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Sami Zayn Retains U.S. Title Against 21-Year-Old NXT Star On WWE SmackDown

By Ahmed Hamdy • Published Sep 26, 2025 21:57 EDT
Sami Zayn US Champion WWE

Sami Zayn has another successful title defense on WWE SmackDown.

A few weeks ago, the former Honorary Uce officially moved from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown. He quickly captured the United States Championship by defeating Solo Sikoa on the August 29 episode of the blue brand.

On the September 5 episode, Zayn asked John Cena for permission to revive his United States Championship open challenge. He also requested that The Never Seen 17 be his first challenger for the title.

Although Cena accepted, their match ended in a no-contest as Brock Lesnar made a surprise appearance to take out both superstars before announcing his match against Cena at Wrestlepalooza.

Je’Von Evans Answered Sami Zayn’s Open Challenge On Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Over the past two weeks, Sami Zayn continued to hold his United States Championship open challenge. The 40-year-old successfully defended his title against Rey Fenix and Carmelo Hayes.

As he headed to the ring tonight to wait for his next challenger, Zayn was surprised that Je’Von Evans was the one who answered his open challenge. The United States Champion was seen advising the 21-year-old during his recent appearances on NXT.

Evans put on a hard fight and was even close to beating Zayn on multiple occasions during the match. However, the veteran champion succeeded in defeating the young NXT star to retain his title. After the match, Zayn showed respect to Evans and raised his hand.

Also read:Huge WWE Star Returns To SmackDown After 28 Days; Takes Out Drew McIntyre