In years gone by, Sami Zayn not being in the Royal Rumble would have caused WWE fans to short-circuit the match, booing whoever ended up winning. That was not the case this past weekend, as virtually no one would jeer a returning Cody Rhodes. Still, the former Honorary Uce was the sentimental favorite in the eyes of many—including longtime industry insiders like Dave Meltzer—to win the Royal Rumble and go on to main event WrestleMania 39. That raised one massive question, however. Could WWE and Triple H see Sami Zayn being the face of the company leading up to and following the biggest show of the year?
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote about how surprised some were internally about how hot The Bloodline angle became. Despite how over the storyline was, it was noted that the WON was “told that neither Vince McMahon nor Paul Levesque saw Zayn as a guy who could headline WrestleMania and that the scenario of Zayn challenging in Montreal and moving it to WrestleMania because he got hot, which WWE did previously for Kofi Kingston when he got hot and got the spot planned for Owens in 2019 was not going to happen.” Montreal is referencing the upcoming Elimination Chamber premium live event, where it’s believed Zayn will challenge Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Sami Zayn Is Still A Bigger Star Than He Was Prior To The Bloodline Angle
Triple H not viewing Sami Zayn as WrestleMania main event material doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have star power. Wrestlers who can be safely billed at the top of the Showcase of the Immortals take years to build, with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar being the most prominent examples. WWE wasn’t even totally sold on the idea of Cody Rhodes main eventing ‘Mania, which is why the company reached out to both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin about working the show. That’s not a knock on Rhodes or Zayn; it’s just the reality of the business.
There is no denying that Zayn is in a much better spot than he was a year ago. In 2022, the 38-year-old was involved in a program with Johnny Knoxville and the Jackass crew. Their match at WrestleMania 38 was more entertaining than it had any right to be, but it was about as goofy as WWE is willing to get these days. Now he’s involved in the hottest storyline in professional wrestling and has been for months. While Zayn might not be in Face Of The WWE territory, 99 percent of wrestlers aren’t either.
Assuming Sami Zayn Vs. Reigns goes down at the Elimination Chamber show, Sami will be on the receiving end of one of the biggest pops of the year when he makes his entrance. He’s not going to win that match, and he’s not going to main event either night of WrestleMania 39, but there’s no arguing against the idea of Zayn being a bona fide star for WWE. As ‘Mania season wraps up in April, he could easily find himself involved in any number of feuds for the United States or Intercontinental Championship. Forming a tag team with Kevin Owens isn’t out of the question either, as those two may end up wrestling The Usos at WrestleMania 39.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter