8-time WWE champion returns to SmackDown; match ends abruptly

8-time WWE champion returned to SmackDown! [Image credit: WWE
8-time WWE champion returned to SmackDown! [Image credit: WWE's X account]

WWE SmackDown takes place in Australia a day before Crown Jewel in Perth. Meanwhile, a major return took place when Sami Zayn issued his United States Open Challenge.

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Last year, Shinsuke Nakamura returned to the Stamford-based promotion and targeted LA Knight on Friday Night SmackDown and turned heel. After feuding with the 42-year-old WWE star, Nakamura won the title from Knight and went on to have a decent reign as champion before losing the title back to The Megastar ahead of WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.

After months of hiatus from the weekly product under the Triple H-led creative from June 2025, Shinsuke Nakamura returned to Friday Night SmackDown ahead of Crown Jewel in Perth. The King of Strong Style accepted the challenge and became Sami Zayn's mystery opponent for the United States Championship.

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In the match's final moments, Nakamura was close to securing a win. However, Solo Sikoa and the MFT appeared and attacked the challenger and the champion to abruptly end the match without a definitive winner.

Sami Zayn has a history with Shinsuke Nakamura in WWE

In 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura made his debut for the Stamford-based promotion under the old regime, and Sami Zayn was his first opponent. The two walked a very different path for years before forming a trio with Cesaro on the same brand.

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In 2020, the trio feuded with Braun Strowman and helped Zayn capture his first Intercontinental Championship. After Sami Zayn went on a hiatus following WrestleMania 36, Cesaro and Nakamura continued their partnership.

Later, the duo won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but cut ties with Sami Zayn following his return. While the match ended without a winner, it's clear that Nakamura and Zayn have to get on the same page if they intend to take on MFT in the coming weeks on Friday Night SmackDown.

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Edited by Aakaansh Sukale
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