13 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown

9. The Assassination Of Ali By The Cowards Zayn & Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura Sami Zayn Ali
WWE.com

A slight supplemental Down here as what the heck was actually happening was never really explained by the announcers. Were Ali and Shinsuke Nakamura supposed to have a match here? Did the former 205 Live man just don full gear to chill out in the ring? Odd.

Nonetheless, the two-on-one beatdown Ali suffered at the hands of Nakamura and the insufferable Sami Zayn should revive his previously abandoned Intercontinental Title programme. Zayn, clad in a neck brace, was the first to confront Ali, putting his charge over huge as he screamed his ring introduction. A typically obnoxious promo followed before Zaynamura crowded the poor babyface, prompting Ali to throw the first punch. This didn't work out for him. Nak wailed on his potential IC Title challenger then killed him with the Kinshasa, with Sami claiming Ali had made a big, big mistake, leading, presumably, to a match later down the line.

Zayn was a piece of sh*t, Nakamura looked ruthless, and Ali drew sympathy. Expecting much more than that would have been rude.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.