After weeks of hype and tournament matches, a new WWE Intercontinental Champion was crowned on Friday night during WWE SmackDown. The eight man tournament began weeks ago and wound down to AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan in the tournament finals. The match was taped several days ago, and those in the know who saw it said that it was an incredible contest. Those people definitely weren’t lying. What we saw was a great technical match given quite a bit of television time, and when it all ended, AJ Styles was standing as the new champion. This is the first time Styles has won the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
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After wrestling for nearly 40 minutes, the finishing sequence went like this: Bryan went for the running knee, Styles caught him and hit a Styles Clash, and Styles hit a Flying Forearm and covered for the pinfall.
The match was a technical masterpiece and easily the best match since WWE moved their television filming to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. When the year is over, this one will be talked about in the conversation for 2020 Match of the Year.
Below are some of the top moments from the contest.
The FINALS of the #ICTitle Tournament kicks off with fast and furious action! #SmackDown @AJStylesOrg @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/sV6qb8YMk6
— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020
.@WWEDanielBryan continues to turn this #ICTitle showdown into a technical showcase. #SmackDown @AJStylesOrg pic.twitter.com/EgunInKe9A
— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020
What. A. Battle!
The #ICTitle tournament finals CONTINUE on #SmackDown!@AJStylesOrg @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/tQ14TKzr5Y
— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020
The Intercontinental Championship was stripped from Sami Zayn following WrestleMania. Zayn reportedly made a personal choice against traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE became frustrated and made the call to strip him of the title and begin a tournament. Zayn had successfully defended the title at WrestleMania against Daniel Bryan.
What did you think of the WWE Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below and give me a follow on Twitter @ryandroste for all things WWE and AEW.
