On Friday’s SmackDown, WWE got the Intercontinental Championship Tournament under way and the field was deep. Otis began the show and got on the nerves of The Miz who challenged him to a tag team match, the hacker sent another message to the blue brand and Braun Strowman realized that, maybe, he can't trust even the kindest of WWE Superstars.
Here are your winners and losers for SmackDown May 15, 2020:
Loser: Tucker
Otis came out for an episode of Miz TV and the hosts helped him relive his past and revisit how he got to this point in his WWE career. His regular lovable self was a bit too much for The Miz who was disgusted that Otis was the Money in the Bank case holder, teasing him about using the briefcase as a lunchbox. He told Otis to get a partner and while Otis was happy to accept, wasn't sure who his partner would be as Tucker couldn’t be there. It led to the idea that a surprise partner would appear later in the evening and Otis spent much of the evening searching backstage for literally anyone who would say yes.
While the idea of a surprise partner is always fun, this isn’t a good sign for Otis’ regular partner Tucker who was already in the rumor mill as on the outs as Otis starts up his singles career. Hopefully — at least as far as Tucker is concerned — this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Winner: The Intercontinental Title Tournament
The Elias vs King Corbin match-up that started the tournament was the first match of many that represents a completely loaded pool of talent. Chalked full of Intercontinental rivalries that make this tournament immediately interesting, every first round contest had meaning and a history behind it. Elias and Corbin have heat and Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan are being pitted against each other despite their coaching-to-student relationship.
That AJ Styles was added to the tourney adds and interesting wrinkle as he’s a Raw star that has never won the Intercontinental Title. He’s either a favorite to win or he’s going to be haunted by The Undertaker and it will cost him the chance to win a belt he’s yet to hold.
Elias picked up the first win of the evening and Bryan picked up the second tournament victory of the night.
Loser: Naomi
Either Dana Brooke has Naomi’s number or WWE has decided to no longer feel The Glow. Naomi loses again in a match that wasn’t particularly interesting or good. A quick loss pushes Brooke forward but leaves Naomi in limbo.
Perhaps the fact that the Usos are not being used regularly means Naomi is going to find herself putting over a number of stars, but that's just speculation at this point.
Winner: Three Horeswomen
Without Becky Lynch, the blue brand gave fans three-fourths of the Horsewomen. Charlotte was invited as part of the brand-to-brand invitational and she was quickly interrupted by former NXT stars and WWE adversaries Bayley and Sasha Banks. A match for next week was made — champion-vs-champion — but the stage was set for Banks to play a big role.
It was nice to see all three of these women share the ring again. The only downside to this segment was there wasn’t a single mention of NXT, the brand Charlotte represents.
Winner: Drew Gulak vs. Daniel Bryan
This match wasn’t bound to be every fan’s cup of tea, but it certainly was a master class of mat-based wrestling and a human chess game that showcased two of WWE’s best technicians.
In this round, the student got the better of the teacher as Bryan picks up a big win. During an interview after the match Bryan talked about having to relinquish the title when he last held it. He wants to win it and defend it every week, making it “the” title on SmackDown.
That quick promo made the IC belt feel important.
Winner: Otis and Braun Strowman
The second it was confirmed, it seemed obvious Braun Strowman and Otis would pick up a main-event win. This doesn’t hurt Miz and Morrison to lose here because The Money in the Bank case-holder and the Universal Champion are the two biggest babyfaces on the brand.
Strowman and Otis got their respective spots in and it was quick powerslam by Strowman that helped the duo pick up the win. Mandy then came out to help celebrate which teased Otis going for a sneaky contract cash-in.
The tease was the best part of the final segment of the night as it opens the door to Otis not being all he seems and not the simple-minded teddy bear he tends to portray in his typical segments.