Tag: backlash - Page 6

Heath Slater is one win away from joining the SmackDown roster.

In the semifinals of a tournament to crown the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Slater and Rhyno defeated The Hype Bros to earn their way into the tournament finals on Sunday at Backlash. Rhyno picked up the win for the makeshift team after hitting the Gore on Zack Ryder.

Despite being a free agent in storyline, Slater was allowed to enter the tournament if he could find a partner. But he would only officially join the SmackDown roster if he won the entire tournament.

Slater and Rhyno are scheduled to face American Alpha for the titles at Backlash. American Alpha quickly defeated The Usos on SmackDown to earn their way to the finals, but The Usos turned heel and attacked Chad Gable and Jason Jordan after the match. And after Gable suffered a storyline leg injury during the attack, his status for the match is in doubt.

Renee Young later gave an injury update on Gable, saying he was questionable to compete in the title match on Sunday. Young teased that Shane McMahon would possibly provide further update on Gable’s condition when he joins her and Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack later.

UPDATE: It was revealed on Talking Smack that American Alpha will not compete in the match on Sunday, and Gable will be out 2-4 weeks after suffering a kayfabe MCL injury. McMahon and Bryan announced that The Usos will face The Hype Bros at Backlash, with the winning team going on to face Slater and Rhyno for the titles later in the night.

The current card for Backlash is:

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose defends against AJ Styles
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella vs. Carmella vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss in a six-pack challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Usos or The Hype Bros in the finals of a tournament to crown SmackDown Tag Team Champions
Intercontinental Champion The Miz defends against Dolph Ziggler
The Usos vs. The Hype Bros for a spot in the finals of the SmackDown tag tournament

The death of Rick Rude on 4/20 becomes the latest addition to a strange and macabre body count that is very close to becoming synonymous with the pro wrestling industry.

Rude passed away that evening of a heart attack after being rushed to the North Fulton Medical Center near his home in Alpharetta, GA, an Atlanta suburb, at the age of 40. Rude, who was working with WCW as an announcer for the Backstage Blast PPV airings of Nitro on DirecTV once per month after being removed from his role as childhood friend Curt Hennig’s on-camera manager, had been training for an in-ring comeback after his career presumably had ended after suffering a broken back in a May 1, 1994 match against Sting at the Fukuoka Dome.

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