018
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WWE.com Exclusives/Features > Miscellaneous Exclusives > Matt Hardy Before He Came to WWE
