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A popular WWE Superstar suffered an embarrassing loss in his first match since April 2024 on a recent edition of Friday Night SmackDown. The name in question, Giovanni Vinci, has now shared a confident message despite the setback.
The 34-year-old made his SmackDown debut on the September 6 edition of the show. Vinci locked horns with Apollo Crews in a singles match. While everyone expected the former Imperium member to dominate the contest, he lost to the former Intercontinental Champion in four seconds.
Despite facing a shocking loss, Giovanni Vinci took to his Instagram account to deliver a strong message. He shared multiple images of himself alongside a picture of legendary American rapper Snoop Dogg's iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame moment. The two-time NXT Tag Team Champion further referenced the 52-year-old in the caption.
"I want to thank me for believing in me. 🔑😎 #VeniVidiVinci," he wrote.
You can check out the Instagram post below.
Veteran journalist claims Giovanni Vinci looks similar to former WWE Superstar
WWE received a lot of criticism for oddly booking Giovanni Vinci to suffer a loss on his SmackDown debut. However, veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter shared an interesting take on the match while claiming the Italian looked similar to Claudio Castagnoli (fka Cesaro).
On a recent edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Apter said he was happy to witness Apollo Crews win a bout. He praised the former United States Champion. While talking about Vinci, the veteran pointed out that WWE did not bring up his history with Imperium. The 78-year-old claimed that the SmackDown Superstar looked similar to The Swiss Superman.
"First of all, I'm glad to see Apollo Crews finally has won something; he is so undervalued, he really is, and underrated. With Vinci, it's amazing because he was part of the Imperium. They didn't even bring that up tonight. He looks different, and he kind of looks like Claudio Castagnoli," Apter said. [From 23:04 to 23:34]
You can check out Bill Apter's comments about the match in the video below.
Vinci had a forgettable start to his WWE SmackDown run. It remains to be seen what he will do to make a much-needed comeback.
