Ricochet Wins WWE Intercontinental Title On SmackDown
He defeated Sami Zayn Friday night
Ricochet is the new WWE Intercontinental champion, defeating Sami Zayn in the opening match of Friday night's SmackDown in Miami.
The finish of the nine minute bout came after Johnny Knoxville appeared and distracted Zayn, allowing for Ricochet to score the pin following a hurrachanrana into a pinning combination.
After the match, an irate Zayn ranted backstage about the outside interference, and issued the challenge to Knoxville for a match at WrestleMania 38. The two have feuded dating back to before this year's Royal Rumble, and Zayn attacked Knoxville on last week's SmackDown.
The match was Zayn's first defense of the Intercontinental title. He kicked off his third reign with the belt after defeating Shinsuke Nakamura on a SmackDown broadcast taped three weeks ago in New Orleans (which aired the night before the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view).
For Ricochet, the win marks his first reign as WWE Intercontinental champion. He becomes the first man to hold all three of WWE's current men's secondary titles, previously reigning as NXT North American champion and WWE United States champion.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
