6 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE SmackDown (31 Jan)

2. The Death Of A Faction?

If this is to be the end of Sami Zayn's heel faction alongside Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, then WWE creative deserve a slap. Sami is one of the best talkers on the roster, gets great heel heat and knows how to work the manager gig better than most today. He's been rewarded by losing his threat.

Every single bit of it.

On SmackDown, Sami accidentally cost Nakamura the Intercontinental Title, whinged about it backstage, was interrupted by Elias and then sent Cesaro out to get turned over by the music man. It was a complete disaster for heel credibility, and it made the previously-important threesome look like a bunch of chumps even the Mean Street Posse would pity.

WWE need to think long and hard before they book any kind of split between Nakamura and Zayn especially. Sami is there to do Shin's promos for a reason, and nobody needs 2017-era Naka to make a sweeping comeback any time soon.