On the final Friday Night SmackDown of the year, the show went out with a bang. The show began with the WWE Universal Championship match but ended with the Intercontinental Championship. After winning the Slammy Sami Award for athlete of the year, it appeared a new challenge was upon us. Big E would challenge Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship. In the main event of the Christmas Day edition, Big E faced Zayn for the championship. Leading up to this match, Zayn made disparaging remarks to Big E about him and his company’s place. That since the split of the New Day, Big E was a non-factor. Zayn’s comments didn’t go unnoticed. Their matchup proved that Big E was certainly a factor as Big E captures the WWE Intercontinental Championship defeating Sami Zayn.
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The match between them wasn’t simply a title match but rather a Lumberjack match. (So much for social distancing) It had a prominent feel though through the contest. They were led to the ring by the current WWE SmackDown tag team champions, The Street Profits. The ringside area was quickly filling up. Big E knew coming into this match that a win here would prove all the skeptics wrong. All the doubters that felt nothing good have come of Big E since New Day were split up due to the draft.
Big E captures WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Before the match even begun, Sami Zayn would come out sporting an ‘I Am The Intercontinental Champion’ t-shirt. Was this a prelude of things to come? Early on in the match, Big E showed his agility with a leapfrog and back elbow on the champion. Big E appeared to set up Zayn for his patterned splash on the ring apron frame as the match progressed. When attempting the move, Zayn moved, causing Big E to miss completely landing outside the ring. A Zayn signature tope somersault plancha followed this onto Big E on the floor. Once back in the ring, a uranagi would thwart Zayn’s efforts for an attempted Helluva Kick.
The match’s turning point may likely have been the involvement of Apollo Crews running up the ramp, catching Zayn to lead the charge in having him return to the ring. Congratulations, Big, on becoming the WWE Intercontinental Championship. It’s been seven years since he captured the title previously. This is Big E’s second reign as Intercontinental Champion.
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