Vince Russo believes Sami Zayn was rattled by the hostile Chicago crowd during the opening of the September 5 edition of SmackDown. Speaking on his BroDown podcast, the former WWE head writer claimed that the United States Champion seemed thrown off by the loud boos and resorted to pandering to the audience.
The segment occurred after John Cena opened the show with a promo for his ongoing “Farewell Tour.” Zayn interrupted to announce his own U.S. Open Challenge, a tribute to the tradition Cena popularized, and challenged Cena to be his first opponent. This invitation was met with a negative reaction from the fans in the Allstate Arena.
“Yeah, bro, I swear to God, if you go back and watch this, Mac, your boy, Sami, was getting rattled by the viewers,” Russo said. “We ain’t in Paris, Sami, we ain’t in freaking Paris. We’re in Chicago. And he was getting freaking rattled, and he so had to go the other way. ‘Oh, these people–‘ Okay, alright, bro.”
Zayn’s challenge led to a United States Championship match against Cena. The contest ended in a no-contest after Brock Lesnar made his first appearance since SummerSlam to interfere.
Lesnar entered the ring and hit both competitors with his finisher, the F-5. Following the attack, Lesnar cut a promo backstage confirming he will face Cena at Wrestlepalooza on September 20. Due to the interference, Sami Zayn retained the United States Championship.
The night held historical significance for Cena, as his farewell appearance took place in the same city as his 2002 WWE debut against Kurt Angle.
The match itself was built as a full-circle moment, with Zayn honoring the U.S. Open Challenge that helped launch his own main roster career. Throughout the bout, Cena paid tribute to his past rivalries by using the signature moves of Angle, Kevin Owens, CM Punk, and Edge.