5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (10 Oct - Results & Review)

3. Sami Zayn Meets An Old Foe

Perth popped like mad when Shinsuke Nakamura's classic entrance track blared and the Japanese stalwart walked out as the latest challenger in Sami Zayn's United States Title ‘Open Challenge’. Speaking of throwbacks, this was one that harked back to the NXT days when Shin was a new arrival in WWE. Michael Cole also noted that this was the 8th time they’d squared off, and that Sami had a 4-3 edge going in.

Technically, that's now 4-4 due to the DQ and attack from the MFTs, but the most important thing here was that the match was good. It wasn’t as slick or as fast as their classic NXT battle at times, and some will hate the finish, but there was still a lot to enjoy. Zayn gave Nakamura around 70% of the bout, which has become a hallmark of his title defences thus far, then he roared back to get the live crowd on their feet. It's worth repeating that these US Title bouts will continue to be a highlight on SmackDown every week while they last.

You really can’t argue with a top worker like Sami in lengthy matches.

This was the first time we’ve seen Shin in months, and he’ll work as a reborn veteran babyface going forwards. Nakamura's best days are behind him, but he still has something to offer, and he should be a fab 'jobber to the stars' for the next year or so. People will always enjoy singing along to that violin track anyway.

These US Title 'Open Challenge' segments are a wonderful addition to the show each week.