Add as a preferred source on Google Giulia and Kiana James are no longer a team in WWE, at least after what happened on Friday Night SmackDown this Friday from the Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy.
During the first round of the Queen of the Ring tournament, Kiana faced Bayley, Jacy Jayne and Raquel Rodriguez in a Fatal 4-Way Match. The episode will air in the United States at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network, so everything below should be treated as a spoiler.
Late in the match, Jacy shoved Giulia out of the ring. Giulia fired back by taking Jayne down, but Kiana saw the chaos as interference against her.
Moments later, Bayley hit James with the Rose Plant, Jacy followed with the Rolling Encore, and Raquel finished things off with a Tejana Bomb to advance in the tournament.
After the match, Giulia tried to approach Kiana, but James shoved her away and blamed her for the loss. The former Women’s United States Champion did not take that reaction well, attacking her now-former partner with a Thesz Press before unloading with several punches.
Giulia then kicked Kiana out of the ring, making it clear that their alliance had come to an end.
The partnership between Giulia and Kiana had been showing signs of strain for weeks. Recent losses, including the setback against Tiffany Stratton and the team’s loss to Paige and Brie Bella, had already left their relationship in a delicate spot.
The Queen of the Ring final will take place at Night of Champions on June 27 in Saudi Arabia. The tournament winner will earn a title opportunity at SummerSlam, which is set for August 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.