Last week, The Inquisitr reported that The Miz had been sent home from the WWE Performance Center after showing up at the facility displaying signs of ill health. The superstar being withdrawn from the event also meant that his SmackDown Tag Team Championship match couldn’t go ahead as planned. However, the championships will still be defended at the show, albeit in a rather unique way.
As documented by Sportskeeda , The Miz’s tag team partner, John Morrison, will defend the titles against Jimmy Uso and Kofi Kingston in a Triple Threat Ladder match. Each participant will be representing their respective tag team, with the winner taking the prizes home for him and his partner.
A report from WWE.com also explained the storyline reason for The Miz’s absence. According to the report, he was injured during the brawl between all three teams on last night’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown , which was pre-recorded in the lead up to the event. This is a historic match for the company, though, as the Tag Team Championships have never been defended at the Showcase of the Immortals by a single representative from each team.
However, this also means that Big E and Jey Uso no longer have an official match on the card. Of course, the non-disqualification rules of the match means that outside interference is allowed, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see both superstars appear to assist their teammates.
After last night’s #SmackDown melee, @mikethemiz is now unable to compete at #WrestleMania .
The #TagTeamTitle #TripleThreat #LadderMatch is now @TheRealMorrison vs. @TrueKofi vs. Jimmy @WWEUsos ! pic.twitter.com/UbynxvNn4G
— WWE’s The Bump (@WWETheBump) April 4, 2020
This match should be entertaining, at least. All three superstars are notable high flyers with plenty of experience in Ladder matches, so fans can expect to see plenty of big spots and risky maneuvers during the action. It’s perhaps not the fans that the WWE Universe wanted to see, but the company is currently in an unusual predicament and working with what’s available.
It also remains to be seen if The Miz is being punished for showing up to the Performance Center with an illness. There have been reports of backstage heat on the superstar, and it is believed that he’s the reason for other superstars pulling out of the event.
The match is merely the latest change to the event, however, as several other bouts have either been canceled or altered as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. The most significant change is, arguably, to the planned Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Bill Goldberg, which will now see Braun Strowman wrestling for the title in place of “The Big Dog.”
