Sami Zayn was advertised for the post-SmackDown dark match in Orlando tonight. Just minutes after a man he turned on, Roman Reigns suffered a brutal fate at the hands of The Bloodline in the closing segment of WWE SmackDown, the four-time Intercontinental Champion beat a 40-year-old veteran for the first time ever.
WWE SmackDown, perhaps due to it having a shorter run-time compared to RAW, normally features two dark matches to send the crowd home happy. The first of two dark matches saw Zayn, who was coming off a devastating loss to Bron Breakker on RAW, facing off against a man he had never been in the ring with.
Sami Zayn faced and defeated the 40-year-old Santos Escobar after SmackDown went off the air.
Sami Zayn VS Santos Escobar Post-Show Dark Match!#Smackdown pic.twitter.com/NRiz3tmr13
— 「4say10」⭕️ (@ShizzelDTF) August 17, 2024
Santos Escobar has the chance to call himself a champion for the first time on the WWE main roster next week as he faces LA Knight for the US Title. Sami, on the other hand, is in a difficult position as he not only lost his Intercontinental Title to Bron Breakker at SummerSlam, but he also lost a rematch on RAW with a two-out-of-three falls stipulation.
After RAW went off the air this week, Sami endorsed Bron Breakker by predicting that he will be the future face of WWE.
Sami Zayn wins #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/GKqETnWI1g
— Cory (@Cory_Hays407) August 17, 2024
Sami Zayn’s good friend Jey Uso competed in the second dark match of the night.