After weeks of build-up, Giovanni Vinci made his return to the ring on this week’s SmackDown. Unfortunately for the Italian Superstar, his first match since the April 22, 2024, edition of Monday Night Raw did not go as he’d hoped.
Vinci arrived wearing a tracksuit adorned in the colors of the Italian flag for his match with Apollo Crews. As Vinci was removing his entrance attire though, the referee started the match and Crews rolled up the Imperium alum to pin him in seconds.
Giovanni Vinci Speaks
Vince was understandably frustrated with this loss which he feels came about unfairly as he wasn’t ready. Speaking in a WWE Digital Exclusive after his surprising defeat, Vinci questioned the validity of the referee’s actions.
“Don’t even ask the question. I got a question for you. When is the last time you’ve seen a match get without the referee checking both competitors if they’re ready. I haven’t seen it either. So Apollo wants to come up behind me, clearly, I still have half my entrance gear on, and roll me up, if he wants to play that way, alright. We can play that way. We can play that way.”
Vinci’s return to WWE programming did not go how he wanted and came close to five months after he was ousted from Imperium by Ludwig Kaiser. After being drafted to SmackDown shortly after, Vinci now has a chance to change his fortunes on the blue brand. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on Giovanni Vinci after his unfortunate return to TV this week.
