6 months ago
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In the opening round of King of the Ring tournament for "WWE SmackDown," fans were treated to three matches: Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin, Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles, and Tama Tonga vs. Angelo Dawkins (replacing the injured Bobby Lashley).
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First up were Hayes and Corbin. Hayes was recently drafted to the blue brand, deciding to shoot his shot against Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on his first night. His loss to Rhodes didn't seem to slow him against Corbin, as he advanced with a roll up in his first King of the Ring match.
Dawkins and Tonga came second. Naturally, The Bloodline got involved, with Solo Sikoa jumping up on the apron but eating a punch from Dawkins. Montez Ford also joined the fray by diving onto the newest WWE star, Tanga Loa, who debuted at Backlash. The Bloodline would ultimately get the win after Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike on Dawkins, allowing Tonga to pick up the win and advance to the next round.
The final men's tournament match was Orton vs. Styles in the main event of Friday's episode. Orton took control early on — he sent Styles crashing into the barricade and caught a Phenomenal Forearm attempt on the outside, planting Styles on the announce table twice. Styles took control by exploiting an Orton knee injury and working "The Viper's" leg throughout the match, but Orton managed to nail Styles with an RKO to advance to the quarter-finals. He'll take on Hayes in Round 2, while Tonga awaits the winner of LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar this weekend.
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