What’s the story?
After Smackdown LIVE went off the air, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal defended the championship against Randy Orton. Jinder was flanked by the Singh Brothers and managed to hold on to the championship via disqualification.
In case you didn’t know...
The go-home show of Smackdown LIVE emanated from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The show featured the blue brand’s top stars in a tag team match just days ahead of Money in the Bank.
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The Women’s Champion Naomi faced Tamina and Natalya squared off with Charlotte Flair. The show also marked Zack Ryder’s return to the blue brand after a gruelling six months of rehabilitation following a knee injury.
The heart of the matter
Randy Orton was set to face Jinder Mahal on Smackdown LIVE. However, the Viper ambushed Jinder and downed him with an RKO.
In the dark segment, Jinder defended the WWE Championship against his long-time rival Randy Orton. Orton had Jinder cornered but the Singh Brothers made the save and caused a disqualification. Orton won the match by disqualification but the title did not change hands.
In another dark match before Smackdown, Luke Harper defeated Aiden English. The feud between the two men heated up on social media but the rivalry hasn’t been highlighted on WWE TV yet.
What’s next?
Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton will square off against one another at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The onus will be on Randy in front of his hometown crowd in what has been built up as a historic pay-per-view.
Author's take
It will be interesting to see if Randy falls victim to the hometown curse that seems to have plagued a lot of Superstars in the past.
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