CM Punk sabotages Kevin Owens to save Sami Zayn's title — then attacks Zayn anyway
One week into his second WWE Championship reign, Sami Zayn survived a chaotic main event in Corpus Christi — but CM Punk made clear he wants the belt back.
Sami Zayn walked into SmackDown on Friday night with a target on his back and walked out still WWE Champion — but only because CM Punk, his most bitter enemy, swung the title belt at the wrong man. Punk blasted Kevin Owens with the championship to hand Zayn the pinfall, then immediately turned around and hit Zayn with a Go To Sleep, standing tall in the crowd as the show went off the air.
The main event at Hilliard Center Arena in Corpus Christi, Texas, was booked on the fly. Zayn opened the show celebrating his title win — his second reign, coming just weeks after a first that lasted only nine days — and thanking SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis for giving him the opportunity. That goodwill evaporated quickly when Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae came out expecting a title shot as payment for helping Zayn beat Punk the previous week. Then Kevin Owens arrived, arguing he also deserved a rematch after previous interference cost him his own chances. Aldis resolved the standoff by booking Zayn to defend against Owens that same night, with a pointed remark about how brief Zayn's last reign had been, according to CBS Sports.
The match mirrored the chaos of the week before. Gargano and LeRae worked ringside interference for Zayn: LeRae landed a tornado DDT behind the referee's back, and Gargano later pulled the referee out of the ring before a three-count could be made on Zayn. Owens fought back, putting Zayn through the announce table and landing a Pop-up Powerbomb and a Stunner. When Gargano tried to attack Owens with the title belt, Owens Stunned him instead.
Then Punk — who had been announced as not being in the building — appeared and struck Owens with the WWE Title. Zayn hit the Helluva Kick for the pin. Moments later, Punk re-entered and leveled both Zayn and Owens with a GTS, leaving no doubt about his intentions heading into Money in the Bank on October 10.
A bit of a mess at the end with a very overbooked match. It serves its purpose, but either they properly set this up for Money in the Bank as a triple threat or fatal four-way match, or this all feels like a lot of filler for what is supposed to be the most important title in the business.— CBS Sports reviewer
Elsewhere on the card, two Money in the Bank qualifying matches were decided. On the men's side, United States Champion Trick Williams defeated Randy Orton and AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix in a triple threat. The match featured Orton dropping both Fenix and Williams onto the announce table, and a confrontation with Lil Yachty — whom Orton poked in the eye and dropped on the table as well. Fenix hit an RKO counter from Orton, but Williams followed with the Trick Shot on Orton and pinned Fenix to advance, according to WWE.com.
In the women's qualifier, Women's United States Champion Jacy Jayne defeated Alexa Bliss and Jade Cargill. Bliss hit Sister Abigail on Jayne but Cargill broke the count; Cargill then countered a Sister Abigail attempt into Jaded, only for Jayne to land a knee on Cargill and pin Bliss for the win. Both Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne are now confirmed for the Money in the Bank ladder matches.
In tag team action, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki — competing as Bakusai — faced WWE Tag Team Champions The MFTs in a non-title match. Bakusai built momentum until Haku struck Nakamura with his cane, causing a disqualification. The MFTs then laid out both Nakamura and Kyoki after the bell.
SmackDown is seven episodes into a ten-week build toward Money in the Bank, scheduled for October 10. The title picture now appears to involve at least Zayn, Punk, and Owens, with Gargano also angling for a shot based on his role in Zayn's win. Other contenders including Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, GUNTHER, and Finn Balor remain in the mix, according to Cage Side Seats.
Why it matters — With Punk, Owens, and Gargano all now entangled in the title picture, the road to Money in the Bank is shaping up as a multi-way collision — and Zayn's reign, however it ends, is the engine driving SmackDown's biggest storyline.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- There was an apparent botch near the end of the Zayn-Owens match when Owens did not get his shoulder up on a pin attempt, visibly extending the match.
Sources differ on Women's MITB qualifying match participants: Jacy Jayne vs. Jade Cargill vs. Tatum Paxley (pre-show listing) (cagesideseats.com) vs Jacy Jayne vs. Jade Cargill vs. Alexa Bliss (actual match) (wwe.com)
Reported by wwe.com, cagesideseats.com, cbssports.com, fightful.com
