Sometimes, even WWE’s general managers need to improvise.
Originally, Tuesday night’s Smackdown main event was planned to be Big Cass vs. Samoa Joe. However, after Cass suffered a severe beating from Daniel Bryan last week, he was deemed unable to compete and Joe was left without an opponent.
So Smackdown General Manager Paige created a plan B: Pitting beloved superstar Daniel Bryan against United States Champion Jeff Hardy for a chance to be Joe’s new opponent next week.
Surprisingly, even though Hardy and Bryan are both veterans of the ring, this was their first bout against each other. This would also be Bryan’s second opportunity to qualify for Money in the Bank, after losing his previous qualifying shot to Rusev in a surprise upset.
Hardy and Bryan put on an exhilarating show for the Massachusetts crowd. Bryan managed to survive a Twist of Fate from Hardy, countering his follow-up Swanton Bomb with a knee to Hardy’s back.
After a hard-fought battle, Bryan got the pin and came one step closer to getting into the iconic Money in the Bank Ladder Match. However, he has one enormous obstacle in front of him: Samoa Joe, who made it clear to Bryan after his win that he wasn’t going to go easy on him.
Can Bryan survive the Coquina Clutch, or will his match against Joe end the same way as his match against Rusev? Time will tell.
