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Browsing: Zayn
Ilja Dragunovâ€s return to WWE SmackDown ended with him defeating Sami Zayn to capture the United States Championship—but the story behind the decision just took a surprising turn. While one report claimed Zayn personally pushed for Dragunov to beat him, Baron Corbin has now stepped in to call that rumor false.
According to Bodyslam, Zayn wanted Dragunov to take the title off him, hoping it would elevate both the belt and Dragunovâ€s momentum. The report claimed Zayn saw it as a way to make the U.S. Championship feel important again while giving Dragunov a huge comeback moment.
But Baron Corbin didnâ€t waste time shutting down the idea. Responding on Twitter, the former WWE Superstar dismissed the claim in blunt fashion, simply writing that it was “BS.â€
So far, Zayn have addressed Corbinâ€s denial, leaving fans to wonder where the truth lies. Zayn has long been known for helping talent shine, so it wouldnâ€t be out of character for him to support Dragunovâ€s win. Still, with Corbin rejecting the story outright, the situation remains unclear until someone directly involved speaks up.
Do you think Sami Zayn really pushed for Dragunov to win the U.S. Title, or is this just another case of false reporting in wrestling news? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Ilja Dragunov made a stunning and thrilling return to the ring after being out for over a year due to injury, answering Sami Zayn’s United States Open challenge during Friday’s edition of SmackDown and taking the champion’s title belt.
Dragunov got the job done after hitting Zayn with a Torpedo Moscow and then an H-Bomb for the win.
Zayn was clearly distracted by nemesis Solo Sikoa beforehand, although he still caught a charging Dragunov and gave him an Exploder Suplex.
Zayn then ran in for a Helluva Kick, but Dragunov countered and closed the match, stunning fans.
Dragunov previously suffered a torn ACL in a match with Gunther during a live event in Sept. 2024 and had been out ever since.
Dragunov almost didn’t even get the opportunity to answer the Open Challenge. The Miz first took the opportunity and started cutting a promo on Zayn as he walked down to the ring. However, Carmelo Hayes then attacked The Miz from behind, and that challenge was soon squashed.
Zayn then awaited a new challenger, and Dragunov took advantage of his opportunity. He also debuted a new look, showing a more bulked-up physique and sporting a neck tattoo as well.
Dragunov signed with WWE in 2019 and wrestled on NXT UK from 2019-2022 before moving to NXT in 2022. He fared quite well, winning the NXT United Kingdom Championship and the NXT Championship. Dragunov also earned Male Superstar of the Year honors in 2023.
He made his main roster debut on April 8, 2024, but his first stint there unfortunately lasted just five-plus months.
However, Dragunov didn’t waste any time making a major impact in his return, taking Zayn’s belt and becoming a champion for the first time on the main roster.
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
OCTOBER 10, 2025
PERTH, AUSTRALIA AT RAC ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorchâ€s Javier Machado to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. Weâ€ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about S,Tmackdown. Weâ€ll read your emails live during the post-show.
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OPEN TO EVERYONE – LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a video showing a “hand off” the (meaningless, barely ever mentioned) Crown Jewel Title belts from Saudio Arabia to Australia 7,065 miles.
(Keller’s Analysis: This had the vibe of a bad WWE Films-produced action-adventure or thrilled movie. I mean, it’d be cool if this was done for a meaningful title belt the fans had a reason to care about and was part of the narrative year round.)
-They cut to the arena where Cole touted all the bedazzling of the Crown Jewel Title belts which was shown at ringside.
-Cody Rhodes made his ring entrance wearing a blue suit with a red tie. He carried his WWE Title belt to the ring with him.
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- The Wyatt Sicks vs. The Street Profits – WWE Tag Team Championship match
- Tiffany Stratton & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Giulia & Kiana James
- Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black – Last Man Standing match
- Sami Zayn to issue a United States Title Open Challenge
- Cody Rhodes to speak
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
SHOW SUMMARY:This installment of the PWTorch VIP Vault jumps back to the Sept. 18 and Sept. 20, 2007 podcasts covering vintage ROH events.
First, PWTorch contributor Jamie Penick and PWTorch columnist Sean Radican discuss the May 11, 2007 “Reborn Again” ROH event released this month on DVD which includes Bryan Danielson vs. Adam Pearce, Kenta vs. Delirious, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bobby Fish, plus El Generico (Sami Zayn) and Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens) in action. This originally dropped on Sept. 18, 2007.
Next, a podcast from Sept. 20, 2007 with PWTorch ROH Audio Host Jamie Penick talking with PWTorch contributor Chris Vetter about that Saturday’s ROH PPV taping in Chicago Ridge, Ill. Vetter attended the event in person and gave a detailed overview of the show.
This is another episode in our VIP Podcast Vault series going back to our earliest podcasts. We will continue to present VIP Podcasts from 18 years ago exclusively for PWTorch VIP members on our VIP Podcast Feed.
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Sami Zayn will be carrying the United States Title into the go-home SmackDown for Crown Jewel in Australia. Heâ€s reintroduced the open-challenge format and has defended the belt several times in recent weeks. With Crown Jewel just a day away, several outside threats could show up on SmackDown and try to steal the title before the big night. Below are four names who, based on their recent activity on the roster, make sense as surprise challengers or spoilers on the go-home show.
4. Jacob Fatu Comes Back for His Title
Jacob Fatu has made several high-profile appearances recently and was involved on SmackDown in late September, including an angle where he targeted Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior hit him with a Glasgow Kiss headbutt, and Fatu attacked him with his own boot and landed a superkick.
Fatu won the US title back at WrestleMania 41, defeating the Megastar LA Knight on Night 1. Fatu’s title reign lasted 69 days before losing to his family member and MFT leader Solo Sikoa. Now that the title has changed hands, he might try his luck and challenge Zayn for the title. Fatu’s ‘All gas, no brakes’ mentality makes him a credible threat to Zayn in a one-off, chaotic SmackDown surprise. If he shows up, he can use a single hard strike or interference to turn a short match into an upset.
3. Shinsuke Nakamura Finally Makes a Mark
Shinsuke Nakamura brings both experience and credentials, and has won the United States Championship three times as of early 2025. His most recent U.S. Title win came at Survivor Series: WarGames 2024, where he defeated Megastar LA Knight. He is an experienced veteran, known for his time in the Japanese pro wrestling scene, where he proved himself by becoming a world champion multiple times.
Lately, he has been seen lurking around backstage on SmackDown segments, suggesting he is eyeing the champion and waiting for his moment. With his proven track record and calm but dangerous in-ring style, Nakamura could plausibly step up on the final SmackDown, surprise Zayn, perhaps win the open challenge, or ambush him and reclaim another title run this year.
2. Sami Zayn Takes Joe Hendry’s Name
Joe Hendry is a proven singles star with a real-life reputation for crowd work and charisma. In 2025, he has been active across promotions, and reports indicate WWE’s interest in expanding his role or bringing him more fully into WWE programming. He entered the 2025 Royal Rumble, and answered Randy Orton’s open challenge call at WrestleMania 41. Hendryâ€s in-ring style mixes strong strikes, loud crowd interaction, and a knack for making underdog stories feel urgent.
On the go-home SmackDown, he could answer an open challenge as an unexpected challenger who wins over the crowd and then outwits Zayn. From a storytelling view, Hendry winning would give SmackDown a feel-good, crowd-driven twist going into Crown Jewel and offer a fresh matchup for Zayn on the big show. He already had the TNA world title for more than 125 days, proving he can handle the pressure of being a top champion while entertaining the audience.
1. The Ruler Oba Femi Comes to Rule SmackDown
Oba Femi is an NXT superstar who has moved quickly through the brandâ€s title scene and remains a hot young talent. He recently lost the NXT Championship to Ricky Saints, and there has been speculation that his title loss may have been timed to clear him for a main roster move.
Femiâ€s power-based offense, athleticism, and fresh-faced intensity make him a believable new threat to Zaynâ€s more technical, cerebral style. On the final SmackDown, Femi could be presented as the big, hungry newcomer who seizes the moment. Using him to take the U.S. Title would be a classic move to elevate a rising star ahead of Crown Jewel, and several outlets note WWE has considered moving him to the main roster soon. That backstage momentum plus his in-ring resume in NXT make Oba Femi a realistic candidate to walk out of SmackDown with the belt.
It would be interesting to see who actually answers Zayn’s open challenge this week, and whether he defends his title or the WWE Universe witnesses a massive upset heading towards Crown Jewel.
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
OCTOVER 3, 2025
CINCINNATI, OHIO AT HERITAGE BANK CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Michael Cole, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mark Nash
Attendance:Â WrestleTix reports as of today 6,943 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 17,556 spectators when configured for concerts.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorchâ€s Christopher Maitland to review WWE Smackdown LIVE on YouTube. Weâ€ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. Weâ€ll read your emails live during the post-show.
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OPEN TO EVERYONE – LINK TO WATCH LIVE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton vs. Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker
- Sami Zaynâ€s United States Open Challenge to continue
- Tiffany Stratton to appear
- Damian Priest to be in action
WWE
“WWE NXT” star Je’Von Evans gave an excellent performance in his second-ever “WWE SmackDown” match on Friday night, but it was Sami Zayn to successfully defend his United States Championship in his fourth defense since beginning his US title open challenge. Evans answered the challenge, as the blue brand was live from Orlando, Florida, near WWE’s Performance Center.
Evans had an impressive showing, flying around the ring in attempts to take Zayn off his feet and keep him there. He hit a huge springboard on Zayn and dropkicked him through the ropes, but before he could fly out of the ring to take Zayn out, the champion hit him with a clothesline.
The challenger avoided the Blue Thunder Bomb and got Zayn on the top turnbuckle, but Zayn chopped him and dropped “The Young OG” to the canvas. With Zayn still up top, Evans jumped back up to hit him with a hurricanrana. Zayn caught Evans and hit him with an Exploder into the turnbuckle, but Evans dodged the following Helluva Kick. He dodged a second kick and hit the OG Cutter for a near fall.
Zayn was able to connect with the Helluva Kick on his third attempt and followed it up with the Blue Thunder Bomb for the victory. After the match, Zayn showed “The Young OG” some respect.
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)… WWE SMACKDOWN REPORTSEPTEMBER 19, 2025TOLEDO, OHIO AT…
Andrade, formerly known as La Sombra prior to signing with WWE in 2015, seemed to be a can’t-miss prospect coming off his hot run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. However, it wasn’t long after he debuted that rumors circulated indicating he was unhappy with his spot in NXT, which he later confirmed in an interview with Mas Lucha.
Since then, it’s been quite the roller coaster for fans of the international sensation. He had glimmers of greatness during his original run with WWE, including as United States champion for a brief period, but he was largely underutilized on the main roster. Hopes were high when he arrived in AEW in 2021, but when he wasn’t injured, he wasn’t involved in anything out of the ordinary.
His latest return run with WWE getting cut short in under two years all but confirms that the problems lie well beyond the booking by the powers that be. Per new details regarding his exit that have emerged from Sports Illustrated, he had been suspended post-SummerSlam for violating the company’s wellness policy and that he had to be escorted out of the building at a recent SmackDown taping.
Tony Khan and AEW as a whole gain nothing from bringing back Andrade, who was an afterthought the last time he was there. There’s nothing to suggest a second stint would be drastically different.
El Idolo’s best bet would be to primarily wrestle for CMLL, stick to the independent scene and make the occasional appearance in AEW and NJPW. If he does indeed get dissatisfied easily while working for bigger companies, then he isn’t worth the risk, especially with the talent pool in both WWE and AEW being as deep as it is these days.
WWE/Getty Images John Cena’s final appearance on “WWE SmackDown” on…