At the start of this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Corpus Christi, Texas, Sami Zayn was demanding some respect. He is the WWE champion for a second time, he’s still the last good guy, and he’s still a man of the people, or so he says. Naturally, the first thing you do after a new champion is crowned is figure out his first challenger.
This is particularly important in the case of Zayn because his last title reign lasted just nine days. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis even taunted
him a bit about maybe only making it to seven this time.
That would have hurt.
Thankfully, for Zayn, at least, it’s not what happened.
Indeed, after Johnny Gargano made his play for a championship match, and then Kevin Owens did the same, Aldis admitted he felt CM Punk deserved a rematch but ultimately booked Zayn vs. Owens for the main event of this week’s show.
Of course it was an overbooked showcase.
First, Gargano got involved:
Then, Punk made his presence felt:
Finally, the finish:
So Zayn keeps the title, Punk is clearly getting a rematch of some sort, Owens is right there in the middle of everything, and Gargano still can’t really catch a break. It’s entirely possible this ends up in a Fatal 4-Way at Money in the Bank. Or — and this would be hilarious to everyone not named Johnny Gargano or Candice LeRae — a triple threat.
Like how it’s all shaping up?
