We are a ways into SmackDown now and… well, it hasn’t been the most newsy night to speak of, as you can probably tell by the lack of results posts. But one noteworthy bout saw Braun Strowman, who’s been going after the Intercontinental title of late, face off with the champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match. My name is Jordan Huie, you are here at the Overtimer and as always you can expect see the live recap and results from me, I’ll be with you all night!
But yes, this match came about after several weeks of Strowman making it known that he intends to after the IC title. Meanwhile, Sami Zayn’s group – including Shinsuke and Cesaro – have been doing everything they can to avoid this and thwart his advances towards the title.
You can see my recap of this match below:
Takes him in the corner, unzips the top for a chop to the chest! Throws him to the opposite corner, starts to charge but Sami drags Shinsuke to the floor to save him. Braun pursues, slowly chases Sami into the ring. (He’s not particularly quick tonight, Braun’s a little inconsistent in what he can do physically…)
As Sami distracts the ref, Cesaro posts him and then throws him over the barrier. After a commercial, Shinsuke catches Braun with a flying knee to the face. Braun fights back, big clothesline. Sami tries to distract the ref as Cesaro can grab a steel chair but he turns around in time to catch it. However, this lets Sami throw Shinsuke the Intercontinental Championship. But Braun ducks the shot, nails the Running Powerslam for the victory!
Winner: Braun Strowman
Indeed, Strowman took the win in the end and this will no doubt mean that he is finally officially the No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship.
