A pair of segments have been added to the final episode of SmackDown before TLC.
WWE has announced that Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn will host the “first annual Sami Awards” on this Friday’s SmackDown. Carmella will also give a champagne toast ahead of challenging for Sasha Banks’ SmackDown Women’s Championship at Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
“The #Slammy Awards are good fun, but clearly very biased to highlight corporate favorites,” Zayn tweeted on Thursday night. “That’s why tomorrow night on #Smackdown I will host the FIRST ANNUAL SAMI AWARDS! The always honest ‘Champion of the People’, will present awards that reflect the true will of the people!”
On SmackDown last week, Zayn defeated Big E by countout in a non-title match. Zayn went under the ring and Big E chased him. Big E tried to hold Zayn’s leg so he couldn’t beat the count, but Zayn broke out of it and was able to get back into the ring to get the countout win.
The show-closing angle on last week’s SmackDown featured Carmella breaking a champagne bottle over Banks’ back. A contract signing between Banks and Carmella for their title match at TLC set up that Carmella would be challenging for Banks’ SmackDown Women’s Championship later that night. The match ended in a disqualification when Banks was striking Carmella in the corner and wouldn’t break for the referee’s five count. Carmella’s sommelier tried to pull Banks away but got put in the Banks Statement. Carmella then attacked Banks and hit her with the champagne bottle.
WWE has officially confirmed that Banks will still be defending her title against Carmella at TLC on Sunday.
This week’s SmackDown is airing on FS1 due to college football’s Pac-12 Championship game being on Fox. The show will also feature Bianca Belair vs. Bayley and The Street Profits defending their SmackDown Tag Team titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode.