IC title tournament semifinals set for next week’s WWE SmackDown
Both semifinal matches in WWE’s Intercontinental title tournament are airing on next week’s episode of SmackDown.
It will be Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles vs. Elias in the semifinals of the tournament on SmackDown next Friday. Hardy defeated Sheamus and Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in first round matches on tonight’s SmackDown.
The story for Hardy vs. Sheamus was that Sheamus dominated throughout but was pinned by Hardy at the end of the match. Styles pinned Nakamura in their match after hitting a Phenomenal Forearm.
It was also announced tonight that Styles is now on the SmackDown roster after being traded for “future considerations.”
Bryan advanced to the semifinals of the Intercontinental title tournament by defeating Drew Gulak on SmackDown last week, while Elias advanced to the semifinals by defeating Baron Corbin.
Sami Zayn was Intercontinental Champion prior to the title being declared vacant. He hasn’t appeared on WWE television since retaining the title against Bryan at WrestleMania 36. On Twitter, Zayn has been pushing that he’s still the rightful champion.
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.