John Morrison, Miz Retain Tag Team Titles at WWE WrestleMania 36

John Morrison beat Jimmy Uso and Kofi Kingston in a Triple Threat ladder match on Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 on Saturday to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships for his team.

All three men had a hand on the gold clip holding the title belts at the close of the match. Following a triple headbutt, Morrison fell off the ladder but had possession of the championships, making him the victor.

After The Miz and Morrison beat New Day for the SmackDown tag team titles at Super ShowDown in February, it set the wheels in motion for a challenger or challengers to be determined for WrestleMania.

First, The Miz and Morrison were forced to make their first title defense in an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view against The Usos, New Day, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, Heavy Machinery and Lucha House Party.

The duo of Miz and Morrison, along with The Usos and New Day were the final three teams remaining in the match. After The Usos eliminated New Day, the titleholders defeated Jimmy and Jey to escape Elimination Chamber with their reign intact.

On the March 27 edition of SmackDown, The Usos and New Day faced off in a No. 1 contender's match to determine who would face Miz and Morrison at WrestleMania. When the titleholders interfered, however, they were ordered to defend the championships against both teams in a ladder match.

After the match had already been announced, a report surfaced that The Miz was sick and therefore not permitted to compete at WrestleMania.

He was indeed left off the card, which prompted WWE to make it a Triple Threat singles affair, with Morrison attempting to defend the titles on his team's behalf.

Ladder matches are nothing new at WrestleMania, but they are usually bolstered by the crowd reaction when a Superstar is going for the titles. That wasn't possible this year, but those involved still managed to put on an entertaining match that added to the prestige of the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

By virtue of the victory, Morrison and Miz have now successfully defended the titles twice, and they remain atop the mountain in the blue brand's tag division.

The Usos and New Day are two of the best and most accomplished tag teams of all time, so it is no small feat that Miz and Morrison are still the champs coming out of WrestleMania.

Given the landscape of the SmackDown tag team division, though, it stands to reason that The Usos and New Day won't stray far from the title scene.

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