Opinion: We'll really find out if Sami Zayn was allowed to mention AEW on air or not on next week's Raw
Double or Nothing was a success whether you care about the new promotion or not. It got a ton of fans and people talking about it for many reasons. There were some great matches and some welcome surprises throughout the night.
Awesome Kong showed up to disrupt the All Elite Wrestling's Women's Division. And even though a good deal of people were expecting Jon Moxley to debut or appear, when he did, it was still a truly monumental moment in pro wrestling and the upcoming war between AEW and WWE.
WWE is aware and is probably worried about AEW's presence, otherwise, they would have granted releases to the Revival and Luke Harper and any other current WWE Superstars who have asked to be released.
Instead, TJP, Hideo Itami and Tye Dillinger were released while Dustin Rhodes and Moxley left the company once their contracts expired. WWE had a chance to have a direct response to its newest competitor on Monday's Raw, but as the show wore on, the lone acknowledgment of AEW was when Sami Zayn mentioned the letters of the promotion.
It did garner some gasps from the crowd and likely from those watching on TV, but nothing much came from it on screen. After Raw concluded, there were obviously people who wondered if Zayn was allowed to say those letters or if he went off script.
The following day saw several reports emerge that often conflicted with each other. One report from the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer said that it was allowed by the writers while one from the same Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez said that it was not scripted.
PWInsider.com also reported that his mention of AEW was not approved. WWE actually removed the mention from the video of the segment that was uploaded to YouTube. So which account is true? Was his uttering of the letters 'AEW' approved by Creative or not?
One report that was undisputed was that Mr. McMahon was said to have been livid about the mentioning of the competition on Raw. The true sign that it was either approved or not allowed will likely be revealed in one form or fashion on Raw next week.
If Zayn is presented the same way he has been ever since he returned to WWE after WrestleMania 35, then he was likely given the okay to say AEW. If he does not appear on the episode or is roasted somehow on screen, he likely is being punished for going off script.
Another form of potential punishment would be if he is destroyed again by Braun Strowman or if he loses in quick fashion to someone like Heath Slater, No Way Jose or Eric Young. Things should become clearer with how he is handled on the upcoming Raw.
If it's business as usual, he was scripted to say it. If his appearance is extremely humiliating or unlike his prior booking, he didn't get the okay. Even though Raw has been hard to watch, that's certainly one reason to tune in.