40-year-old WWE star expresses disappointment for missed opportunity with Roman Reigns
For over three years WWE did everything to protect Roman Reigns, who was the centerpiece of the product unlike arguably any other wrestler before him. During those 1,316 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, he'd encountered several worthy challengers who could have dethroned him.
One such name is the former "Honorary" member of The Bloodline, Sami Zayn. They put on an emotional rollercoaster of a main event at Elimination Chamber in February 2023. The bout went back and forth and lasted a little over 32 minutes. The crowd in Montreal, Canada, was unanimously rooting for Zayn to prevail.
Reflecting on possibly the most important match of his career at the time in his hometown, the 40-year-old shared his true feelings regarding the booking to Cheap Heat's Peter Rosenberg. He felt disappointed at how things had turned out and felt that if WWE had made the bold move to crown him as the new world champion that night, that moment would have lived on for decades to come.
"Whether it was the right moment for business or right choice or wrong choice, that stuff takes years to figure out. If I’m looking at it in a vacuum, all I can say is that if I had won that night, it would have gone down in history as one of the greatest moments that lived on in 10, 20 years, and you’d still be watching back just for the crowd reaction, if nothing else," Zayn said.
Their story shifted gears at Royal Rumble 2023 when Zayn turned on Roman Reigns. This particular moment, which closed the event, was met with a positive reception from fans and critics alike.
Many cite The Honorary Uce finally deciding his fate as a major highlight of Triple H's era of storylines thus far.
Sami Zayn will defend his Intercontinental Title at WWE SummerSlam
Things did not go downhill for Sami Zayn after Elimination Chamber 2023.
He went on to headline WrestleMania Saturday that year, and in April 2024, The Underdog from the Underground ended Gunther's undefeated streak on the main roster. In the process, he won the Intercontinental Championship from The Ring General, bringing the latter's reign to an end at a record 666 days.
Perhaps no challenge Zayn faced since WrestleMania XL was as crucial as the one he has ahead of him at the Cleveland Browns Stadium against Bron Breakker. Meanwhile, former champion Gunther commented on The Underdog's reign thus far, even naming the WWE Superstar he hoped would end Sami's run.
Do you see Bron Breakker ending Sami Zayn's reign as Intercontinental Champion at SummerSlam? Hit the Discuss button and sound off!