The August 15th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown kicked off with a major surprise, as former Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn made his official move to the blue brand — and immediately set his sights on the United States Championship.
The show opened with Solo Sikoa and his “MFT” faction, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa, boasting about their dominance. Their celebration was cut short when Zayn’s music hit, drawing a huge reaction from the crowd.
Dressed in street clothes, Zayn reflected on his recent run on RAW, admitting that falling short of the World Heavyweight Championship picture felt “liberating” because it gave him the chance to refocus. He then turned his attention to Sikoa, crediting him for putting him on a new path and declaring that the U.S. Title — the one championship he has never held in WWE, is now his goal.
When Sikoa dismissed Zayn and demanded he leave SmackDown, Zayn dropped the night’s big news: he is now officially part of SmackDown. He followed up with a bold message to the champion, “I’m coming for you, Solo, and for the United States Championship.”
The tense confrontation quickly turned physical. Zayn blocked a punch from Sikoa, but the rest of MFT swarmed him. Jimmy Uso rushed to the ring for backup, but the numbers game still favored the heels, until Jacob Fatu stormed to the ring, evening the odds.
General Manager Nick Aldis then appeared to restore order, announcing a huge six-man tag team main event for later in the night: Sami Zayn, Jimmy Uso, and Jacob Fatu vs. three members of Solo Sikoa’s crew.
The segment firmly established Zayn as a top babyface on SmackDown, set up his pursuit of the U.S. Championship, and delivered a blockbuster main event for the evening. Click here for full SmackDown results.
