5 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (5 Sept - Results & Review)

3. Cena & Sami Play The Hits

Cena and Zayn's impromptu title match started slow, but it picked up big time during the second half. Familiar spots like a Blue Thunder Bomb, a pair of Attitude Adjustments, a Helluva Kick and more all got near falls as fans cheered John but continued booing Sami. OK, so they didn't go all in on the boos (he got some cheers too), but Zayn had to adjust his game to allow for the fact that John was the darling of this match.

Peeps around ringside were really into the idea of Cena winning the United States Title one more time. John even hit a version of the Angle Slam, which was a callback to his SmackDown debut vs. Kurt Angle back in 2002. That also happened in Chicago, so it was neat to see. Further, he landed Go To Sleep in a homage to CM Punk and Money In The Bank 2011. Man, 'Super Cena' was really taking a stroll down memory lane on Friday, huh?

Sami hit an AA himself for a cool 2 count that tricked fans. Generally, this was a fun match that edged towards PLE quality at one point, and that’s a good thing for SmackDown. Sure, you could see a screwy finish coming a mile off, but that shouldn't detract from the high quality on offer throughout. These lads served up plenty of big moves, but they left enough space between each to make them matter more.

Both can be proud of what they did during their final match ever. Sami was never a regular foe for Cena, but many do still point to that 4 May 2015 Raw match as a banner moment, so it was sweet to see them give it a sequel in 2025.