Replacement Team Advances Past Hit Row In WWE SmackDown Tag Team Tournament

By Sai Mohan
Top Dolla During His Entrance On WWE SmackDown WWE

The teams of Braun Strowman & Ricochet and Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) qualified to the finals of the ongoing "SmackDown" Tag Title Contender's Tournament on the 1/27 "WWE SmackDown" in Laredo, Texas.

While Strowman & Ricochet defeated Ashante Adonis & Top Dolla of Hit Row to advance in the tourney, Imperium prevailed over Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde of Legado Del Fantasma in the other semifinal bout.

Strowman & Ricochet were initially not a part of the tourney, and took the spot of Drew McIntyre & Sheamus, who were ambushed by The Viking Raiders ahead of their match against Hit Row. As a result, The Banger Bros. willingly forfeited their spot in the semifinals, allowing Strowman & Ricochet to swoop in and make the most of their opportunity. 

Strowman & Ricochet vs. Imperium in the finals of the tourney is confirmed for next week's "SmackDown," with the winners earning a future shot at The Usos for the blue brand's tag team gold. Also confirmed for the Royal Rumble fallout show is "SmackDown" Women's Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Sonya Deville in a title match.

According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H has plans to split up The Usos' Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, something that could take place when Jimmy & Jey Uso defend their "SmackDown" Tag Team Titles against the winners of the next week's tournament final. The Bloodline stars had unified the "SmackDown" and "Raw" tag team titles with a victory over RK-Bro in May 2022. Earlier this week on the "Raw is XXX" special episode, The Usos successfully retained their "Raw" Tag Team Championship against Judgment Day's Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio.

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