American Alpha Pulled From WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Tournament
Usos and Hype Bros to face off at Backlash; winners to battle Rhyno and Heath Slater.
On Wednesday's Smackdown, American Alpha defeated The Usos to advance to the finals of the Smackdown Tag Team Championship tournament at Backlash. After the match, though, The Usos turned heel on the former NXT Tag Team Champions, (kayfabe) injuring Chad Gable and forcing him and Jason Jordan out of the PPV match.
With American Alpha off the show, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were forced to improvise. On Talking Smack, the pair announced that both of the unsuccessful tournament semifinalists - The Usos and The Hype Bros - would face off at Backlash in a match added to the card. The winning tandem would then get to take on Rhyno and Heath Slater for the right to become the inaugural champions later in the show.
The Smackdown Tag Team Championships were unveiled two weeks ago, with an eight-team tournament set up for the belts. Eliminated in the first round were The Ascension, Breezango, The Vaudevillains, and The Headbangers. Rhyno and Slater were a late addition to the tournament, with McMahon promising "The One Man Band" a Smackdown contract if he and a partner of his choosing could win the titles.
Backlash airs on the WWE Network on Sunday at 8:00 PM ET.