Braun Strowman wins WWE Intercontinental title
Braun Strowman’s first singles title reign began on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Strowman defeated Shinsuke Nakamura on the show to win the Intercontinental Championship. Sami Zayn and Cesaro got involved in the match, with Zayn exposing one of the top turnbuckles. But Strowman sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle instead and pinned him after hitting a powerslam.
Nakamura and Strowman have been feuding with each other since before the Royal Rumble. Strowman issued a challenge to Nakamura after defeating him in a non-title match earlier this month, but Zayn said Nakamura was focused on the Rumble.
After Nakamura lost the Intercontinental title tonight, there was a segment where Elias playing his guitar in the ring kept interrupting Zayn, Nakamura, and Cesaro’s backstage interview. It led to Elias getting the better of a brawl with Cesaro after Cesaro came down to the ring.
Nakamura had been Intercontinental Champion since winning the title from Finn Balor on the Extreme Rules pre-show in July 2019.
Strowman has previously been a Raw Tag Team Champion twice, briefly holding the titles with Nicholas and Seth Rollins.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.