B-Fab and Michin are the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions after pulling off a major upset over Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley on WWE SmackDown. The title change came just over two weeks after Bliss and Paxley had won the championships, ending their first reign as a team almost as quickly as it began.
The decisive moment arrived when Jade Cargill intervened without the referee seeing it. With Paxley caught on the ropes and Michin in position to take advantage, Cargill struck Paxley from the outside of the official’s view. Michin then connected with the Styles Clash and scored the winning fall, delivering the championship victory for herself and B-Fab.
For B-Fab and Michin, the result represents a significant breakthrough. They entered the bout as challengers facing a newly crowned but dangerous pairing in Bliss and Paxley. By the end of the match, however, they had the gold in hand after withstanding the champions’ offense and turning a single opening into a title-winning sequence.
A Fast Start From B-Fab
B-Fab opened the championship match with Alexa Bliss and immediately brought urgency to the contest. Rather than easing into the bout against the champions, B-Fab put Bliss under pressure early with a quick burst of offense. That stretch included a sliding clothesline that dropped Bliss and led to an early cover.
For more background on this topic, read Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton Set Last Man Standing Rubber Match for WWE Crown Jewel.
Bliss was able to kick out, preventing the challengers from ending the match before it could fully develop. Still, the opening minutes established that B-Fab and Michin were not intimidated by the champions or the occasion. B-Fab’s willingness to engage Bliss head-on forced the titleholders to regroup and look for a way to slow down the challengers’ momentum.
Bliss did exactly that by taking control and moving B-Fab toward the champions’ corner. There, Tatum Paxley was able to make the tag, giving Bliss and Paxley an opportunity to use their cohesion and isolate one half of the opposing team.
Bliss and Paxley Take Control
Once Paxley entered, the champions began to dictate the pace. Paxley took B-Fab down and created chaos at ringside by sending Michin through the ropes. That allowed Paxley to follow up with a moonsault from the apron onto Michin on the outside, taking the challenger out of position and putting the champions in control.
The action continued to build around the champions’ effort to keep Michin and B-Fab separated. Bliss drove Michin into the mat with a DDT, adding further damage as the challengers fought to recover. Bliss then went to the top rope and delivered a crossbody that took B-Fab out.
The sequence showed why Bliss and Paxley had been able to capture the titles in the first place. Their championship win over Fatal Influence had come only a little more than two weeks earlier, and their SmackDown defense featured stretches in which they appeared capable of retaining. Bliss supplied the experience and precision, while Paxley brought an aggressive edge and high-risk offense that repeatedly placed the challengers under pressure.
Despite that momentum, neither champion was able to put the match away. B-Fab and Michin absorbed the punishment and continued searching for an opening. That persistence ultimately became essential as the match moved into its closing stretch.
Michin Escapes Paxley’s Biggest Attempts
Paxley looked to take the contest into a decisive phase when she landed a kick to the back of Michin’s neck. She then headed to the top rope and attempted a 450 splash. Michin moved in time, forcing Paxley to roll through rather than connect cleanly with the aerial attack.
That miss changed the direction of the match. Paxley had been building toward a potential finish, but Michin’s escape gave the challengers a chance to regain their footing. Paxley then tried for Cemetery Drive, only for Michin to avoid it by holding onto the ropes.
Michin’s awareness around the ropes prevented Paxley from completing the move and left the champion vulnerable. Paxley became hung up on the ropes, creating the opening that would decide the championship match. The referee’s attention was elsewhere at the crucial moment, allowing Cargill to become a factor.
Jade Cargill’s Involvement Changes the Outcome
With Paxley trapped on the ropes, Jade Cargill struck her while the referee did not see the contact. The interference gave Michin the advantage she needed in the final seconds of the bout. Michin followed by hitting Paxley with the Styles Clash, then covered her for the three-count.
The referee did not witness Cargill’s involvement, meaning the pinfall stood and B-Fab and Michin were officially awarded the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. The finish places an immediate cloud over the title change, particularly because Cargill’s shot was the final turning point before Michin’s match-ending maneuver.
Regardless of how the victory was achieved, the record books will show that B-Fab and Michin defeated Bliss and Paxley on SmackDown to become champions. The win also ends a brief reign for Bliss and Paxley, who had only recently defeated Fatal Influence to capture the titles.
What the Title Change Means
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship has changed hands again in short order, and the new champions now carry the responsibility of proving that their win was more than a one-night upset. B-Fab and Michin showed they can endure the pressure of a title match, survive sustained offense, and capitalize when an opportunity appears. Those are valuable traits for any championship team.
At the same time, the circumstances of the finish are impossible to ignore. Bliss and Paxley have a clear reason to be frustrated after Cargill’s interference directly preceded the deciding pinfall. While the official did not catch Cargill’s involvement, Bliss and Paxley know exactly what happened in the closing moments.
That could leave the former champions with an obvious argument for another opportunity. Their reign may have lasted only a little over two weeks, but they were not beaten in a straightforward finish free of outside influence. Paxley had Michin on the defensive for much of the match and came close to landing the 450, while Bliss also delivered several key attacks that kept the challengers on the back foot.
For B-Fab and Michin, the next challenge will be handling the attention that comes with the championships. Their victory has immediately altered the women’s tag team landscape, but it has also tied their first night as champions to Cargill’s involvement. Whether that becomes a continuing issue remains to be seen, but it was unquestionably central to the way this match ended.
A Championship Moment for The Baddies
Michin’s Styles Clash sealed the result for The Baddies, giving B-Fab and Michin a defining moment on SmackDown. They entered the match against champions who had just made a major statement by defeating Fatal Influence. They left with the titles themselves after overcoming Bliss and Paxley’s control of the middle portion of the bout.
The match had several momentum swings: B-Fab’s fast opening attack, the champions’ extended response, Paxley’s missed 450 attempt, Michin’s escape from Cemetery Drive, and finally Cargill’s unseen strike. Each development mattered, but the final combination of Cargill’s intervention and Michin’s Styles Clash proved decisive.
B-Fab and Michin now stand atop WWE’s women’s tag team division. Bliss and Paxley, meanwhile, have been forced to watch their newly won championships slip away after just over two weeks. The title picture has changed dramatically, and the fallout from Cargill’s role in the finish is likely to remain a major point of discussion following SmackDown.
In pictures
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.