[Triple H] Then.
Now.
Forever.
Together.
[Cole] We are in the City of Lights, the food capital of the world.
This is wonderful Lyon on the Rhône River.
The birthplace of cinema,
and tonight, host to the greatest show in sports entertainment,
Friday Night SmackDown.
And you are looking live at the LDLC Arena in Lyon.
We are jam-packed tonight.
And indeed, welcome back in Lyon in France
for the first time since May of last year.
And tonight, the United States Champion, Solo Sikoa,
surrounded by his normal backup, the MFTs, will defend the United States Championship
against the upstart challenger…
Sami Zayn, who looks to win the United States Championship
for the very first time in his career.
It won't be easy. Sami, Solo, one-on-one tonight.
Also tonight, the Scottish Warrior, Drew McIntyre, will be here live in Lyon
on Friday Night SmackDown.
So glad to be back on Friday Night.
I'm Michael Cole joined by Wade Barrett.
Wade, what an atmosphere here tonight.
We are back at the site of officially the greatest crowd
in WWE history from 18 months ago.
I predict these people are going to be rioting here
thanks to an amazing card we've got on SmackDown.
And we head north to Paris on Sunday.
Clash in Paris. Cena versus Logan Paul, part of the card.
Let's show you what happened between these two last week on SmackDown.
[Nash] Please welcome the greatest of all time
one last time here in Dublin.
John Cena!
["Still Humble" plays]
[crowd boos]
[Paul] John Cena, I'm gonna keep it real with you.
These people, they're gonna go online and call me an outsider.
How?
How am I the outsider? I have been doing this for four years.
Who is the impostor,
the guy that leaves this ring to go to pretend to be someone else
or the guy who stays here to be himself?
I am the best this company has. I am next up.
And, John Cena, I cannot wait to share the ring with you in Paris.
This is my house now, John.
[crowd booing]
Logan Paul is not an outsider.
Logan Paul is a parasite.
[crowd cheers]
You got the audacity to come out here and brag to me
that you put your life on the line
for a grand total of 23 matches?
I have given my heart and soul
to this business for 23 years.
You know a lot about hustle.
You know nothing about loyalty or respect.
Clash in Paris, you will either understand what it means
to give up yourself to this business I love,
or I'ma beat the ever-loving **** out of you.
[crowd chanting] Cena!
-John. John. -Yeah?
I just heard from Brock Lesnar.
And the thing is…
[grunts]
-How's that for A game, John? -Logan!
-I'll see you in Paris! Whoo! -What are you doing?
[Aldis] Get out of here!
[crowd booing]
[Cole] The reaction you would expect here in Lyon
for the arrival of the social media superstar, the WWE superstar.
["Still Humble" plays]
The one and only Logan Paul.
Wade, we never did get to hear what Brock Lesnar wanted to tell Cena.
[crowd booing]
[chuckling] Whoo.
[Nash] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome The Maverick,
Logan Paul!
[Cole] Logan Paul is 48 hours away
from one of the biggest matches of his entire career.
I can't hear y'all.
I can't hear y'all. What was that?
[Cole] It takes place this Sunday.
Logan Paul and John Cena.
And, Wade, Logan Paul vows to do something that he says John Cena couldn't do,
and that is ruin professional wrestling forever.
[Barrett] Well, it would ruin professional wrestling
for the absolute purists who believe you have to grind
from the very bottom in order to get to the top,
but the game has changed in part thanks to men like Logan Paul.
There are shortcuts to the top if you draw enough eyeballs
and you have enough talent,
and both of those boxes have been checked over the past four years
by this man, Logan Paul.
[crowd booing]
[crowd chanting]
John Cena said he thinks I'm a parasite.
Hey, it sounds like y'all think I'm a parasite too.
[crowd booing]
Man, I don't know if y'all Frenchies even know what I'm saying,
but I'ma stick to English 'cause I'm an American.
[crowd booing]
Look, y'all don't have a problem with me.
You don't have a problem with Logan Paul.
You people have a problem with change.
I'm not a parasite. In fact, I mean, dang, I'm the opposite.
I'm a disrupter.
[crowd boos]
After I signed with the WWE, what happened? Ready?
Here are facts. We know you WWE fans don't like those.
I put us on Netflix.
$5 billion. Boom!
I brought us to ESPN.
1.6 billion. Boom!
The value that I bring to this company is incalculable,
but it's somewhere in the range of $6.6 billion. Boom!
From six seconds to six billion, not bad.
And by the way, you're welcome, TKO.
[crowd booing]
All--
[crowd chanting]
Yo, look around. Y'all are so stupid.
All I do is add.
Hell, I even put Prime in the WWE. Look.
[crowd booing]
What, y'all mad about a hydration beverage?
Oh, get a life.
Look around. The WWE is becoming the "WW Me."
[crowd booing]
I'm the future of this company, whether you like it or not,
and the one person
who represents the outdated institutionalized wrestling
that keeps all of you comfortable is John Cena.
[crowd booing]
Who, by the way, last week told me that I better bring my A game to Paris.
Ha!
-The audacity. -[crowd chanting] Let's go, Cena!
Shut up!
[speaks French] Shut your mouth, France!
[speaks French] Shut your mouth!
[speaks French] Shut your ass!
[crowd booing]
John Cena told me I better bring my A game.
It's laughable.
He better bring his A game
talking to me like I'm not some sort of athletic phenom
that will push the great John Cena to his limits.
And John Cena…
[speaks French] …if you believe you can beat me in Paris, you're dreaming.
[crowd boos]
[speaks French] John Cena is an imposter.
[speaks French] …like everyone here.
[crowd boos]
And when… when I beat John Cena this Sunday,
I will show all of you that I am the future of this company
because wrestling is changing and I am wrestling,
and if you cannot change with it, you will get left behind.
[speaks French] Shut your ass!
[crowd booing]
-["The Time Is Now" plays] -[crowd cheers]
I'm here today. Dude, you look different.
That's good though. That's good.
[crowd] ♪ You can't see me My time is now ♪
♪ It's the franchise, boy I'm shinin' now ♪
♪ You can't see me, my time is now ♪
[crowd cheering]
Let's go to work.
[crowd continues cheering]
[crowd roars]
[crowd] ♪ You can't see me My time is now ♪
♪ It's the franchise, boy I'm shinin' now ♪
♪ You can't see me, my time is now ♪
[song ends]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] Cena!
[crowd continues chanting] Cena!
[mouthing] No, no. It's not time for that.
[mouthing] It's time…
for this.
[Nash] Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome the greatest of all time,
the Never Seen 17,
celebrating with each and every one of you here in Lyon
one final time.
He is the last real champion,
John Cena!
[crowd chanting] Cena!
Damn, you are stupid.
[crowd jeers]
Man, you can't do it all alone.
If we don't have the fans, we don't have a show.
[crowd cheers]
They're not gonna get left behind, dude. They set the pace.
All right, we're just here to make it a good time for them.
They're the ones that hold the keys to whether or not you will join our family
and have a career over 25 matches.
Do you understand?
We'll see.
And, dude, when I look at you, I see so much potential,
and I think that's why people get so angry.
We want to root for you. I mean, look at you, man.
You say you want to take this business to new heights,
to places we've never seen before.
But everybody knows you won't put one ounce of effort
to try and really understand what it is we actually do around here.
[crowd cheers]
Because if this young man did his homework,
he would understand that he's not a disrupter,
he's just a wannabe.
[crowd jeers]
You're standing in the ring with one of the original disrupters, homes.
[crowd cheers]
A man who wore jorts and sneakers
even though they said he'd be fired if he did.
A man who changed up championships and pissed off purists.
A man who rapped his way to WrestleMania.
You talking like me now and you knocking people out with the brass knucks,
I was doing that 20 years ago and mine said "word, life."
[crowd cheers]
Logan Paul, that is your first lesson in Basic Thugonomics.
And it is The Maverick, Logan Paul, is nothing more
than a dollar store John Cena.
[crowd jeers]
But no, no, no, no, you have accomplishments.
You say you bring us Netflix.
You say you bring us ESPN.
You claim your influence is responsible for these accolades.
You claim it is your influence that carries us to where we are now.
Your influence is not what it was, and we all know it.
I don't know if you saw, but yesterday I saw a list.
A list of the top 25 influencers in the world.
Your boys were on there.
Druski. What up, Druski?
IShowSpeed was on there.
Kai Cenat was on there.
Your name…
nowhere to be found.
[crowd jeers]
I think it's time I talked to you as a friend and you need to face the facts.
You made videos of stunts and pranks when you were 12.
You dropped a few diss tracks when you were 18,
and now at 30 years old, when you make the front page,
it is for the wrong reasons.
You didn't bring your influence to us.
Your influence is shrinking, and you're desperate,
and now you're searching for a new revenue stream.
You are not here to save wrestling.
You are here to save your own ass.
Shut up.
I'll not shut up because everybody in here is riding this wave.
These people, they do not fear change, dude.
They just see through fake.
[crowd chanting]
[speaks French] Excuse me, I'm sorry.
Uh…
[crowd cheers]
[speaks French] I don't understand, but you chant well.
[crowd cheers]
[speaks French] He doesn't understand because he's stupid.
[crowd boos]
[Paul speaks French] I speak French.
[crowd chanting in French] Shut your mouth! Shut your mouth!
My French isn't… isn't too polished, but I'm not stupid, dude.
I'm real, something that you're not.
You're a gimmick, and until you can be real
and until you can give your heart to this business,
they'll always see you're just a gimmick.
They see through fake,
and everyone is disgusted with you
because we give you opportunity after opportunity after opportunity,
and you give us no respect.
[crowd cheers]
This right here is a teachable moment.
I'ma show you what respect in our family is.
You stay right there.
Where's my boy at? Yeah, right there.
Listen up. Listen up.
You listen, you dumbass. This is important.
Respect.
[crowd chanting]
Respect in our family
is when you're having a bad day and you say some stuff that's hurtful to a person,
they know you're just having a bad day and they give you a pass
because it's all love and it's all good.
And respect, Logan Paul…
Respect is the ability for the next time you see that person…
[Paul] Where you going, John?
Is the next time you see that person is to say, "I'm sorry I was having a bad day
and thank you for being there for me when I most needed you."
Yo, hey.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I was having a bad day.
[child] Yes. Yes.
Thank you so much for being there for me when I needed you most.
I love you too, man.
What did this turn into? This promo segment is a charity case?
John Cena went from Make a Wish to Break a Wish real quick,
and now he's back.
Calling me fake, John.
Yeah, right.
Professional pretender, wrap it up.
Wrap it up? No problem. You asked for this match, ****head.
[crowd jeers]
And now you got it.
You got the disappearer versus the disappointment.
You got the paragon versus the parasite.
You got the greatest of all time versus Logan Paul.
And you asked for this match, and you better polish your game.
You got 24 hours to whip yourself into the best they've ever seen
because if after Sunday they still don't think you're worthy,
you will not save wrestling.
Hell, you won't even ruin wrestling.
Wrestling will ruin you.
[crowd cheers]
["The Time Is Now" plays]
[Cole] Wow.
A little bit of tough love from John Cena here tonight.
[Barrett] Undefeated on the mic,
but don't ever forget that Logan Paul is one punch away
from putting John Cena on his backside.
[Cole] Check in in the locker room area with our own Cathy Kelley.
Yeah, thanks so much, Cole.
I'm here with the Street Profits and B-Fab.
And, guys, tonight you step into a number-one contenders's match
against Carmelo Hayes and The Miz.
Now, after the recent run of success that you both have had,
how do you navigate one of the final hurdles to reclaiming the tag titles?
Look, fam, we one step closer to those titles.
All we gotta do is focus and the dub is ours.
I mean, they're on a little run right now, that's cute.
But at the end of the day, Melo is not him, and Miz is all talk.
[B-Fab chuckles]
Look, they've been running the tag division all of WWE for the last 8 years.
What she's basically saying is B-Fab and the Street Profits are always up
and we want…
[inhales deeply]
[Dallas] Eight years.
That's a long time.
But the blood running through your veins,
does it run through his?
Are you a real…
family?
Because the Wyatt Sicks is.
And when you come for us and fail…
you're gonna find out
if he really is your brother.
[chuckles]
["All Hail The Queen" plays]
[Cole] Number-one contender for the tag titles later tonight.
Meanwhile, it is time for a Women's Tag Team Championship match.
♪ Bow down ♪
♪ All hail the Queen ♪
["The Fury" plays]
[Cole] Oh, wait a minute!
Chelsea Green from behind taking Charlotte out at the knee.
Alba Fyre attacking Alexa Bliss.
[Barrett] Well, moments before this Tag Championship match was about to start,
Chelsea Green's Secret Hervice getting the jump on the tag champs.
[Cole] And Fyre continuing to work on the leg of Charlotte Flair.
Finally, officials are out here trying to separate these… these two teams.
They're supposed to battle for the tag titles.
[Cole] Well, this is an impromptu
-one-on-one matchup underway. -[bell rings]
[Cole] Chelsea Green versus Alexa Bliss.
And Alexa with a Thesz Press hammering away on Green.
[Barrett] I mean, the fact that this is a singles match is an utter disgrace,
-Michael Cole. -A disgrace?
Wait a minute. The number one contenders Green and Alba Fyre…
[Barrett] Uh-oh.
…got a little too cute as they attacked Charlotte Flair and her injured knee,
before the match even got underway, trying to gain an unfair advantage.
But they did so much damage.
Charlotte can't compete.
They lost their tag team championship opportunity.
Now there's a one-on-one match.
[Barrett] Nicholas Aldis should've made this a two-on-one tag championship match.
-Should've been a handicap. -My God.
[Barrett] Bliss should be defending this on her own.
[Cole] You've been working with Tess for way too long.
-Nonsense. -You sound like an idiot.
[Barrett] We should go on strike. We're in France.
They love going on strike.
Let's do it now in support of Chelsea Green.
[Cole] And Alexa Bliss out of harm's way. Nice takedown of Green.
And Alexa all fired up after she watched her tag-team championship partner,
Charlotte Flair, get hauled out of the arena
after the assault by Chelsea and Alba Fyre.
[Barrett] Well, Alexa Bliss was taken out two weeks ago by Chelsea
and the Secret Hervice was not available last week,
not medically cleared. And clearly now, taking that out on poor Chelsea Green,
who came here for a tag championship match.
[Cole] Piper Niven not here tonight either.
She's not medically cleared to be in France.
As Chelsea Green delivers the right hand to Bliss.
How dare you try to outsmart me.
-[both] Oh! -[Cole] And Alexa makes her pay.
[Barrett] Absolutely fired up is Alexa Bliss right here.
-But perhaps… -Oh!
[Cole] And Chelsea takes control of the former United States Champion.
Wade, come on.
I mean, Chelsea and Alba got too full of themselves.
They got cute. They made a major mistake.
They caused too much damage to Charlotte.
And they cost themself a tag team title opportunity.
How can you defend that?
[Barrett] They didn't cost themselves anything.
Nicholas Aldis cost Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice
their big moment here in Lyon.
And once again, showing major, major issues with Chelsea Green.
He has a horrible bias and he might be the worst GM in history.
[Cole] Maybe Chelsea should act a bit better.
And Green now with a big boot to Bliss and drops her.
I'm not quite sure what a win for Green gets them tonight, Wade.
-I mean… -Well, it just adds further momentum.
[Barrett] When you look at the history between these two,
they took out Bliss two weeks ago.
They pinged Charlotte Flair last week.
Another win here.
And damn, Nick Aldis, are you going to deny them championship shot?
[Cole] I don't… Well, what if Alexa Bliss knocks off Chelsea Green?
Then maybe they completely lose their tag title opportunity.
[Barrett] Well, that would be a disgrace once again
-because… -Bliss Cannonballs through Fyre!
[Barrett] Chelsea Green was not prepared for a singles match,
-so she has a built-in excuse. -[Cole] Oh!
[Barrett] But this is not a woman who needs an excuse now.
Chelsea Green once again firmly in control.
[Cole] You're a fool.
[Cole] Alexa Bliss trying to fight back into this match against Chelsea Green.
But Chelsea's been dominating.
[Barrett] It's been one-way traffic for the past three or four minutes.
And as you can see, Bliss really is fading now.
And going big is Chelsea Green!
[Cole] Missile dropkick, down goes Bliss.
[Barrett] Absolute bullseye but fortuitous roll out of the ring there by Alexa Bliss.
But pounced on immediately.
[Cole] And now Chelsea bouncing Alexa off the announce table, face first.
Yeah, nice being back here with her.
And Green now whipped… Oh, into the barricade!
And Bliss turns things around.
[Barrett] Body of Chelsea Green just contorting around that security barrier.
And you see the look of panic on the eyes of Alba Fyre.
That is a game changing moment.
[Cole] And Bliss, realizing this is her opportunity,
trying to regroup and crawl back into the ring, which she does.
[Barrett] Collapsed upon arrival. And now ripe for the pickings for Chelsea. Ooh.
[Cole] And Bliss gaining momentum.
And down goes Green. And here comes Alexa Bliss.
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] The French are doing our job for us.
[Barrett] Sounds a lot better than your usual…
[Cole] Cover…
-And a kick out at two. You were saying… -Forget that.
[Cole laughs]
And Alba Fyre realizes now that Chelsea's in trouble.
[Barrett] Chelsea is still ticking, however,
one of the most durable superstars we have.
Forget the theatrics, forget the joking around.
Chelsea Green is legit in that ring.
-And immediately turning it back around. -[Cole] Oh!
[Barrett] Beautiful.
[Cole] Cover now by Green to knock off Bliss,
who's got a kick out at two.
Great counter by Chelsea, as it looks like Alexa was gonna go for Sister Abigail.
And know Green looking to climb to the top rope, Bliss back to her feet.
[Barrett] Nice. It's turned into a real war over the past several minutes.
[Cole] Now Green's in trouble, she does not want to be there.
Here comes Bliss!
[Barrett] Feel like Alexa Bliss really is on a mission tonight.
A woman who feels she is wronged and seeking vengeance on behalf…
[Cole] Alba Fyre now trying to get involved.
Alexa made her pay, top rope now for Bliss.
Oh! And went for Twisted Bliss, and Chelsea got her knees up!
And now Green looking for The Unprettier but…
Counter. Went for Sister Abigail, standing switch now by Bliss,
one for Green, one for Bliss, roll up now, shoulders down.
-Got her! -[bell rings]
["The Fury" plays]
[Nash] Here is your winner,
Alexa Bliss!
[Cole] What a performance by Bliss tonight, looking for revenge
after her tag team partner Charlotte Flair was taken out.
And the Secret Hervice…
[Barrett] Total disaster for Chelsea Green,
who came here tonight to claim gold and simply did not get the chance.
[Cole] Alexa Bliss victorious here tonight.
Now Alba Fyre with a kick from behind, dropping Bliss.
[Barrett] The bitterness now oozing out of the Secret Hervice.
[Cole] Yeah, they're not done here.
Chelsea Green, Alba Fyre, 2-on-1 assault of Alexa Bliss.
And Charlotte Flair limping out here on one leg
to come to the aid of her partner.
[Barrett] This can't be wise at all.
You're not at 100% against Chelsea and Alba Fyre.
[Cole] Yeah, but you got to give Charlotte Flair a hell of a lot of credit.
Out here on one leg to defend the honor of her tag team partner.
[Barrett] All the drive in the world and doing damn well here until…
[Cole] The Unprettier
by Green to Charlotte Flair.
[Barrett] Ugly looking. Face first.
And now this gory facebuster for good measure.
[Cole] And Green and Fyre again send a message
to the banged up tag team champions.
[Barrett] And that championship opportunity
has to be coming their way soon.
[Cole] Let's go to Cathy Kelley.
Yeah, guys. I am here with Sami Zayn.
And Sami, it feels like since you've returned to SmackDown,
you've also returned to the most confident version of yourself.
Momentum definitely on your side.
You already have a United States championship match tonight
against Solo Sikoa.
So how are you feeling about the odds of walking out of Lyon as the new champion?
I feel great. You, you really hit it on the head there, Cathy.
I feel like, uh, I feel renewed here on SmackDown.
I feel like that last month or so when I was on Raw,
it really, uh, I just didn't feel like the best version of myself.
I felt,
I don't know, very much in my own head.
And sometimes when you get in your own head like that, you know,
self-doubt starts to creep in.
But I'm not… I'm not feeling any of that tonight.
[crowd cheers]
Honestly, the way I'm feeling tonight
is the way I felt the night I main-evented WrestleMania.
I feel the way I felt when I ended the longest reigning
Intercontinental Championship reign of all time at WrestleMania.
I'm feeling totally confident.
So now it's just time to go out there and do it.
And there's no better place to do it than Lyon.
[speaks French] Because in Lyon, tonight, we'll have a new champion!
[crowd cheers]
-[speaks indistinctly] -Thank you, Cathy.
[Cole] Sami Zayn looking to win his first United States Championship.
-He takes on Solo Sikoa tonight. -[crowd chanting]
Well, Wade, congratulations are in order for obviously a great friend of ours
and his lovely wife, Brandi.
Cody Rhodes and his wife welcoming Leilani Ella Runnels.
Congratulations to Cody and Brandi.
[Black] What do you think was gonna happen now, Priest?
Maybe it's time for me to take off the mask
and show you what hell really looks like,
because obviously, now the violence is going to exacerbate.
But perhaps once I cut off the code of morality from your skin,
I can show the entire world just how misguided and hollow you really are.
And when you sit at home at night. And you feel that pressure on your chest,
and you can't move your arms and you feel paralyzed.
Well, that's me, Damian Priest.
Kneeling on your chest,
whispering, "I warned you."
Damian Priest, we just heard some chilling words from Aleister Black,
very much felt like a threat directed at you.
So I'm gonna cut to the chase.
What is your response?
You know he comes off very educated, you know. He speaks like he's educated.
He dresses like he's educated.
I know he's educated in martial arts because, man, he cracked my jaw.
That's all good, and I know he wants to be like me.
But he's not.
See, I don't make empty threats.
Threatening me with violence proves to me how unprepared he is for this fight.
But that's okay, Cathy, because I'm gonna teach him.
Aleister,
I'm gonna teach you what it is to be like me,
where I'm from, who I am.
And I'm gonna teach you a lot about pain.
See, at some point, you and I are gonna square up in the ring again,
and I'm gonna be smiling like this.
Because I'm gonna enjoy
every bit of violence that I inflict on you.
Michael, Wade, back to you guys.
[Cole] Thanks, Damian. Great job.
You should be sitting on my right tonight.
["I Am" plays]
[Barrett] I'd gladly trade places with him, trust me.
[Cole] You'd rather get in a fight with Aleister Black than sit out here with me?
[Barrett] I would sit in the back talking with Cathy Kelley.
Nobody would be punching me and I wouldn't have to hang out with you.
And I could probably eat banoffee pie because they've got it in catering.
[bell rings]
[Nash] The following contest is scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first from Fontana, California,
Michin!
[Cole] What an opportunity for Michin tonight.
If Michin can knock off
the official representative of the United States Champion Giulia, Kiana James,
Michin may earn herself a championship opportunity.
Michin, James live next.
Michin could punch her ticket to a United States Championship opportunity
if she can knock off Kiana James.
["The Highest" plays]
[Nash] And her opponent,
accompanied by the women's United States Champion,
Giulia from Sioux City, Iowa,
Kiana James!
[Cole] So Kiana James, the official representative of Giulia,
known for her business acumen.
At one point in her life,
she was voted one of the America's top young business achievers.
But is it a smart business move, Wade, for Kiana to put herself
in her first ever match on SmackDown?
Where if Michin wins, she gets an opportunity perhaps at the title.
[Barrett] Yeah, she's effectively playing roadblock.
She's here to assist the career of Giulia,
help Giulia navigate the business and cultural difficulties
Giulia may find being in business in the US.
But here's the thing about Kiana James.
Mega brain businesswoman, yes.
But also a former tag champion in NXT alongside Fallon Henley.
And one look at this businesswoman and her physique,
you can tell this woman can go in the ring too.
There are many sides to Kiana James.
[Cole] An all-American a number of times over in gymnastics
mentioned her business savvy as well.
And for Michin, another great opportunity, Wade.
She's yet to hold a singles championship here in WWE,
looking for another opportunity to stop that streak.
[Barrett] Yeah, Michin, a lot of bad luck over the years, has been focused…
-[bell rings] -…at times, alongside B-Fab
in the tag division.
[Cole] Look at Kiana James, looking to use that purse in a…
as if it's a briefcase… And Michin just like that
picks up the victory.
[Nash] Here is your winner,
Michin!
[Cole] And earns herself a title opportunity, the champ not happy.
Giulia now attacking, along with James, Michin here.
[Barrett] Well, that is just an embarrassment for Kiana James,
whose strategy went horribly wrong there, the plan clearly with that loaded purse.
Do it!
[Cole] And Giulia with a knee right to the face of Michin
driving her out of the ring.
[Barrett] Arrivederci right to the jaw.
And that victory may well be something Michin regrets.
How badly do you want that championship opportunity now?
[Cole] And Giulia just assaulting Michin here.
[Barrett] Oh, this is something we have not seen from Giulia so far.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God, no.
-[crowd booing] -You wanted this!
You wanted this!
[Cole] Oh, God!
[screams]
[Cole] There is a reason this woman was nicknamed the Beautiful Madness.
And we got a small sample of that tonight.
Giulia irate.
[speaks Japanese]
[Cole] And a vicious assault on a woman who wants to come after her title.
[speaks Japanese]
Who do you think you are, huh?
[Cole] Well, ladies and gentlemen, after an RKO out of nowhere last week,
Drew McIntyre is here live and, from what we understand, he's going to address
the viper Randy Orton on SmackDown.
Lyon, tonight on the Rhône River, the food capital of the world
and now the sports entertainment capital of the world,
hosting Friday Night SmackDown.
First time we've been in France since Backlash, May of 2024.
-["Gallantry" plays] -[crowd cheers]
-[screams] -[crowd cheers]
[Nash] Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome
Drew McIntyre!
[Cole] Well, the man who, a couple of weeks ago,
took out Cody Rhodes via a Claymore through the announce desk,
but last week, things are a bit different when it came to Drew McIntyre, Wade.
But, Cody, I've done you a favor.
The WWE Championship, hold it tight.
-You've got no friends left in WWE. -[crowd cheers]
I'll tell you this, normally at the top--
[Barrett] But Drew got that very wrong because one very dangerous friend
struck with an RKO out of nowhere
sending the packed out Dublin crowd into raptures
and shutting Drew McIntyre up, at least until tonight.
Randy around here?
-Is he hiding behind the barricades? -[music end]
He slip under the ring?
No?
Michael Cole, you're always kissing Cody Rhodes's arse.
-Any medical update? -Nope.
Nope. Didn't think so.
-Bonjour! -[crowd cheers]
-[Barrett speaks indistinctly] -[Cole] Yes.
[crowd chanting, singing]
Randy, if you want to face me like a man, I'll fight you.
I just want to talk.
So give France what they want. Get out here and let them sing your song.
[crowd cheers]
♪ I hear voices in my head ♪
♪ They counsel me, they understand ♪
♪ They talk to me… ♪
-["Voices" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[crowd] ♪ You got your rules And your religion ♪
♪ All designed to keep you safe ♪
♪ But when rules start getting broken ♪
♪ You start questioning your faith ♪
♪ I have a voice that is my savior ♪
♪ Hates to love and loves to hate ♪
♪ I have a voice that has the knowledge ♪
♪ And the power to rule your fate ♪
♪ I hear voices crying ♪
♪ I see heroes dying ♪
♪ I taste blood that's drying ♪
♪ I feel tension rising ♪
♪ I hear voices in my head ♪
♪ They counsel me, they understand ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
♪ They tell me things that I will do ♪
♪ They show me things I'll do to you ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
♪ All the lawyers are defenseless ♪
♪ All the doctors are diseased ♪
♪ And the preachers all are sinners ♪
♪ And the police just take the grease ♪
♪ All you judges, you are guilty ♪
♪ All the bosses I will fire… ♪
-[cheering] -[fan] Randy! Randy!
♪ And politicians all are liars ♪
♪ I see darkness falling ♪
♪ I hear voices calling ♪
♪ I feel justice crawling ♪
♪ I see faith has fallen… ♪
[mouthing] Wait for it…
[crowd] ♪ I hear voices in my head ♪
♪ They counsel me, they understand ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
♪ They tell me things that I will do ♪
♪ They show me things I'll do to you ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
♪ They talk to me… ♪
[crowd cheers, applauds]
[music continues]
[crowd] ♪ I hear voices crying ♪
♪ I see heroes dying ♪
♪ I taste blood that's drying ♪
♪ I feel tension rising ♪
♪ I hear voices in my head ♪
♪ They counsel me, they understand ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
♪ They tell me things that I will do ♪
♪ They show me things I'll do to you ♪
♪ They talk to me ♪
-[music continues] -[crowd cheers]
[music ends]
[crowd chants] Randy! Randy! Randy!
Now, wasn't that special?
-[crowd boos] -Yeah! Yeah, it was.
Now, Randy, if you'll indulge me for two minutes,
I've got something to say, and I've got a feeling if you listen to me,
you're gonna see things my way.
If you attacked me last week for you, that's fine.
If you attacked me last week
because you're embarrassed about SummerSlam,
that's fine too.
You did pick Jelly Roll as a tag team partner, to be fair.
But if you attacked me
because you think Cody Rhodes is your friend…
that's not fine at all.
Cody is nobody's friend.
He doesn't know how to be friends with people.
He's a liar, a manipulator, a politician.
Let me… I did say hear me out as long as you're listening.
When you were out for two years,
major back surgery,
I guarantee Cody was in constant contact with you,
always on the phone, checking in.
And you gave him all the details about what was going on with your recovery.
And, Randy, that wasn't friendship.
That was intel to use against you.
You remember what happened at King of the Ring in the final, yeah?
When Randy Orton hesitated to punt Cody Rhodes in the head
because he's your friend.
Well, Cody didn't hesitate. He went right for your back.
He attacked your back because he knew how to hurt you,
and he knew how to hurt you because you told him, Randy.
You gave him the answers.
[crowd boos]
You know it's true. And you know it's true, Randy.
At this point-- look at me, Randy. I can see you thinking.
At this point, if you believe he's your friend,
you're naive.
Randy, at this point, if you believe Cody Rhodes is your friend,
you're an idiot.
[crowd boos]
[crowd chants] RKO! RKO! RKO!
You, Drew, you make a very compelling argument.
You do.
I'll have to give that some thought,
but if you think that I dropped your ass last week for Cody,
you're… you're wrong.
I dropped you last week, Drew…
because I think you're a ****.
[crowd exclaiming]
[Cole] Oh!
And a Glasgow kiss headbutt from McIntyre to Orton.
-Randy got a bit too close. -[crowd boos]
[Barrett] Well, to be clear, last week was a sneak attack on McIntyre.
It's a very different story this week.
McIntyre measuring Randy Orton,
looking to Claymore Orton back to the States.
Nobody home! Randy able to move out of harm's way.
[Barrett] Crazy reactions and reflexes of the Viper saved the day right there.
And now awakening the worst thoughts in the mind.
[Cole] Orton's got McIntyre where he wants him.
Vintage Orton with a draping DDT!
[Barrett] And those mind games of McIntyre just bounced off the Viper
and pulled out the worst demons.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Randy going to that place where he hears the voices stalking,
targeting McIntyre.
Now, uh, security…
on with some officials heading in from the back
to prevent this from going even further.
[Barrett] McIntyre just seconds away from tasting an RKO
two weeks in a row, and thank goodness, the security got here in time.
[Cole] Now they've got to get Randy out of here.
[Barrett] Good luck with that.
-[Cole] Randy! RKO! -[crowd cheers]
Everybody!
-[crowd cheers] -[Cole] Oh, no!
[Barrett] Hurricane!
[Cole] An RKO to Hurricane!
[Barrett] Nobody is safe when the Viper sees red.
[Cole] And now McIntyre…
-[Barrett] Oh, no. No! No! -[Cole] …is a sitting duck!
A sitting duck! Orton gonna punt McIntyre!
And Drew McIntyre rolling out of harm's way.
And Drew just saved himself.
[Barrett] Saved his own career too in the process.
["Voices" plays]
[Barrett] The most dangerous move in history of WWE.
Milliseconds away from connecting with McIntyre's skull.
You might not like me, but I'm real!
Nice headbutt!
-[crowd cheers] -[Hayes] What up, Miz?
Yeah!
-I just wanna talk to you real quick. -All right.
Look, what happened the last two weeks, tonight, that can't happen again.
You're stealing my wins.
What is your problem? We're winning!
You've won more in the past two weeks than the entire time I was gone.
Mike, don't play that.
You won more in the last two weeks than you have in a full year…
-[groans] -…with me as your partner.
So who's really helping who?
This isn't a you or me thing. This is an us thing.
Together, we're a team. We share our glory.
We win tonight, you get a shot at a title.
Isn't that what you wanted to be, a champion?
-Yeah. -This… This doesn't happen often.
This is magic.
We have lightning in a bottle, and you just want to throw it all out.
You need to harness it!
Man, together. We're a team.
We are Melo Don't Miz,
and we are…
-Awes-Him! -[Bo Dallas] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
There's always different perceptions.
But perception isn't reality.
I am.
Can you handle that? [smacks lips]
Don't write a reality check that you can't cash.
[chuckling]
-Hey, we got this. -Yeah.
-We got this. -Okay.
All right.
["We Want Smoke" plays]
[Cole] I'll tell you what, maybe Miz should counsel Carmelo Hayes
a little bit about what the Wyatt Sicks are all about.
Miz has been through a lot with them.
♪ Meet us here right in the middle ♪
♪ We comin' and poppin' it off ♪
♪ Tonight is the night we deliver ♪
♪ And no we not takin' no losses… ♪
[crowd chanting]
♪ Want smoke in the Street with the Profits ♪
♪ We here to come And get our hands dirty ♪
♪ You better approach us with caution ♪
♪ When you see the smoke You know there's fire in the building… ♪
[bell rings]
[Nash] The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, accompanied by B-Fab,
with a combined weight of 492 pounds,
Angelo Dawkins, Montez Ford,
The Street Profits!
[Cole] Well, the Profits not only want the smoke,
they want their tag team titles back.
But in order to do that,
they've got to knock off Melo Don't Miz.
Number one contender tag match up next on SmackDown.
♪ When you see the smoke You know there's fire in the building ♪
♪ When you see the smoke You know there's fire in the building… ♪
[music ends]
I understand everything you're going through,
but security guards again, Randy?
[stammering] Nick, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Listen, sometimes it's just more fun to be bad.
Here, I got a gift for you.
It's Fireball, best whiskey in America. Enjoy.
[sighs]
[crowd cheers]
You gonna drink this, Nick?
After the day I've had, Truth? Yes. Yes, I am.
Ain't got nothing else?
My bad.
[Cole] Hey, Nick, don't be afraid to send some of that down here.
-["We Want Smoke" playing] -[crowd chanting]
♪ These four corners, I don't know you ♪
♪ Put respect upon the name Get 'em, get 'em up ♪
♪ I ain't tryna hold you ♪
♪ Our bank account get to beatboxing ♪
♪ Hit you right up in the sweet spot ♪
♪ We all in, you be in the wind ♪
♪ When the smoke clears See The Street Profits ♪
♪ When you see the smoke… ♪
[Cole] The Street Profits have this capacity crowd on its feet.
[Barrett] Always party time when this crew is in town.
And victory tonight, this place is gonna explode
because the Street Profits will book themselves
a tag title match against the Wyatt Sicks.
["I Came to Play" playing]
♪ Time for you to get down On your knees and pray ♪
♪ Say goodbye to the good old days ♪
♪ They're never coming back Watch your future fade ♪
♪ I came to play, get my dues paid… ♪
["Melo Don't Miss" plays]
♪ 'Cause I'm the greatest Ain't no hating, I'm the best here ♪
♪ You want your shot? Well, I guess you wait till next year ♪
♪ I'm at the top Get respect while I get feared ♪
♪ Who go a problem, huh? Tell 'em to step here ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm the greatest No arguing or debating… ♪
[Nash] And their opponents with a combined weight of 431 pounds,
Carmelo Hayes, The Miz,
Melo Don't Miz!
[Cole] Won't be the first time ever these two tag teams go head-to-head,
and, man, there's a lot on the line.
The winner will take on the Wyatt Sicks this coming Sunday at Clash in Paris.
Melo seemed to be a bit upset, Wade, over the fact that Miz, in his mind,
has stolen the victory for his team the last couple of weeks.
Miz put a pretty good political spin on it.
[Barrett] No, not at all.
Miz won the match for the team two weeks in a row,
which is why they've got themselves to this position.
And Carmelo Hayes, it's the folly of youth, it's petulant,
but ultimately he is a winner right now because of his mentor The Miz.
And Carmelo Hayes needs to get his head in the game quickly
-and start listening to the veteran. -[bell rings]
[Cole] Melo Don't Miz knocked off the Motor City Machine Guns
and Fraxiom over the past couple of weeks to earn this opportunity tonight.
Montez Ford will start things off against The Miz.
Street Profits, of course, former three-time Tag Team Champions.
They also won the tag titles at NXT.
[Barrett] Yeah, well, Europe has been very kind
to the Street Profits in 2025.
They actually won tag gold in Barcelona, back on the tour in March.
It would appear this continent loves The Street Profits.
[Cole] Remember, it was the Wyatt Sicks who took the tag team gold
away from the Profits back in July.
Double team now by Dawkins and Ford, and Miz planted face first!
And now the powerhouse of the team, Angelo Dawkins.
[Barrett] Talked about the hot streak that Melo Don't Miz are on.
The Profits also got a couple of victories--
-[Cole] Tag! -[Barrett] …in recent weeks against DIY
and then last week, shockingly, against The MFTs.
-So two teams that are red-hot right now. -[Cole] Oh!
Angelo Dawkins bowling his way through both Melo and Miz.
Now into the corner, that corkscrew splash by Angelo Dawkins.
Now to the other side, that step-up enzuigiri
-caught him in the side of the head. -[crowd] Siu!
[Barrett] We talk about the power game of the Street Profits.
That really has been the difference maker since they returned at the Royal Rumble.
They are the biggest and strongest team in the division.
[Cole] What a right hand. Miz now trying to get involved.
[Barrett] Know how to use it to their advantage,
and once again The Miz playing distraction.
A beautiful execution from Melo.
[Cole] A little twist on the Nothing But Net as Melo takes control.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] Melo! Melo!
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] This crowd has been electric tonight.
Raucous all night long in Lyon, France for Friday Night SmackDown.
And Angelo Dawkins now trying to fight through.
Trying to make a tag. Almost there.
Melo trying to hang on.
Remember the winner of this matchup gets the Wyatt Sicks for the tag titles
at Clash in Paris Sunday.
Big right hand by Dawkins.
Melo taken out!
[Barrett] Well, it's been all Melo Don't Miz
for the past few minutes, but that has finally brought an opportunity
for Dawkins to get in the fresh and explosive Montez Ford.
[Cole] Dawkins trying to drag to the corner.
Melo trying to prevent Dawkins from making the tag.
Instead, tags Miz. Here comes Montez Ford.
And the pace of this match is gonna pick up.
What a crossbody!
[Barrett] Just ludicrous levels of height from Montez Ford
and now dropping the hammer.
[Cole] And there's the clothesline to The Miz.
The uber-athletic Montez Ford.
[Barrett] Gutsy, heroic, valiant and damn good.
Off the back suplex into the kip up, and Montez Ford's in control.
[Barrett] Couple of kings of the tag game here in WWE.
[Cole] Wow! Standing moonsault by Ford. Kick out by Miz.
[Barrett] Check that height of this leap from Montez Ford
coming crashing down on the sternum of The Miz,
who hasn't looked the same since.
[Cole] And Miz will drive Dawkins to the floor.
Ford going to make him pay with a step-up enzuigiri.
Miz now… Face-first goes Ford off the DDT.
-[Barrett] That speaks volumes for the… -[Cole] Cover! Both legs hooked.
-Kick out by Ford. -[Barrett] …durability of The Miz.
It tells you exactly why that man has won so many championships
in his career and may be well heading towards
another opportunity this Sunday if he can put Montez Ford away here.
[Cole] And he's calling for the Skull-Crushing Finale.
That is one Miz-- Oh, a little payback, maybe.
[Barrett] But Montez Ford didn't see it. It could be crucial, here.
[Cole] Yeah, Melo is the legal man. Montez Ford taking Miz out.
Ford now going to head up top, but Miz isn't legal.
Melo in the other corner! From the Heavens, Ford!
[Barrett] Ford thinks he's got it won!
[Cole] Splash by Melo!
It looked like the McDonald's arches!
Cover and a kick out at two…
-[Barrett groans] -[Cole] …by Montez Ford!
[Barrett] What an astounding series of events.
Montez Ford From the Heavens against the illegal man, Miz
when the legal man, unbeknownst to Montez Ford,
Melo hits the splash, and somehow Tez keeps cooking.
[Cole] Wade, you've been bragging for months about
how competitive this tag team division is here on Friday Night SmackDown.
-You weren't kidding! -[Barrett] It's absolutely bananas.
A seven or eight team brawl who can beat each other at any moment in time.
But we need a winner tonight ahead of Clash in Paris.
But Miz wants that tag.
[Cole] Both men down. Miz wants in the matchup.
So does Angelo Dawkins.
-What the hell? Oh, my God! -[Barrett] Oh, my God!
[Cole] Get the hell-- Stop! Why are you grabbing me?
[Barrett] Get off me! Oh, my God.
The Wyatt Sicks.
Well, they've thrown Miz for a loop.
[Cole] Thrown me for a loop.
And Miz completely distracted by Uncle Howdy and…
[Barrett] Just when Melo needed the tag too.
[Cole] …Lumis and--
And now there's the double team, the Revelation.
And the Street Profits will face the Wyatt Sicks at Clash in Paris.
["We Want Smoke" plays]
[Nash] Here are your winners,
The Street Profits!
[Cole] Get out of his way.
[Barrett] I feel like I've lost the ability to talk
with these weirdos near us.
[Cole] You want to say that a little louder?
[Barrett whispering] Nikki Cross is sat right in front of us.
[Cole] Well, again, you know, Miz completely distracted
and The Street Profits took advantage.
The Revelation delivered.
[Barrett] And that was right when Melo needed that tag,
the distraction from the Wyatt Sicks,
who will now go on at Clash in Paris this Sunday
to defend the tag championships
against tonight's winners, The Street Profits.
What a banger that promises to be.
[Cole] The Profits, who lost their tag titles a couple of months ago
to the Wyatt Sicks,
have an opportunity to take them back.
[Barrett] Careful what you wish for in this game.
Couple of sleepless nights ahead perhaps for The Street Profits.
[Cole] I got to change my pants after those guys were back here.
[Barrett] Smells like it.
[crowd cheers]
What's up? You heard the news?
What news?
Well, I should have spoke to Nick Aldis.
Because I won last week, I'm number one contender for my title.
Well, then, you're welcome, because if it weren't for me
letting you win last week, then you wouldn't even be in this position.
Girl, cut it. Whatever floats your boat.
I mean, you've been walking around here like you're some huge threat,
like I won't snap you into two.
And you can go ahead and keep telling people that at SummerSlam
if it weren't for me and my foot on those ropes
I wouldn't have won,
because we both know that I still would've pulled out that win
because last time I heard,
I'm the one that's been undefeated in 2025.
[scoffs] Undefeated. That's cute.
Now see, I can teach you a thing or two about that.
Now when I beat you, all that dies,
and this fantasy that you and I were ever on the same level.
He's got a chance, huh? He thinks he's got a chance.
Sami thinks he's got a chance. He think he's gonna do it.
He thinks that he could come on to our show and take my title.
Well, it ain't gonna happen.
Because one Spike to the throat. Boom!
Sami, it's over.
One, two, three…
and still the United States Champion.
Solo.
["Worlds Apart" plays]
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
[crowd] ♪ Let's go! ♪
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
[Cole] Tremendous ovation for the number one contender
for the United States Championship.
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
[Cole] Sami Zayn tries to take the title from Solo Sikoa.
Live in our main event. Next on Friday Night SmackDown.
[Cole] The United States Championship
is on the line right now here on Friday Night SmackDown.
Sami Zayn looking to win this title
for the very first time in his illustrious career.
[crowd] ♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
["Taking It All" plays]
♪ We taking it all ♪
[Cole] You know, Wade,
Sami Zayn mentioned earlier that he knew
he was going against the odds here tonight in this matchup,
as Solo Sikoa, of course, flanked by his MFTs.
Calls it My Family Tree.
Talla Tonga, JC Mateo, Tonga Loa.
♪ I have been destined to win Alpha, omega, the end ♪
[Barrett] Solo Sikoa's crew have been embarrassed by Sami Zayn
three weeks in a row now.
Zayn beat Solo in Montreal two weeks ago.
They lost in a Six-Man Tag.
And then last week, Zayn was instrumental in costing the MFTs
in tag action against The Street Profits.
So Solo Sikoa tonight is out for blood.
♪ We kick in the door Dropping you down to the floor ♪
♪ We taking it all ♪
♪ Ready for war, better than ever before ♪
♪ Taking it all ♪
♪ Break down the walls My Bloodline is hard to the core ♪
♪ We taking it all ♪
♪ I am controlling the game You should not step in my lane ♪
♪ We not the same ♪
♪ I am elite, know the name ♪
Solo who took the United States title from Jacob Fatu.
♪ Straight to the top I ascend ♪
♪ Say it again Straight to the top I ascend ♪
[music stops]
[bell rings]
[Nash] The following contest is scheduled for one fall
and is for the United States Championship.
Introducing first,
the challenger from Montreal, Quebec, Canada,
weighing in at 212 pounds,
Sami Zayn!
[crowd cheers]
And his opponent, accompanied by MFT,
from Las Vegas, Nevada,
weighing in at 250 pounds,
he is the United States Champion,
Solo Sikoa!
[crowd boos]
[Cole] Wade, you mentioned the recent history
with Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa,
but let's not forget that it dates back much further than that.
It goes back to the original Bloodline.
Sami Zayn, Solo Sikoa with a long history, and tonight they battle
for the prestigious United States Championship.
It is a title that has been held by over a dozen Hall of Famers in WWE history,
and tonight defended once again in our main event on Friday Night SmackDown.
[Barrett] Yeah, outmaneuvering Solo Sikoa and the MFTs is one thing,
but sooner or later that luck has to run out.
And once again Sami Zayn heavily outnumbered here this evening
with the MFTs prowling the outside of the ring.
[Cole] Oh, Sami's in there in a match against a man
who knocked off Jacob Fatu to win the championship.
And then of course retained the title against Fatu inside a steel cage.
Sami, Solo for the US title.
[Cole] Well, for the third time ever,
Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn are going one-on-one tonight.
Sami beat Solo earlier in the month.
Earlier this year, Solo Sikoa knocked off Sami Zayn.
This is the rubber match, so to speak,
and this is for the United States Championship.
And it has been all Solo Sikoa throughout the break.
[Barrett] And thus far it has to be said
the MFTs prowling the outside of the ring have not got involved.
-Does feel like a question of when… -[Cole] Bang!
…not if.
[Cole] Paying homage to the late great Umaga
as he backs up into the corner.
Cover now to retain. Hook of the leg.
Kick out by Sami Zayn.
[Barrett] This is always Sami Zayn's biggest problem, is naivety,
the fact that he feels he can contest a matchup against these four
in such close proximity.
[Cole] I was doing some research earlier today, Wade,
and I couldn't believe that this is the first title opportunity
of any kind for Sami Zayn since October of last year.
Seems like he's always hovering around the championship picture
but just hasn't had a chance.
[Barrett] I mean, call him what he is. He is the nearly man.
He's nearly at the top of the mountain before slipping down horribly
and starting that climb again.
[Cole] Springboard.
And then knocking Solo over the top rope.
Nice leapfrog by Sami.
And Sami now has got Solo where he wants him.
You see JC Mateo with urgency on his face as he was screaming at Sikoa.
Sami gonna fly!
The champ taken down,
and now Sami Zayn starting to turn things around.
[Barrett] And he took a nasty landing on his lower back in the process,
but clearly getting the worst of it
was the United States Champ Solo Sikoa, who is rocked right now.
And Sami, if he can, needs to pick up the…
-Oh, here we go. -[Cole] You mentioned this earlier,
the official Ryan Tran dealing with Solo Sikoa
and now the double team by the MFTs.
[Barrett] Tonga Loa and JC Mateo,
the one-two whammy and now picking him apart.
[Cole] Spinning Solo by Sikoa!
For the win to retain.
Sami kicked out!
[Barrett] And, like, there is not a person on planet Earth
who did not think that was coming in, including Sami Zayn.
[Cole] And now look at the look of disbelief on the face of Solo Sikoa
over the fact that Zayn kicked out of the Spinning Solo.
-And now! -[Barrett] Wait up!
[Cole] You know who that is. Big Uce, Jimmy Uso is here.
[Barrett] Oh, wow, it's a two-on-one affair on the outside.
And it's a battle Big Jim is losing.
Thanks for coming, Big Jim.
[Cole] Yeah, the two-on-one attack and--
-[Barrett] Uh-oh. Uh-oh! -["Samoan Destroyer" plays]
[Cole] They got backup. The Samoan Werewolf!
-[Barrett] Arise, Talla Tonga. -[Cole] Wade, Wade, over here.
-[Barrett] Oh! -[Cole] Look at this.
[Cole] Fatu from the timekeeper's area, taking out the big Talla Tonga.
[Barrett] Simply could not take Talla Tonga down.
-[Cole] Oh, and Tonga… -[Barrett] Oh, my God.
…driving Fatu into the ring post.
Nobody home!
Face first goes Tonga.
Big kick by Fatu.
Jimmy Uso involved.
[Barrett] Jacob Fatu is a hurricane of violence.
-[Cole] And Sami! Blue Thunderbomb! -[Barrett] Wait up!
[Cole] Off the distraction to win the championship.
And a kick out by Solo at two!
[Barrett] A millisecond away amidst the chaos
from winning the United States Championship.
And we've still got a brawl going on!
[Cole] Fatu driving Talla Tonga out of the WWE universe.
And Jimmy and the rest of the MFTs fighting as well.
[Barrett] About four fights going on.
[Cole] Jimmy taking everybody out.
Meanwhile, the United States Championship match still underway.
Sami's got Solo.
And Solo scoots out of harm's way to avoid the Helluva kick.
[Barrett] Should get his bearings back in a bit.
-[Cole] Whoa, no! -[Barrett] Oh, God!
[Cole] Spinning Solo on the announce table by Solo Sikoa.
[crowd boos]
Zayn and Solo Sikoa battling for the United States Championship
high above the ring here tonight in Lyon, France.
An important part of this matchup,
as Sami somehow tries to fight back in.
He's been defenseless for a number of minutes now.
And now Solo with Sami on his shoulders.
Sami trying to somehow slip through, does.
Sunset Flip Powerbomb!
For the title!
Kick out at two by Sikoa!
[Barrett] Unreal, an ability to pull out moves from the death.
That is the Sami Zayn story.
But the resiliency of Solo Sikoa keeps him alive in this match
after all the brutality that's been thrown at Zayn over the past couple of minutes.
[Cole] Wade, just when you think Sami's out of the fight
and it's over and he has no chance,
he somehow digs down deep and is able to fight back in it
and could be closing in on a United States title victory.
[Barrett] Wasn't born with a quit gene and now zooming in
on trying to put away Sikoa, but took a beat too long.
[Cole] And now Sami lifted up and into a Samoan drop by Sikoa.
-That'll thwart the rally here by Sami. -[Barrett] But look how quickly…
look how quickly Solo Sikoa's moving.
[Cole] 250-pound man to the top rope
with a splash to Sami Zayn.
Zayn is still in it somehow.
[Barrett] Sami Zayn, just when you look like it was gonna be game over,
bullet-point precision right there to the midsection of Zayn.
That valiant nature of Zayn allows him to live on here.
[Cole] And now Solo, he's setting up for the Samoan Spike.
If he hits this, Sami Zayn can just… They can cart him to the back.
They're gonna have to peel him off the mat.
Sikoa. Samoan Spike.
Sami ducks underneath, rolls up Sikoa now.
Chance for the title.
Kick out at two by the champ.
[Barrett] Immediately back to his feet is Solo. But look!
[Cole] Sami, can he pop his hips? He does. Exploder suplex from Sami.
[Barrett] Saw Solo Sikoa desperately trying to block that Exploder.
With so much heart, so much joy and so much support.
[Cole] Sami went for the Helluva kick and ran into a kick from Sikoa.
[Barrett] Expert timing from Solo.
[Cole] Sami ducks underneath.
Helluva kick in the corner!
[Barrett] Oh, God. Oh, God!
[Cole] Another Helluva kick by Zayn.
Can Sami do it?
Can he pull it off?
-Sami Zayn is the United States Champion! -[bell rings]
["Worlds Apart" plays]
[Nash] Here is your winner,
and new United States Champion,
Sami Zayn!
[Cole] For the first time in his highly-decorated career,
Sami Zayn wins the United States title.
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] Sami celebrating here tonight, Wade.
For someone who has come so close for so long, Sami finally pulls it off.
[Barrett] Well, this match should have been over
about five or six times for Sami Zayn,
but he simply has an inability to know when he's beaten.
And that was the second Helluva kick
that won the gold for Sami Zayn against all the odds.
No mountain too high for Sami Zayn.
And Lyon is loving what they just saw.
[Cole] Sami Zayn is your United States Champion.
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪
[crowd cheers] ♪