WWE SmackDown Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From October 2

Money in the Bank is coming up fast next weekend, so WWE is looking to make sure the card is properly hyped between now and the PLE on October 10.

Friday's show saw two more MITB qualifying matches take place. The women's bout featured Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton and Candice LeRae, while the men's match had Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano and Cody Rhodes fighting for their spot.

After months of videos and false starts, Friday was also set to be the night that Blake Monroe finally made her in-ring debut on the main roster against Giulia.

Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's SmackDown.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Tatum Paxley vs. Candice LeRae

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Last time in action: LeRae lost to Jacy Jayne (Main Event, June 19), Stratton lost a six-woman tag to Fatal Influence (SD, Sept. 25), Paxley lost a six-woman tag to The Baddies (SNME, Sept. 6)

The show did not waste time with talking segments and got right into the action with LeRae, Stratton and Paxley fighting for one of the final MITB spots.

These are three very different characters, but they all share a lot of similar attributes in the ring. They are all capable of some high-flying, and they all favor a quicker pace.

This match isn't going to be a show-stealer for most people, and it had a few too many moments that didn't quite look right, but it definitely had some highlights along the way.

Paxley is a breath of fresh air on SmackDown, and having LeRae competing again is going to add even more depth to the division. She was wasted sitting on the sidelines for far too long, so getting to see her show off a little was nice.

Stratton felt like the most obvious booking choice in this match heading into Friday, so booking either opponent to win was WWE's chance to do something less predictable. Unfortunately, they went with the predictable outcome.

Tiffy winning is not a bad thing. She will be great in the MITB match. It just would have been nice to see a new face like Tatum or someone like Candice, who has deserved a spotlight for a long time, get that spot.

Result: Stratton defeated LeRae and Paxley

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Candice needs new music. The song she came out to does not fit her.
• Stratton's cartwheel into an Alabama slam move is not consistent enough. She hits it right about half the time, and it looks great, but every other time looks awkward.
• Paxley is a very entertaining personality, but she still has a few things she needs to polish in the ring, like some of her strikes. Once she gets those things squared away, she could easily be someone WWE pushes toward a world title at some point.
• Paxley using an armdrag and a dropkick at the same time was a cool spot.

Rey Fenix and Fraxiom vs. Ricky Saints and War Raiders

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Last time in action: Fraxiom beat DarkState (NXT, Sept. 29), Saints lost to Fenix (SD, Sept. 11), War Raiders lost to The Wagner Brothers (AAA TripleMania)

Rey Fenix and Ricky Saints have a pre-existing feud heading into this match, so they were the main story, but Fraxiom and The War Raiders being involved helped with WWE's current goal to rebuild the tag team division a bit.

Nathan Frazer and Erik started for their teams. The huge size disparity gave the powerhouse an early advantage, and he used it to corner Frazer so he and Ivar could double-team him.

Once the other high-flyers were able to get involved, they started to build momentum, but one rough spot brought it all to a halt. Fenix tried to hit a dive, but he ended up messing up the move, so they had to improvise as the show went on break.

He seemed to be fine when the show returned, so thankfully Fenix did not appear to be injured from the botch. They did a good job trying to get the crowd into the match after the pace had slowed down.

This ended up having a pretty competitive second half. All six guys had their moments, but when it came to an end, it was Saints who pinned Fenix, which may earn him another shot at the AAA cruiserweight title in the future.

Result: Saints and War Raiders defeated Fraxiom and Fenix

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Chelsea Green gave an interview backstage and said she hopes Tiffy wins MITB again. Nikki Bella showed up and insulted the champion until Paige walked up and challenged her to a match in two weeks.
• The botch with Fenix was filmed at such a weird angle that it was hard to tell exactly where it went wrong.