United States Champion Trick Williams challenged Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of the Oct. 30 SmackDown at the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia. The night needed a disqualification, a restart, and a low blow before Zayn retained. Williams had already beaten Zayn at WrestleMania 42 and again at Backlash, as an earlier look at the rivalry laid out.
Trick Williams Won The First Finish By Disqualification
Lil Yachty walked out with Williams, while Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae accompanied Zayn. Control changed hands several times in the opening stretch, and Williams picked up a near fall with a roll-up. Zayn sent Williams into the ring steps on the floor and later landed a clothesline. Two leg lariats from Williams swung the momentum back.
Late in the original match, Zayn’s corner got involved. Gargano distracted referee Charles Robinson, and LeRae slid the title belt into the ring for Zayn. The belt shot missed, and Williams hit the Book End and went for the cover. Gargano pulled Robinson out of the ring before the count finished, and Yachty took Gargano down at ringside.
Robinson called for the bell, and Williams was announced as the winner by disqualification. The result left the title with Zayn. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis then headed to the ring.
Aldis banned everyone from ringside and ordered the match restarted under No Disqualification rules. The order sent Gargano, LeRae, and Yachty to the back. Weapons came into play quickly once the bell rang again.
Williams struck first with a kendo stick and later hit Zayn with a trash can on the floor. Back inside, a Williams neckbreaker set up more shots with the stick. Chairs went into the ring next, with Williams trying to set up the Book End on top of them.
Zayn countered with a Blue Thunder Bomb onto the chairs, and Williams kicked out. A Trick Shot moments later brought a near fall of its own, as Zayn got a shoulder up. Williams then grabbed the title belt and lined up a swing. Zayn pulled Robinson in front as a shield, then hit a low blow once the referee was clear. A belt shot to the head followed, and the three-count ended the main event.
The Men’s Crown Jewel Championship match between Zayn and Roman Reigns takes place Nov. 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The advertised card for the show does not include Williams or the United States Championship. Williams still holds that title, regained from Baron Corbin at Sunday Night’s Main Event on Sept. 6.
Zayn entered Charleston four days after an impromptu title defense against Je’Von Evans on the Oct. 26 Raw. Reigns had doubted that the current champion would still hold the title by Crown Jewel. Before the Oct. 30 main event, Zayn complained to Cathy Kelley in a backstage interview about fan reaction to the title reign.
During a backstage segment on the Oct. 30 SmackDown, Damian Priest objected to Williams receiving the title match. Priest vowed to force a way into the title picture. FrAxiom confronted Priest over the attack on R-Truth before the segment ended. WWE has not announced a rematch between Williams and Zayn.
End Of My Trick Williams Rant
Williams won the first version of that match. Gargano had to drag the referee out of the ring to stop a three-count, and the bell rang with a disqualification win on the board. Zayn kept the gold on a technicality. The second version needed a human shield, a low blow, and a belt shot to finish the job.
Charleston showed again that Zayn cannot put Williams away in a fair fight. Kicking out of a Blue Thunder Bomb onto steel chairs is not the work of someone who needs more seasoning. The finish was a robbery, not a wrestling lesson, and SmackDown fans watched every second of it.
Whatever happens in Riyadh, Williams belongs next in line. The rematch should come with Gargano, LeRae, and every other helper banned from the building. Priest can wait. One clean match, no shields, and no shortcuts. Williams has earned that much.
