Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley are now the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They beat Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid on the October 9 episode of SmackDown, and this title change happened on the Money in the Bank go-home show in Lafayette, Louisiana. But Paxley was supposed to compete with Charlotte Flair originally. Jade Cargill and her associates attacked Flair backstage, so WWE needed to change the match lineup. Bliss came as Flair’s replacement, and Paxley got the deciding pinfall which ended the title reign of Fatal Influence.
Charlotte Flair’s Injury Forced WWE To Change The Championship Match
Before all this chaos happened, Charlotte Flair was supposed to fight with Paxley. The opponents infront of them were Henley and Reid. But the backstage attack gave WWE a very big problem, even before the championship bout could start.
SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis talked with Flair about the situation and told her that Cargill and her group were removed from the building. Flair still wanted Paxley to get her title opportunity, even after getting attacked, so she insisted Bliss takes her place. Aldis approved the replacement, but he added one more condition: nobody allowed at ringside. This rule was there for stopping any outside interference in the title match. Quite a smart move, if you really look at it. A single instruction from the office restored order to the arena. In tag wrestling, a partner is judged by who steps forward when the other one cannot.
Bliss and Paxley then went in against the reigning champions, and Fatal Influence controlled some parts of the action. This last-minute pairing had to face a team already holding the gold, and in the end the whole match came down to one crucial closing sequence.
Alexa Bliss And Tatum Paxley Capitalize On Fatal Influence’s Mistake
Henley almost kept the titles with a pin attempt on Paxley, but Reid tried helping her partner by using the ropes for extra leverage. The referee caught Reid doing it and stopped the whole advantage.
Bliss then took care of Reid outside the ring with Sister Abigail, so Henley was left without any backup. Paxley didn’t waste time on that opening. She hit Cemetery Drive, pinned Henley, and got the three-count to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Preparation counts for little in such a moment, because instinct decides the result.
So the reign of Fatal Influence was finished, and Paxley finally got championship gold after she expected teaming with Flair earlier in the night. Bliss became her replacement partner and left SmackDown as champion together with her.
This title change also came just one night before Money in the Bank 2026, which is scheduled for October 10 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. For the new champions, the next big WWE show is now the next event on the calendar.