Unfortunate news for Solo Sikoa ahead of WWE Money in the Bank

There is some unfortunate news for Solo Sikoa heading into WWE Money in the Bank next month. Sikoa qualified for the Men's MITB ladder match next month by picking up a victory on SmackDown this past Friday.

The former NXT North American Champion defeated Jimmy Uso and Rey Fenix in a Triple Threat match to qualify for the ladder match on June 7. Sikoa had a dominant 2024, but that has not been the case for the 32-year-old this year so far.

His victory this past Friday night on the blue brand was only his second win of the year. Sikoa's previous win on SmackDown was on January 3, when The Bloodline defeated Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and Sami Zayn in a six-man tag team match.

Sikoa has been largely unsuccessful on the main roster this year, but could turn that around if he captures the Money in the Bank contract at the premium live event in Las Vegas.

Jeff Cobb, now known as JC Mateo, made his WWE debut at Backlash and helped Jacob Fatu retain the United States Championship. Mateo defeated LA Knight this past Friday night on SmackDown and is aligned with Sikoa and Fatu on the blue brand.

Former WWE writer praises Solo Sikoa

Wrestling legend Vince Russo praised Solo Sikoa following his victory this past Friday night on SmackDown.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's BroDown show, Russo shared his thoughts on Sikoa as a performer. He noted that the SmackDown star has improved over the past few months and complimented his work on promos.

"I gotta tell you, man, Solo is one of those guys that has improved leaps and bounds on the mic. He really, really has. When you go to some of his early promos, he's very, very comfortable on the mic now. I want to put that over." [From 3:45 onwards]

You can check out Russo's comments in the video below:

There has been tension brewing between Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu for the past few months. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis recently suggested that Sikoa was trying to make things difficult for the United States Champion.

It will be fascinating to see what the promotion has in store for the storyline on WWE SmackDown moving forward.

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