Ricochet Defeats Sami Zayn, Wins WWE Intercontinental Title on SmackDown

Ricochet won the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Friday Night SmackDown with the help of Johnny Knoxville. 

The Jackass star distracted Sami Zayn, giving Ricochet an opening to hit the champion and get the pinfall.

After the match, Zayn challenged Knoxville to a one-on-one showdown at WrestleMania 38:

WWE has been building toward a Zayn-Knoxville bout since January when Knoxville announced he was going to be in the Royal Rumble. 

Zayn eliminated Knoxville, who was the ninth entrant, from the men's rumble match. The Master Strategist won the intercontinental title on the Feb. 18 episode of SmackDown by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura. 

The Zayn-Nakamura match came nearly two months after Zayn won a 12-man gauntlet match on the Christmas Eve edition of Friday Night SmackDown to become the No. 1 contender for the championship. 

As for Ricochet, this marks his first time as the intercontinental champion. The sky-high superstar previously held the United States title for three weeks in the summer of 2019 before losing it to AJ Styles at Extreme Rules. 

WWE hasn't really tried to do much with Ricochet since he was called up to the main roster in 2019. Even this victory was more about setting up the WrestleMania match between Zayn and Knoxville. 

Hopefully, WWE at least tries to push Ricochet above his current position now that he has a championship.