5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (29 Aug - Results & Review)

1. Sami Zayn’s US Title Success

Those paying close attention to Sami Zayn's characterisation may notice a shift in how he's talking about himself. During the feud with Karrion Kross, Sami occasionally veered into self doubt, but he's been speaking about regaining WrestleMania main eventer confidence since moving to SmackDown. That works from a storytelling perspective and puts his change of scenery over.

Unlike most jumps, this one has some purpose behind it. That should be commended.

Having Zayn win the United States Title against Solo Sikoa here worked. Admittedly, the belt has sort of bounced around a little, but it’s been clear in recent weeks that Solo’s MFT idea is a bit lacklustre and was threatening to make the title feel less-than. That US gold means more on Sami, put it that way. What was the other option? Another Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu match?

Friday's show ended with a good main event that people in attendance dearly loved. It was certainly a huge improvement over last week’s afterthought with the women. Zayn winning was the right call, and it’ll hopefully lead to a World/WWE Title tilt in 2026 once he’s had his fun on the SmackDown midcard. It'd be amazing if this title win was a springboard moment for him and his reborn self-belief.

Fans will get right behind that story quickly. As for the US Title, well...it needed a jolt. Solo beating Fatu was a slight surprise when it happened, but the follow up has been shoddy. Now, with this switch, Triple H just handed the belt a welcome boost.

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more wrestling, check out 15 Exact Moments WCW Booking Stopped Making Sense and WWE Clash In Paris 2025: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True!