Kevin Owens opened tonight’s SmackDown Live from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, reprising his role as the new host of that show’s “The Highlight Reel” segment.
Taking obvious pride in replacing the segment’s previous host- his former best friend Chris Jericho, Owens quickly cut to the chase- making clear his intention to win the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match.
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Owens elaborated that in doing so, he would become not only the New Face of America, but also the New Face of SmackDown Live and of the WWE.
The #NewFaceOfAmerica @FightOwensFight says he will provide @ShinsukeN with the same fate he provided @IAmJericho! #SDLive #HighlightReel pic.twitter.com/JitBBVi1wC
— WWE (@WWE) May 31, 2017
With notably less fanfare, he then troduced his first guest “The Artist,” Shinsuke Nakamura. The next interrupting entrant was Baron Corbin, who insisted on rolling footage on a “highlight reel” of his own- a clip of him beating Sami Zayn. Owens was not impressed, remarking he’s been “beating up Sami Zayn for 15 years.”
As the three began to brawl, Sami made his own surprise entrance to the ring. The always enthusiastic underdog showed his assertiveness and ingenuity, suggesting a tag match between himself and Nakamura versus Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin, in a preview of the six-man match we’ll see in three weeks at Money in the Bank.
Zayn and Nakamura’s styles gelled perfectly, while the more volatile Corbin and Owens were quick to turn on eachother, with Corbin dropping Owens after the two collided in ring. Sami then clotheslined Corbin to the floor, followed by Nakamura hitting a Kinshasa on Owens for the pin.
Winners: Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura
