Upset in France: United States Title Changes Hands on SmackDown

Sami Zayn is the new WWE United States Champion. In the main event of the August 29th edition of Friday Night SmackDown from the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, Zayn defeated Solo Sikoa to capture the title for the first time in his career.

The emotional victory came after Zayn reversed an attempted Samoan Spike from Sikoa and hit an Exploder Suplex into the corner. He immediately followed up with two consecutive Helluva Kicks to secure the pinfall and the championship.

The match was filled with dramatic moments and outside interference. When Sikoa’s allies, the MFTs, tried to get involved, Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso emerged from the crowd to neutralize the threat. Later in the bout, Sikoa delivered a Spinning Solo for a near-fall, and then hit multiple Spinning Solos on Zayn on top of the commentary table. However, Zayn managed to beat the referee’s count and get back into the ring just in time to continue the fight.

Zayn earned the championship opportunity after defeating Sikoa in a non-title match on a previous episode of SmackDown. Before Friday’s title match began, he addressed the French crowd in their native language, promising he would leave the arena as the new champion.

The show went off the air with Sami Zayn celebrating his historic victory in the ring as the passionate Lyon crowd erupted in celebration.