5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (3 Oct - Results & Review)

2. Another Top Open Challenge Match

For Christ sake, Sami - leave some good matches for other wrestlers, son!

Oh yes, Mr. Zayn is knocking it out of the park with this United States Title open challenge shindig. This time, it was Aleister Black who stepped up when Carmelo Hayes was laid out by Miz, and he had a predictably solid match with Sami. The live crowd enjoyed this one, and no wonder. Zayn is so, so good at fighting from underneath, and this was a rare chance for Black to look physically dominant as he came eerily close to winning the belt time and time again.

Some will roll eyes at the finish, but it does also make sense given everything that’s been going on between Aleister and Damian Priest. Their feud isn’t the hottest thing ever, or anything, but logic matters and that Razor’s Edge through the announce table looked awesome. Besides, Damian didn't actually put hands on Black until after the match, which is something he can point to before their 'Last Man Standing' clash next weekend.

This has been said before, and it won't come as a shocker to anyone who's followed his career for longer than a few years, but it’s a really good idea to give Sami lengthy matches every week. It's also sweet to see him winning with the Blue Thunder Bomb rather than a Helluva Kick, because he doesn't get to do that enough.

This is perhaps the best Aleister has looked in a longer match since returning to WWE. It wouldn't be surprising if he was all smiles and high fives backstage afterwards, because that was his kinda match.