WWE Crowns New Champion in SmackDown Before Clash in Paris

The three-count sent the French crowd into a frenzy as Zayn raised the U.S. gold for the first time in his career.

First U.S. Title for Sami Zayn, Fourth Overall

The victory on Friday launches Zayn’s first reign as United States Champion and his fourth title overall in WWE. He previously held the Intercontinental Championship as well as the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team titles.

For Sikoa, the defeat ended a 62-day reign in which he successfully defended the belt against Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu.

For Zayn, it ended years of chasing the belt he had never won, and completing the main goal behind his switch from Raw to SmackDown earlier this month, declaring himself not an "underdog," but a "WrestleMania main eventer" entering his title match against Sikoa.

Sami Zayn Earns Praise from WWE's CEO Paul 'Triple H' Levesque

The brand switch earlier this month set the stage for the push. Zayn had told SmackDown fans that his focus was shifting away from the world title picture and onto the U.S. Championship.

The promise was fulfilled in Lyon, where his victory was punctuated with Triple H’s signature finger-point celebration at ringside.

"An incredibly gutsy performance by one of the best," Triple H wrote. "For the first time, @SamiZayn is your United States Champion. #EtNouveau."