7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Jan 23)
1. Styles Vs. Zayn Delivers
AJ Styles and Sami Zayn met in what should've been a tremendous main event on 2 January, but it didn't deliver. They were hamstrung by a distracting layout that once again saw Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan seize the spotlight, but their work was lacking, too, leaving the impression that they were saving their best for a later date.
Fortunately, last night's rematch was a marked improvement.
SmackDown closed in tremendous fashion. McMahon concluded his business prior to Styles vs. Zayn, and had no reason to get involved in this one, which was to their benefit. The talented duo were allowed to perform without restraint, and both were excellent.
Sami attacked before the bell, allowing him to enjoy believable dominance throughout the opening stages, though Styles inevitably fought back. Owens was a distraction, but it worked for the story. Loaded onto a stretcher, KO fell victim to an unnecessarily heelish assault from Styles (a supplemental Down for the WWE Champion, who acted like a d*** all night), but this allowed Zayn to score an unlikely victory with the unlikeliest of moves: his Blue Thunder Bomb.
This was a big moment for Zayn, who, for all his excellent character work, still feels like a sidekick at times. Last night saw him take centre stage, and while AJ is probably booked to leave Philadelphia with his title reign intact, this outcome makes that match considerably less predictable.