WWE SmackDown Highlights: Sami Zayn's Impact and Randy Orton's Hypocrisy

HC GreenSat, August 29, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC

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Another episode of SmackDown is in the books, meaning it’s time to look back at the show to identify the highs and lows of an episode that featured the fallout from Sami Zayn interfering in the title match between CM Punk and Kevin Owens.

The Good

WWE / Getty ImagesRandy Orton

While the “no physicality” stipulation is not among my favorites, credit to Orton for leaning all the way into it. He threw anything and everything at the wall to get Cody Rhodes to snap, calling his mom trailer park trash and his wife just plain trashy, and then immediately said Rhodes went too far when he threw out a jab about Randy’s dad, “Cowboy” Bob Orton. He played up being a hypocrite very well. His brief segment with Kevin Owens backstage was also solid, reminding fans about the rivalry they had going before Owens had to step away—even though Owens was a bit too goofy in that segment. Other highlights:

I must admit that Danhausen being a fan and referring to Gunther as “Gooner” was pretty funny. That said, keep that goofy stuff away from the Ring General.

Sami Zayn standing tall over three top guys (and Finn Balor) continues to play up how unhinged and dangerous he has become in his quest to reclaim the title.

The Bad

WWE / Getty ImagesChelsea Green

Two weeks ago, Green was the star of the show, delivering an impassioned promo to Nick Aldis that persuaded Aldis not to strip Green of the championship and to allow her 30 days to get medically cleared to defend her title. Last week, she handed out weak kendo stick shots to Nia Jax and Lash Legend. This week, she’s just…wrestling again? This seems like a complete waste of Green’s promo. Wouldn’t it have been better to see her increasingly desperate to try to get cleared before the 30 days were up to save her championship? Instead, we get her comically overselling her injured orbital bone. It feels like WWE is wasting a good storyline. Other lowlights:

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I wasn’t a fan of Owens’ follow-up to last week, either. The stuff about his mom was heartfelt, and I’m glad he’s still targeting CM Punk, but the big moment that preceded Zayn’s attack was Owens refusing to hit Punk with the belt. I didn’t think it made sense in the moment, and it’s something that KO should have addressed last night. You could have tied the two together and had Owens say he didn’t want to do that in front of his mom or whatever. Instead, nothing.

Lash Legend is getting better in the ring, but there are still times during matches when it looks like she’s moving in slow motion trying to remember what she’s going to do.

Ending the main event of the show with a no contest was disappointing. Yes, it set up things for the future and gave Zayn another chance for the spotlight, but it was also the second time this week WWE ended its show with an outside attack.

The Ugly

WWE / Getty ImagesThe Ghost of Finn Balor

There was absolutely a time when Finn Balor belonged in the main event scene. After years of being booked as a midcard act, however, Balor no longer belongs here. His feud with Punk earlier this year was fine, but I don’t think anyone viewed him as a serious threat to win the belt. It was just that Punk needed something to do on Raw before facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Right now, on SmackDown, the main-event scene is stacked: Punk, Orton, Rhodes, Gunther, Zayn, Owens. Fans don’t view Balor on that level anymore. It’s like the old Sesame Street song where one of these things is not like the others. It’s clear he’s just hanging around to eat a pin from Gunther, so let’s do that and get him into a feud with Damian Priest or something.

Related: WWE Raw Review for Aug. 24: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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