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Sami Zayn has no intention of letting CM Punk and Kevin Owens leave Money in the Bank with a briefcase. Zayn knows his undisputed WWE championship is in jeopardy if either man wins the ladder match. On SmackDown, he set his plans in motion.
Punk and Owens might be their own worst enemies on Saturday night. They have four other superstars standing between them and a golden ticket for a world title. But their issues with each other, as well as undisputed WWE champion Zayn, could be their undoing. Zayn is banking on that.
SmackDown also featured a title match. Fatal Influence were set to defend their WWE tag team championships against Charlotte Flair and Tatum Paxley. After one of the challengers fell out of the match, Alexa Bliss stepped in to save the day.
CBS Sports was with you all night with recaps and highlights of all the action from Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Sami Zayn sets his plan in motion ahead of Money in the Bank
The main selling point for Friday's show was that every man and woman involved in Money in the Bank was in the building. WWE immediately built on that promise in numerous directions, particularly for the men's ladder match.
Bron Breakker and Trick Williams had a verbal altercation at the beginning of the show. SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis responded by booking a rare singles match between the Raw and SmackDown stars for the main event.
In the ring, CM Punk sat perched on a ladder. He waxed poetic about his respect for competitors like Je'Von Evans and Penta. He stopped short of extending that respect to Kevin Owens. That spurred Owens' entrance. The Canadian climbed an adjacent ladder and traded barbs with Punk. Owens said he'd be satisfied simply with Punk losing the ladder match. Punk pointed out that Owens was already conceding defeat.
Cue Sami Zayn. The undisputed WWE champion occupied the third ladder. He bemoaned how disrespected he is as champion, but found comfort in being overlooked. Zayn's intelligence got him the title, and it's why he'll remain champion.
Later in the evening, Zayn lamented Johnny Gargano's failure to win his qualifying match against Kevin Owens. Candice LeRae questioned Zayn on why he couldn't help her and Gargano win. Zayn brushed it off, claiming that Aldis threatened consequences without ever elaborating.
Trick Williams def. Bron Breakker via disqualification after Austin Theory attacked Williams. The match was only beginning to kick into next gear when Theory spoiled it. Logan Paul attacked Lil Yachty before Je'Von Evans and Penta made the save. In the end, Bronson Reed took out everyone as the commentators promoted his match with Oba Femi.
A very disappointing way to end the last show before Money in the Bank. Williams vs. Breakker is a rare match between two superstars with the potential to enter the main event scene. It should've been given more time and care. The post-match brawl was unusual. Punk and Owens, the two biggest names in the ladder match, were nowhere to be seen; yet, you had Paul and Theory involved, who have nothing to do with Saturday's show. Zayn did the more interesting work, planting seeds to prevent Owens and Punk from leaving New Orleans with the briefcase. Grade: C+
What else happened on WWE SmackDown?
- Jacy Jayne, Lash Legend, and Tiffany Stratton def. Lola Vice, Roxanne Perez, and Sol Ruca via pinfall after Legend planted Ruca with a Lash Extension. The six women competing in Saturday's ladder match were split up into teams representing Raw and SmackDown. The blue brand ultimately came out ahead in a match intended to promote Money in the Bank.
- The MFTs (Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga) def. War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) via pinfall after hitting Brother's Keeper on Erik. During the match, Bakusai attempted to distract the WWE tag team champions. They unintentionally did more harm than good, costing Erik and Ivar the match. Post-match, Bakusai and War Raider slugged it out while Haku held back his sons.
- Damian Priest and R-Truth brawled backstage. An angry Priest showed a lot of fire in a backstage promo. He took out Fraxiom, who dared to stand up to him, single-handedly. But Truth blindsided him afterwards.
- Aldis tried to reason with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, trying to book a match between them instead of attacking each other everywhere other than inside the ring. The creative team are working overtime to stretch out a feud that arguably should have concluded at Sunday Night's Main Event.
- Finn Balor rescued Danhausen from Gunther, but "The Ring General" had the last laugh. Balor put a stop to Gunther's brutal beatdown of Danhausen. Gunther failed to get the jump on Balor after retreating the first time. However, he ultimately got the upper hand. WWE has slowly built towards a Gunther vs. Balor match. I'm ready to see it through.
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship -- Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley def. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) (c) via pinfall to win the titles. Originally, Paxley and Charlotte Flair were supposed to challenge Fatal Influence. Bliss subbed in after an attack from Jade Cargill and The Baddies left Flair unable to compete. The defending champions controlled most of the match. However, Bliss and Paxley struck with Sister Abigail and Cemetery Driver, respectively, to win the match. All superstars were banned from ringside, meaning Jayne and Cargill couldn't interfere.
