WWE SmackDown Results, Highlights, and Grades May 8, 2018

The Miz vs. Jeff Hardy

Result: The Miz defeats Jeff Hardy by Roll-Up

Grade: A+

Paige came out and called Backlash a “smashing success”, and most of the crowd cheered. That was quite the surprise, since, uh, Backlash was anything but a success.

Anyway, she hypes up Money in the Bank and announces that the first qualifying match will take place to kick off the show.

Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz is up, and it’s a match between two wrestlers we love seeing in ladder matches. I mean, that is Hardy’s forte, and maybe nobody in the history of WWE is better with this stipulation. Meanwhile, The Miz is a former Money in the Bank winner, with most fans hoping that he secures the briefcase again this year.

Man, this match was SO good that I’ll forgive Tom Phillips for bringing up that Hardy once lost the title via cash-in…without mentioning who cashed in on him. Nice shade, Mr. McMahon.

The Miz absolutely tore the house down with Seth Rollins at Backlash, doing his best to salvage a show that was destined to fail. Tonight on SmackDown Live, he was still at his best, and it’s honestly remarkable how good Miz has become in the ring. Like, even though the fanbase has turned around on the guy, I still don’t think people praise how crisp of a worker he is. Every move means something, and he does ALL the little things.

For example, he dropped Jeff on top off the barricade, and while Jeff was sitting there, he started jawing to some kids nearby. Miz tried to show the kids that he’s the boss of their hero, taking two huge swings at Hardy. He missed each time, and Hardy was able to get out of the vulnerable position on top of the barricade.

The finish of this match was brilliant. Jeff Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb, but he took just a little too long to climb up to the top rope due to midsection damage. That gave The Miz enough time to kick out and resourcefully pin Hardy.

Watch this. It earned the “This is awesome!” chant the crowd gave it.