Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: recaps, Smackdown, wrestling, wwe

WWE Smackdown Report – Sami Zayn Throws the IC Title in the Garbage

Welcome to Bleeding Cool's WWE Smackdown report. We watch Smackdown, so you don't have to! You're welcome. In the first part of our Smackdown report, Roman Reigns issues a challenge, Jey Uso fights AJ Styles, and Sami Zayn throws a belt in the trash!

WWE Smackdown Report for October 2nd, 2020 Part 1

Smackdown opens with a recap video of the shocking events at WWE Clash of Champions, wherein The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns put a massive beatdown on Jey Uso. Then Roman comes out with Paul Heyman. The computer-generated crowd noise voices its disapproval. The ring is done up with a red carpet. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary.

Smackdown Promo – Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman says he's a little nervous. He's known Roman Reigns and his entire family since the day he was born, and he always looked forward to this moment because everyone knew this was destined to happen. Heyman says we're all here to officially declare Roman Reigns the Tribal Chief. Not just the Tribal Chief of his own family or the Tribal Chief of Smackdown or the Tribal Chief of WWE, but the Tribal Chief of the entire WWE Universe. That's why Roman Reigns had to be Universal Heavyweight Champion.

Heyman starts rattling off the names of Samoans. Roman interrupts Heyman and takes the mic. He doesn't want Heyman to acknowledge Roman as the Tribal Chief because Jey Uso didn't acknowledge him. He wants Jey to come out here right now. Uso comes out.

Uso says he doesn't know Roman. He's supposed to be his cousin, his family, but at Clash of Champions, "you showed your true colors, uce." Uso says he did too. Roman beat his ass, but he didn't' break his spirit. If Jimmy never threw the towel in, "the championship would be mine, uce."

Roman asks if Jey thinks he's proud of what he did. Clash of Champions was the worst night of Roman's career, professionally and personally. That wasn't his intention going into the match. "I was trying to do you a favor, Uce," he tells him. All he wanted to do was put Uso in the main event. He just wanted to help him and give him a huge payday. "I love you. I love you more than your brother loves you. Like you always say, you're day one. You've been there my whole life. All I wanted to do was raise you up. And all you had to do was acknowledge me. All you had to do was to say the words, acknowledge me as the Tribal Chief."

Roman talks about how this was his birthright, and Uso knew it. All he wanted was to represent their family to the fullest and share the main event with him. "And what did you do?" he asks. "You disrespected me. You embarrassed me. You embarrassed our whole family. And you broke my heart."

Roman says Uso won't even look him in the eye. He's looking at the belt. Is that all he wants? Does he want another shot? He's got one. Does he want it at Hell in the Cell? He's got it. (Uso says nothing this whole time.) But this match will have the highest stakes that any match has ever had in WWE history.  Bold claims here on Smackdown tonight.

Roman hugs Uso and tells him he loves him, but if Roman was Uso, he wouldn't accept the challenge. "This time, there's gonna be real consequences," he whispers in his ear. Roman and Heyman leave, but Uso stops them mid-ramp: "Whatever the stakes are, you're on, uce!"

That was an incredible promo. Reigns was born to play this character. Imagine if WWE had the guts to pull the trigger on this four years ago? Reigns could be the star they always wanted him to be by now. Oh well, better late than never, I guess.

Cole and Graves ponder what these stakes and consequences could be. I mean, Roman said the highest stakes in WWE history. That's serious. My guess: the match is over the right to have your own Twitch and Cameo account.

AJ Styles comes out. "Is it over?" he asks. Sorry, AJ. Smackdown is just getting started. Styles says it doesn't matter who sits at the end of the table and has the most chicken bones. What really matters? Uso matters to AJ Styles. Styles doesn't want to see him take another beating as he did on Sunday. Why doesn't he give someone more qualified to go for the Universal Championship an opportunity? Perhaps someone who doesn't foolishly believe the Earth is a sphere without evidence? Let Roman be the Tribal Chief. Sacrifice a goat if he has to. Besides, we all know Jey's brother is the better athlete.

Uso attacks Styles. The brawl quickly spills outside, and Uso gives him a flying clothesline off the announce table as Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Jey Uso vs. AJ Styles

• If you want to really prove that Jey Uso is a bonafide singles competitor, you could do a lot worse than putting him in the ring with AJ Styles.
• They have a pretty good match.
• Styles does the job after Uso hits a splash from the top rope.

Sorry, AJ. Somebody had to be sacrificed to justify a second Reigns vs. Uso match.

Commentary runs down the card for tonight: Kevin Owens hosts Alexa Bliss on the KO Show, thanks to the Cross-Brand Invitational (TM). I look forward to the new draft next week, so WWE has a whole new roster division to ignore when it's inconvenient. Sami Zayn defends the Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy. And… that's it. Look, they make this stuff up as they go along.

After a video recap of the ladder match at Clash of Champions, Zayn says people are probably expecting him to gloat about winning the best IC match in history and being the champion, but tonight is a whirwind of emotions, mostly resentment and anger. Sami had to take all those risks to defend what was rightfully his all along. Initially, he was mad at WWE management, but then he thought about it, and the real people to blame are the WWE Universe. Nobody stuck up for Zayn when he was stripped of his championship. We all went along for the ride, swallowed what were given, and accepted things at face value. Once again, it's on Sami Zayn, the great liberator, the only one with any principles around here, to do what should have been done all along with the duplicate belt. He puts it in the trash.

What other callbacks to late 90s WCW Nitro will we get tonight? Find out in part two of our Smackdown report!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!