Miz, John Morrison Retain WWE SmackDown Tag Team Titles at Elimination Chamber

The Miz and John Morrison defeated The Usos, New Day, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, Heavy Machinery and Lucha House Party at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on Sunday to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

The Usos and the tag champions were the last two teams standing in the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz and Morrison combined for the pinfall, with The A-Lister getting extra leverage by getting his feet on the ropes.

The match wasn't lacking in jaw-dropping moments.

Miz and Morrison used some dirty tactics in the form of a steel chair to beat Kofi Kingston and Big E for the title at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia, which led to a major announcement regarding Elimination Chamber on the ensuing SmackDown:

It was revealed that the titleholders' first defense would be against five other teams in the ominous structure, and it was clear the news rattled them since they lost a non-title match to The Usos shortly after.

Morrison returned to WWE in January after nearly nine years away and immediately aligned himself with Miz, who is a real-life friend and was previously his tag team partner early in their careers.

They enjoyed instant success against Kofi Kingston and Big E, and they won the title at Super ShowDown, marking the first time they held tag gold together in more than a decade.

While Miz and Morrison ascended back to the top of the tag division quickly, they had a massive challenge on their hands Sunday against several talented teams, including arguably two of the best in the world in The Usos and New Day.

The odds were very much stacked against the titleholders, but with so many bodies flying around and so much talent in one match, it felt like almost anything could happen.

Another subplot that had intrigued the WWE Universe was the love rivalry between Otis and Ziggler, who met for the first time in the ring since The Showoff stepped into the Heavy Machinery man's place as Mandy Rose's date on Valentine's Day.

Otis saw his chance at revenge on Ziggler when he charged at him inside a pod, but he burst through its back wall and crashed to the floor. After Tucker was defeated by Roode and The Showoff, they taunted the injured Otis as he exited the arena.

Ultimately, though, WWE made the sound decision to give Miz and Morrison a huge win in their first title defense, which should give them a ton of credibility heading toward WrestleMania 36 on April 5.

While most fans likely wanted to see The Usos or New Day win, the fact that Miz and Morrison retained adds more intrigue ahead of The Show of Shows.

It seems entirely possible that a Triple Threat tag team match between Miz and Morrison, The Usos and New Day will be booked for The Grandest Stage of Them All, and if that is the case, fans will have plenty of incentive to pull for the babyface teams.

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