8 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 27)

4. An Excuse For Shinsuke Nakamura

Sami Zayn Shinsuke Nakamura Kofi Kingston
WWE.com

At the end of a raucous six-man tag match, the right team had their hands raised in victory. Braun Strowman, Kofi Kingston and Big E picked up a popular win that popped the house and gave SmackDown's year-end show some more good vibes. Cunningly enough, it also gave top whiner Sami Zayn more to complain about.

For the finish, Kofi grabbed a pancake tray from Shinsuke, blasted him over the head with it behind the ref's back and then watched as Braun Power Slammed the red and black jumpsuit off the IC Champion for the victory. The intelligence of that outcome shouldn't be overlooked.

Note Sami's disgust post-match. He couldn't believe that his pal's attempts to cheat had been foiled by those pesky babyfaces. Now, Zayn has an out in promos when trying to wriggle free from Braun's bid to dethrone Nakamura as Intercontinental Champ, and that's a major plus.

This kind of booking is simple, and better for it.

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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.