It was SmackDown LIVE General Manager, Paige, who kicked off the show with an announcement that Backlash, the first co-branded Pay-Per-View (PPV), a great success. Paige hypes up the forthcoming World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) PPV – Money In The Bank – which will take place in July. The former WWE Diva talked about how AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura was a classic match until both the wrestlers resorted to low-blows. The latest episode of SmackDown LIVE took place at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, in the United States.

The first match of the night saw United States Champion Jeff Hardy clash with The Miz in a MITB qualifying match. The physically gruelling bout sees Hardy being defeated after his failed attempt to pin Miz down for a three-count, after hitting his finishing move ‘Swanton Bomb’!

Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, both, are not cleared to fight in the night, after their wearying match at WWE Backlash 2018. Talking to Renee Young, Nakamura said, “AJ (Styles) is nuts, but so I am. We are not finished yet.”

In the women’s division, it was Peyton Royce locking horns with former SmackDown LIVE Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. The match began after both the wrestlers run each other down with verbal volleys. In the end, it was Charlotte who applies the ‘Figure Four’ lock and improvises it into ‘Figure Eight’ for the win, and eventually qualifies for the Money In The Bank Ladder match.

Full List of Matches at SmackDown LIVE Episode on May 9, 2018:

Sr. No# Particulars Stipulation Results
1. WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz MITB* Qualifying Match The Miz
2. Charlotte Flair vs. Peyton Royce MITB Qualifying Match Charlotte Flair
3. Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro Singles Match Cesaro
4. Becky Lynch vs. Mandy Rose Singles Match Mandy Rose
5. Daniel Bryan vs. Rusev MITB Qualifying Match Daniel Bryan

*MITB – Money In The Bank

The last match of the night saw Daniel Bryan compete with the Bulgarian Brute – Rusev – in the main event. Both Bryan and Rusev trade holds and tries to overpower each other. The WWE fans get in the match as they shout duelling chants for them. Just when it seemed that Bryan would steal a win tonight, Aiden English interferes in the match; the interference gives enough window to Rusev to hit Bryan with his finishing move – Macha Kick – for a win!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 09, 2018 05:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).