6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Oct 2)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Sami Zayn = Ultimate Finish Man

Sami Zayn Jeff Hardy
WWE.com

If Sami Zayn keeps up with this string of creative finishes to his matches, then he might need to scrap that ring name and become known as 2020's Pat Patterson. Seriously, the reigning Intercontinental Champ is coming up with some memorable stuff at the moment.

The handcuff stuff at Clash Of Champions was clever enough, but Zayn and Jeff Hardy managed to coax some more mileage out of a familiar trope that nobody uses effectively anymore. The fact that exposed turnbuckle played into the end of the match was also very smart.

Who knows why Jeff got an automatic title rematch here, but at least it was fun and it's never a bad thing when the IC Title gets a rare headline spot. The final visual from this week's SmackDown was that Zayn is a devious genius who knows how to use the ring to his advantage.

What will he think of next?

What did you think of this week's WWE SmackDown? For more like this, check out 10 WWE Stars Who Have Gone Backwards In 2020 and 10 WWE Storylines Let Down By Stupid Logic!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.