WWE SmackDown recap, review: Sami Zayn captures Intercontinental Championship

By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst

Sami Zayn regained the Intercontinental title this week on the final WWE Friday Night SmackDown before Elimination Chamber.

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Welcome back to my "Highs and Lows," this time for the 2/18/22 edition of SmackDown featuring a tag team contract signing, Shinsuke Nakamura versus Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns once again face-to-face with Goldberg.

First, here are the match results:

- Ricochet defeated Sheamus via pinfall

- Ivar defeated Jey Uso via disqualification

- Sami Zayn defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall to become the new Intercontinental champion

SMACKDOWN HIGHS

Sami Zayn

This was a title change you should’ve seen coming.

Nakamura’s IC reign has been filled with sporadic entrances to the ring (allegedly due to an injury) and tag matches with Rick Boogs. Meanwhile, Zayn has been one of the best parts of WWE TV for months and appears poised for a big WrestleMania match against Johnny Knoxville.

I also kind of loved the finish and the way they built toward it. Zayn working Nakamura’s knee in various ways throughout, only to inevitably beat him with a basic kick there was simple, yet brilliant.

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Additional points for Sami winning the title clean, rather than cheating. I’m a fan of heels simply outsmarting their opponents occasionally.

Elimination Chamber hype

While SmackDown might have felt slightly uneventful, this episode still did an effective job in promoting Saturday’s Elimination Chamber event.

The contract signing between Rousey/Naomi/Flair/Deville raised the stakes for their tag bout, Drew McIntyre’s passionate promo helped the upcoming Madcap match and Goldberg continued to make fans want to see him lose when he challenges Roman Reigns for the Universal title.

Nothing earth-shattering, but most of the matches on Saturday had been properly built up already, therefore this all sufficed.

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The Undertaker Hall of Fame announcement

This was technically announced Friday morning via WWE digital, but the accompanying video package aired on SmackDown, so it’s fair game.

Undertaker headlining the WWE Hall of Fame class in Texas was a no-brainer — especially once he retired from active competition in 2020 — and this video package does a stellar job reminding viewers of the importance of his legacy. If you haven’t watched it already, enjoy.

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SMACKDOWN LOWS

Rousey to wrestle with arm tied behind her back

I’m not sure what the point of this really is.

Ronda is scheduled to challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania in April and her first match since returning (Rumble excluded) should be treated a bit more seriously, in my opinion.

There’s also not much upside to the most likely outcome, which is Sonya Deville losing to a Superstar who has their arm tied behind their back.

Deville has a fair amount of momentum as she begins to return to competition, so I’d hate to see that all evaporate. A loss like that could send her back to square one.

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Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.