[SOUND] >> Ring that bell.
[SOUND] >> [NOISE]
>> Who can forget what Sami Zayn has
accomplished in his WWE career.
He's a very, very accomplished superstar.
>> He's gonna win his first championship on SmackDown.
And did not want to go toe to toe against Braun, and here comes Shinsuke.
>> One of the most lethal strikers ever in sports entertainment.
Shinsuke Nakamura and- >> Come on, look,
he's going right out after Sami Zayn.
>> [NOISE] >> Yeah,
does that answer your question yet, Cole?
That Sami Zayn's mind games are working perfectly on Braun Strowman.
>> Again, the head perhaps of Braun Strowman to the point of obsession.
Nakamura and Cesaro and Zayn must tag in and out of this match up.
Uh-oh, didn't work out too well for Nakamura there.
>> Misses wildly, right hand,
Nakamura ducks underneath again and into a wall.
>> My goodness.
The impact by Strowman,
thunderous clothesline from the Intercontinental Champion.
>> Strowman said it took me four and
a half years to get the coveted Intercontinental Championship.
I'm not gonna let these three men take it from me and
a head butt driving Nakamura back to the corner.
>> There's no doubt about it, Braun Strowman fought long and
hard to achieve the success he's- >> [NOISE]
>> To achieve the success he's reached
at WWE.
Braun will fight to his very last breath to defend his
Intercontinental championship, but this is such a dangerous trio.
The in ring acumen of all three competitors.
Nakamura with a psychological warfare.
Cesaro pound for pound, the strongest man in WWE.
>> What a splash in the corner and the great liberator leading a charge.
>> See, again Sami Zayn drawing Strowman toward the corner, and
Zayn getting out of harms way.
>> And Nakamura right to the knee.
>> Don't paint your narrative, Cole.
Sami Zayn didn't lure Strowman into the corner.
Braun can't pay attention to the task at hand.
Braun is obsessed with Sami Zayn.
>> Been trash talking him the whole night as Zayn and now Cesaro,
the Swiss Cyborg with a wicked uppercut, and now Cesaro goes to work on Strowman.
>> Maybe Braun should get some thicker skin.
>> Magnificent right hand connects.
>> [LAUGH] Come on.
It was a cheap shot.
Tag made, here comes Zayn.
And now Sami Zayn with Strowman down and in trouble,
will finally get involved in this matchup.
>> Three!
Get off the damn floor!
>> That's right, baby.
>> Look at the physique on Sami, clearly he's been working out.
>> Tag made, here comes Nakamura.
Funny how Strowman got back to the knee and
Sami Zayn tagged his way out of the matchup.
>> Sami is not a selfish competitior.
>> Look at these knees from Nakamura.
One of those knees connects to the right point,
Strowman's lights will be shut out in a hurry.
>> And again, Nakamura brute leg to the back of the neck of Strowman,
Strowman is in deep, deep trouble here.
>> [NOISE] >> We mentioned it before,
the three world class athletes are in the match, on the other side, and again,
with Strowman down, Sami Zayn comes right back in on the attack.
Right hands, and now, full force of his body into Strowman,
and now laughing about it.
>> A hyena.
>> [NOISE] >> And here comes Cesaro.
And so far things have worked perfectly for Zayn and company Corey,
and a right hand.
>> What else did you expect, Cole?
>> Down goes Strowman, cover by Cesaro.
Hook of the leg.
And if Cesaro had pinned Strowman there, he'd be the Intercontinental Champion,
hence the rules of the matchup.
>> Well technically speaking, Cesaro would be the sole Intercontinental champ.
This is the artist collective.
They're sharing in successes.
>> The artist collective.
>> That's exactly what it is.
>> And here is Zayn.
>> [NOISE] >> Nice jabs.
And Sami Zayn now with the jabs to Strowman,
continuing to toy with the Monster Among Men.
>> [NOISE] >> Now, right again.
And Braun Strowman barely fazed and
scurrying over to Shinsuke Nakamura to make a tag.
>> Nice, Shinsuke looking for a sleeper hold.
>> Yeah, slid off the possible power slam into a sleeper hold.
Strowman now down to one knee.
Nakamura has got it locked in.
>> [SOUND] >> And again if Nakamura gets Strowman to
tap here, Nakamura would once again be the Intercontinental Champion.
Nakamura wearing Strowman down.
Strowman is in trouble, Corey.
>> It's a brilliant strategy, of the artists collective,
Nakamura just squeezing the breath out of Braun Strowman.
No matter how big, or powerful you are, if you can't breathe,
you're not gonna win a fight.
>> And Strowman back to his feet, create separation off the suplex.
And can Braun Strowman somehow rally here?
He was so focused, in the early going of this matchup,
by getting his hands on Zayn.
And it allowed Cesaro and Nakamura to take over.
And now, Strowman with a right hand, trying to make it back to his feet.
There's the shoulder tackle.
And another one by Strowman.
And the monster is now awake.
>> Braun certainly mounting some sort of offense here but remember there are two
other relatively healthy abled bodied competitors on Cesaro's team.
>> Cesaro boot right to the face, Nakamura made the tag.
He is legal.
>> Strowman sends Cesaro flying, and now Shinsuke Nakamura, the legal man and
boom, across the chest.
>> [NOISE] >> Strowman's two thirds of the way there.
Braun has yet to neutralize the Great Liberator.
>> [NOISE] >> Off the rails.
>> Uh-oh, Sami from behind.
>> [NOISE] >> Sami
trying to retreat, trying to run away.
And now Braun Strowman in pursuit.
Down goes Nakamura.
Down goes Cesaro driven into the crowd.
>> [NOISE] >> Yes, is Sami under the ring?
>> I believe so.
>> [NOISE] >> Strowman now.
>> And now Cesaro and Nakamura, again Strowman,
dying to get his hands on Sami Zayn, and it may have caught him.
>> Physically speaking,
I'm not convinced that Braun couldn't have just won the match up.
While Sami was on the run, but Braun is so obsessed with Sami Zayn.
>> Driven into the steps shoulder first, the monster is down.
It's to Braun's own detriment,
his obsession with the Great Liberator.
Now sent back into the ring where Shinsuke Nakamura waits.
>> Uh-oh, Shinsuke could be lining it up.
Here we go.
What a knee, right to the back of the neck.
Is that enough for Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Championship?
Hook of the leg.
Strowman kicks out at two.
>> [SOUND] >> And now Cesaro.
>> This has been such cohesive teamwork.
>> My god.
My god, Cesaro, is he gonna go for the neutralizer on Strowman?
>> Cesaro can do it.
>> Strowman able to counter though.
Cessaro up on his shoulders.
And a- >> Right hand bear paw.
>> And now Zayn from behind saving Cesaro.
And again running away from Strowman.
Shoulder first to the post.
Cesaro driving Strowman into the post.
Look out, look out.
My God, Kinshasa into the ring post.
Strowman is down and out, a Kinshasa by Nakamura.
Tag made.
Now Zayn is legal.
Sami Zayn is the legal man.
Strowman has no idea where he's at after the Kinshasa.
>> [NOISE] >> We're gonna see
a repeat from last week.
>> [NOISE] >> Double suplex.
Helluva Kick.
Down goes Strowman.
Sami Zayn into the cover.
Shoulders are down, hooks the leg, Zayn has won the Intercontinental Title.
[MUSIC]
>> Here's your winner and
the new Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn.
>> It doesn't matter Cole, you look like you're gonna vomit.
>> I may.
>> Sami Zayn is the new Intercontinental Champion.
He's spent the entire match running away from Braun Strowman.
>> Why are you so mad?
The fact is Sami Zayn won the match.
You didn't have to likw the strategy, but it works.
Sometimes brains beat brawn, and tonight, brains beat Braun Strowman.
>> [NOISE] >> Congratulations to the Great
liberator and to Nakamura and to Cesaro.
>> [NOISE] >> Braun Strowman,
I'm not even sure he knows what hit him.
>> Well to be perfectly fair, the Kinshasa that Nakamura delivered would have turned
the lights out on a Brontasaurus.
>> [NOISE]
[MUSIC]
>> And Zayn is still gloating.
>> He's celebrating.
[MUSIC]
>> Braun's Strowman's bravado was his own downfall tonight.
Look at this once more.
>> Boom.
Nakamura delivering the Kinshasa driving Braun into the ring
pose followed by this triple team double suplex with a Helluva Kick chaser.
Three seconds later,
the Great Liberator has earned the Intercontinental Championship.
>> Did you just say earned the Intercontinental title?
>> I absolutely did, if that picture doesn't inspire you, nothing will.
[MUSIC]
>> Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Sami Zayn is your Intercontinental Champion.
>> I'm gonna get my hands on you.