5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Oct 17)

by Andy H Murray

1. Friendship Is Wonderful

Daniel Bryan Kevin Owens Sami Zayn
WWE.com

It's rare that an in-ring talking segment is the best thing on an episode of Raw or SmackDown, but that was definitely the case last night, with Daniel Bryan kicking things off.

The General Manager was treated like a deity in Washington, his home state. He ran through the night's card, but quickly moved on to Sami Zayn, stating that he was extremely disappointed in his decision to re-align with Kevin Owens. This drew the former NXT Champion out from the back, and boy, did Zayn have some choice words for Bryan.

There are countless similarities between the two, but Sami was perfectly smug on the mic. Like The Miz before him, Zayn mocked Bryan's health problems, stating that if he'd worked smarter, not harder, he'd still be wrestling. Sami ripped into DB with a smile on his face, and Owens soon joined the party, calling the GM a "pathetic martyr," "Mr Bella," and a hypocrite.

Zayn wrapped it up by branding Bryan a sellout, then thanking Owens, his best friend, for saving him from the same fate. Their offerings since reuniting have been nothing short of tremendous. Sami is coming off extremely well in his heel role, and Owens is always excellent. They're dynamite together, and their chemistry should be strong enough to overcome any creative mishaps as the angle progresses, particularly when ganging up on guys like Bryan, who can't fight back.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.