The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament kicked off this week on Raw and SmackDown, with a pair of exciting first-round bouts. Raw newcomers Dakota Kai & IYO SKY cruised to victory over Dana Brooke & Tamina — with Bayley proudly cheering them on from ringside. In the Semi-Finals, Kai & SKY followed up by defeating the unlikely pairing of Alexa Bliss & Asuka, who they’re currently slated to face in a 6-Woman Tag Team Match at Clash at the Castle on Sept. 3, thanks to a sly tag and roll-up by SKY.
On the SmackDown side of the bracket, Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah prevailed over Xia Li & Shotzi when Rodriguez folded Xia Li in half with a Tejana Bomb. Rodriguez is loving this opportunity to team with Aliyah.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better tag team partner,” Rodriguez said on the SmackDown LowDown after their first-round win. “Aliyah is just a ray of sunshine, and she just brings the very best out of me when we’re out there. And I’m just looking forward to whoever our next opponents are gonna be. I feel like we’re full of confidence right now, and I’m all for it.”
NXT 2.0 up-and-comers Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, who upset Natalya & Sonya Deville in the first round, were slated to face “Boujee and the Beast” in the Semi-Finals, but an injury to Dolin forced them out of the tournament. This Friday on SmackDown, a “Second Chance” Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match featuring the losers of the First Round matches will determine who will take Toxic Attraction's place in the Semi-Finals.
The full bracket, with the winners bolded:
Dana Brooke & Tamina vs. Dakota Kai & IYO SKY
Alexa Bliss & Asuka vs. Nikki A.S.H. & Doudrop
Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah vs. Xia Li & Shotzi
Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin) vs. Natalya & Sonya Deville
Semi-Finals:
Dakota Kai & IYO SKY vs. Alexa Bliss & Asuka
Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah vs. Winner of "Second Chance" Fatal 4-Way