The SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contender’s Tournament began on the January 20 episode of WWE SmackDown, and the semifinals will be held the following week.
Several of SmackDown’s top teams will compete in a tournament where the winner would earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The titles are currently held by The Usos.
Friday’s show featured the four first-round matches. First, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus faced the Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar), who previously attacked the two former world champions. The two teams battled it out in a hard-fought match. McIntyre and Sheamus showed impressive chemistry, while the Viking Raiders demonstrated the teamwork that previously led them to the RAW Tag Team Championship. A distraction from Valhalla helped the Viking Raiders take control, but McIntyre rallied with a Claymore out of nowhere, and Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick for the win.
CLAYMORE.
BROGUE KICK.
VICTORY.@DMcIntyreWWE @WWESheamus #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/g2Xkz1eFjw— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 21, 2023
Later in the show, Hit Row (Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis) faced Los Lotharios (Angel & Humberto) in another second-round match. A distraction from B-Fab helped the Hit Row duo clinch the win in a fairly short bout. They will face McIntyre and Sheamus in the semi-finals next week.
On the other side of the bracket, The Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) battled Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) in another tournament match. The two rivals threw everything they had at each other, but the former NXT Tag Team Champions won the bout.
#Imperium advance!@VinciWWE @wwe_kaiser #TagTeamTournament #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/zovcmntyoG
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) January 21, 2023
In the final first-round match, Legado Del Fantasma (Cruz Del Toro & Joaquin Wilde) defeated the Maximum Male Models (ma.çé & mån.sôör). They will face Imperium in the next round.
As previously announced, Karrion Kross will face Rey Mysterio in a singles match on Friday night.
RELATED: WWE SmackDown Results (1/20/23)
