Sami Zayn was tasked with taking out Kevin Owens on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, on orders given directly by Roman Reigns himself. He wasn’t even on the show, so soon after he came out on the show, I learned that he would do it alone, from none other than Paul Heyman.
And he did it alone, and he certainly seemed to give it his all. , Solo Sicoa hit the ring and was forced to disqualify after Owens.
Zayn seemed confused and a little grumpy. Again, I felt like he was eager to prove himself.
What I’ve read about this is that this is just another example of Bloodline not actually accepting Zayn the way he wants. I don’t think so, but I didn’t. Instead, he feels like a pawn here, the guy they sent in to undermine Owens so they could run in and pick up scrap at the end.
No win for Sami here.
They lift him up and then tear him apart so they can lift him up again. He was in a cycle of manipulation, and after hearing Owens try to explain it to him over and over, perhaps this was the night he finally started seeing it for himself.
However, there’s still room to wiggle, and it’s clear they’re not ready for a breakup just yet.
I am certainly continuing to tune.
I really enjoy it sometimes when Bray Wyatt walks into the ring and is given the chance to speak like only Bray Wyatt can, so I’m giving this my own space.
A throwback to the Wyatt we knew really struck a chord with me for reasons I’m not entirely sure or can’t even explain. I remember Wyatt twisting the story with his tongue and saying “run” before blowing out the electric lantern. The man felt so special, like a transcendental talent whose potential had to be unlocked.
Perhaps part of our fascination with Wyatt is that it has long felt like his potential was unrealized. There’s just something about this guy and I want to fully experience it.
I hope the future continues more like this.
all the rest
- The show started with Braun Strowman challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. They played a decent match, but pretty standard considering the participants, GUNTHER beat his Strowman cleanly — there was some Imperium interference during the match, but it didn’t affect the outcome It seems — and there was little room for a rematch. Maybe this is over? I definitely don’t feel they need to go back to it.
- Rey Mysterio is good and sick of Dominic’s shit, but instead of letting his own son instigate him, he’s going big by attending the Royal Rumble trying to win the damn thing. Meanwhile, Karrion Kross stepped in to call him a bad father and choked him when Re responded with violence. This does a great job of feeling really bad for poor Ray. That guy is a legend, he deserves more than this?!?
- Liv Morgan slapped that taste out of Raquel Rodriguez’s mouth. Oh my god! It was brutal! But showing us a new side of Rodriguez, Rodriguez smiled and ditched her happy-go-lucky demeanor to get better and piss off, telling everyone she was the biggest and worst woman on the roster. She showed it by beating Morgan in a singles match later in the evening.
- Tegan Nox defeated Xia Li in a standard singles match. Lee has been on TV a bit lately, but they haven’t done anything against her at all.
- They announced that a tag team tournament will begin next week to determine the next top contender for The Usos’ SmackDown tag team title (yes, they specified). After that, we get the Viking Raiders in the first round, based on the latter attacking the former. Even I don’t feel it. Your mileage may vary.
- Sonya Deville wants a rematch with Charlotte Flair, so she campaigned for Adam Pearce. We’ll see if Deville ends up getting another shot or if she’s actually in tow in the rumble.
This was a solid show.
Grade: C+
your turn.
