5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 10)

2. Sami Zayn’s Performance

Sami Zayn took up for Roman Reigns in the champ's absence. The delusional heel's wheelchair entrance, threats to sue WWE for last week's Lesnar attack, and line about his physical pain being "a 10" but the emotional agony being "a 20" all ruled. Zayn had the live audience in the palm of his hand as soon as he showed up.

The man is a gem every single week no matter what he's doing, and that's something that should be treasured for as long as possible. Brock isn't the best public speaker either, so Sami had to be on top of his game to keep the duelling promo stuff purring along.

His command of the segment was stellar.

Zayn has become one of wrestling's most dependable utility men. He's like the Mr. Perfect of his generation, and that's high praise. There's almost nothing WWE could put in front of Sami that he couldn't make magic with. This was an illustration of that flexibility.