Sami Zayn credits Jamie Noble for Intercontinental match ending at WWE Clash of Champions
The last pay-per-view in WWE was Clash of Champions, which was a show stacked with exciting matches with almost all main roster titles on the line. One of the matches saw Sami Zayn face off against Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles to determine the "real" Intercontinental Champion.
Zayn, who had returned to WWE at the end of August, proclaimed to be the real champion, after he was stripped of the title during his hiatus. This set up a match between Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, Sami Zayn, and former champion AJ Styles, at Clash of Champions, in a ladder match.
Zayn emerged as the winner following an exciting match, when he handcuffed both of his competitors and climbed the ladder to retrieve the title.
Sami Zayn reveals the brainchild behind the innovative end to the Intercontinental match
Sami Zayn, in an interview with Metro, revealed that former WWE Superstar and backstage producer Jamie Noble, was the one who came up with the idea for the finish. He called Noble a "genius" and said that the former Cruiserweight Champion doesn't get the credit he deserves:
"I wish I could take all the credit for that, but actually Jamie Noble’s a real genius. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves."
Zayn said that he was proud of the outcome of the match and that it had a bit of everything:
"I think it was a really good match, and I’m really proud of it. It had what I like about wrestling, which is a little bit of everything. There was a lot of character work, there was a lot of just good in ring action, some spectacular stunts, and some dramatic storytelling. That’s the cocktail I like about pro wrestling. I like when many different elements come together, and that’s what I feel like that match was, for me."
The match did deliver on all counts as it had fantastic storytelling and great in-ring work from three of the most talented in-ring technicians in WWE. It's unlikely that this rivalry will be run back again as both AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy have moved to RAW, while Sami Zayn has remained on SmackDown.