It’s time for the SmackDown WWE Championship match, and it seems it will still be a Triple Threat Match! However, the third member won’t be Kofi Kingston…
The fans are booing Ali because they wanted Kofi – that’s literally twice WWE has put a babyface in Kofi’s spot, somehow thinking fans would cheer for them. They chant “We Want Kofi!”
WWE Championship
Triple Threat Match
(C) Daniel Bryan W/Erick Rowan Vs. Kevin Owens Vs. Mustafa Ali
The bell rings and Bryan call both challengers idiots, saying they don’t deserve to be in this match and he is the planet’s Champion. Owens and Ali then beat Bryan down and toss him from the ring.
The two challengers then lock-up and trade holds and reversals until Owens floors Ali with a back elbow. Bryan returns with chops to Owens while the fans are still chanting for Kofi. Owens knocks Bryan from the ring and goes back to chopping Ali in the corner. Mustafa uses some impressive athletics to dodge Owens, then connects with a dropkick.
Bryan comes back and takes the fight to Ali, who quickly throws him back out. Owens whips Ali into the ropes, who dodges a clothesline and connects with a suicide dive to Bryan. KO gets onto the apron and hits a cannonball to Ali, then one to Bryan. The fans are completely apathetic to this match.
Back in the ring, Bryan drops Owens with a kitchen sink. Ali climbs onto the top rope and Bryan hits him with a big running dropkick and Ali took a crazy bump, almost flying into the crowd! Still the fans don’t care, they’re beginning to ruin a really good match. Bryan kicks Owens in the corners, before grounding him with some joint manipulation.
Bryan unloads the Yes Kicks to Owens but Ali breaks up the pin attempt. Bryan punishes him with a back suplex. Bryan then connects with Yes Kicks to Ali, but the cruiserweight ducks the final one and hits a rolling X-Factor. Ali got turned inside out by a clothesline from Bryan, while the announcers talk about how the fans would normally love Ali, but tonight is different. Owens hits cannonballs to both men in the corners, the superkicks Bryan. Ali jumps on Owens’ back, so Owens runs and hits a senton to Bryan with Ali still attached!
All men are down but KO is back on his feet first. He unloads a chop to the chest of Bryan and sets him on the top rope. Ali pulls Owens down and hits Bryan with a Spanish fly from the top rope! Bryan rolls from the ring, so Ali scales the ropes beside Owens. He looks for the 054 but Owens rolls out of the way. Owens hits Ali with The Stunner but Bryan breaks it up. Owens then looks for The Stunner on Bryan but gets shoved away and the Champion floors him with a kick to the head. Bryan looks for the running knee but Owens reverses it into the pop-up powerbomb…but Bryan kicks out!
KO takes Bryan onto the apron and wants a powerbomb but Bryan flips him over and he crashes and burns. Bryan then looks for the running knee to Ali but he connects with the ring post instead. Ali climbs the ropes and connects with a 450 to Bryan on the apron! Ali has to crawl across the ring to make the pin but even then, Rowan pulls Bryan from the ring. Rowan then climbs on the apron but gets superkicked by both Owens and Ali until he falls. Ali leaps over the ropes with a hurricanrana to Rowan. Owens then hits a flip over the ropes and onto Rowan. While Owens is pumped up, Bryan comes off the apron with a flying knee!
Bryan gets Owens back inside and climbs the ropes but Ali grabs holds of him. Bryan shoves Ali backwards and he does a flip to the floor and lands on his feet. Bryan then misses a running knee and Ali runs back up the ropes for a tornado DDT to Bryan on the floor! Ali runs and Owens hits him with a pop-up powerbomb onto the ring apron. Owens sends Ali back into the ring but Rowan grabbed his leg and threw him into the timekeepers area. Meanwhile Bryan pins Ali…but Mustafa kicks out!
Bryan slowly gets to his feet, seemingly talking to Erick Rowan. Bryan lifts Ali and slaps him. Ali slaps him back and Bryan stumbles. Ali jumps for a springboard and Bryan caught him with the running knee in mid-air and that’s that!
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Wow! That was a great match and the fans barely cared. Yes you want Kofi but we all know it’s coming, so appreciate a great match while it’s happening.
After the match Rowan grabbed Ali and hit him with a chokeslam before he and Bryan posed and left.
