WWE‘s storyline involving Sami Zayn and The Bloodline has become a Martin Scorsese mob thriller, with hair-raising turns and goosebumps-inducing twists that rival his 2006 classic, The Departed. Professional wrestling isn’t usually known for this level of character-building, but the ongoing saga of The Bloodline is one of the most well-done long-term stories in recent memory. Maybe of all time. The last several chapters will determine its place in history. Still, WWE’s Raw is 30 show featured another huge push forward for The Bloodline and Sami Zayn, with The Honorary Uce standing trial for alleged transgressions against Roman Reigns.
What immediately stood out about this segment was how divided The Bloodline had become. After months of cozying up to Zayn, Paul Heyman turned on him and attempted to prosecute him for conceived wrongdoings. “ECW is dead, and I wish the same for Sami Zayn,” Heyman barked into the mic, eliciting a hail of boos from the Philadelphia crowd. He accused Sami of being a “Judas” before calling him the “betrayer of the island of relevancy.” Gone were the shades of gray WWE had been operating in for The Bloodline story. Those involved were starting to take sides. It now seems like everything will inevitably break down into a civil war instead of one actor eventually betraying the entire group.
Jey Uso Taking Sami Zayn’s Side Was As Shocking As It Was Touching
Following Heyman’s jugular-aimed examination, Sami Zayn offered up no defense. He emotionally argued that if what he’d done over the last several months didn’t prove his loyalty to The Bloodline, then nothing he could say on Raw is 30 would. Roman snapped on Zayn, calling him an egomaniac before summoning Solo Sikoa to hit Sami with a Samoan spike. In another twist, Jey Uso stepped forward and physically prevented his cousin from striking the Honorary Uce. Not only did Jey defend Sami Zayn in the ring, but he also put together his own video presentation for the trial. All the clips he aired showed the numerous times Sami had clearly taken The Bloodline’s side.
Jey admitted that he couldn’t stand Zayn initially, but he now considered him family. Then, the most interesting part of the segment took place. Uso asked everyone who believed Sami should remain in The Bloodline to put the ones up. A majority of the Philadelphia crowd did so. So did The Usos, leaving Reigns, Heyman, and Sikoa as the only three naysayers. Roman pardoned Zayn for now but stressed that he didn’t want to see him until the Royal Rumble. After that, all Sami did was replace a kayfabe injured Jimmy Uso, helping The Bloodline retain the Raw tag team titles in a back-and-forth match against Judgment Day. It was an opportunity to WWE to break up the unified tag team championships. Instead, The Usos retained thanks to help from Zayn. Yet another wrinkle in this ongoing tale.
The trial and subsequent match was a tremendously captivating bit of television. Not only was the acting by everyone involved top-notch, but WWE also—perhaps unintentionally—provided commentary on how easy it is to splice together a video package that only shows or supports one half of a complicated story. Heyman’s video package clearly painted Sami Zayn as the bad guy. If this were a fan’s first introduction to the storyline, it would have been easy to take Paul’s side. On the flip side, Jey’s presentation showed only the good things that Zayn had done for The Bloodline. It was an interesting take on how today’s modern media portrays everything as black and white when the truth is almost always somewhere in the middle. Such is the case with Sami Zayn and The Bloodline.
Team Zayn & Team Reigns Are Now Crystal Clear
Heading into the Trial of Sami Zayn, all the characters had rotated through allegiances of the moment. They were presented with situations and reacted accordingly. There was typically someone there to stand between Sami and Roman Reigns, be it Jimmy, Jey, or Paul. That ended abruptly on Raw is 30, and it now seems clear who would take which side whenever this situation eventually boils over. The Usos are the ones who stood up for Zayn on Monday, perhaps making them guilty by association for anything that happens between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 39. Meanwhile, Solo remained loyal to The Tribal Chief, stepping up to strike Sami when asked to. Heyman also remains in Roman’s corner, but it wouldn’t be shocking if he’d orchestrated this entire thing for his benefit.
The multiple layers and varying perspectives are what’s made The Bloodline saga truly stand out. What if Zayn had intended to betray this faction, only to have a change of heart after Jey Uso called him family? What wheels are already turning that Zayn, Heyman, or Roman can’t stop, and who will have to live with regret afterward? Given the talent of these wrestlers, the matches are sure to deliver, and once storylines start getting wrapped up, it’ll lead to a genuinely bitter-sweet finale for everyone involved. This is about as good as sports entertainment can get, and WWE fans should be savoring every last bit of it between now and WrestleMania 39.