WWE News Roundup: Last-minute change in plans for Sami Zayn, 5-time champion teases feud with Roman Reigns after three years
We are back with another exciting edition of the WWE News Roundup. Today's list looks at the last-minute change in Sami Zayn's big segment last week. We saw a 3-time world champion send an unpleasant reminder to Roman Reigns about what happened three years ago.
A fan-favorite legend hailed a popular tag team from WWE RAW for their impressive work and talked about managing them on the red brand. We also saw the Elimination Chamber winner quote Shawn Michaels for a cryptic message.
Here, we look at the biggest stories that have dominated WWE headlines in the last 24 hours. So, without further ado, let's begin.
#1 Original plans for Sami Zayn's return on SmackDown before Elimination Chamber
Sami Zayn walked out to his old theme Worlds Apart on SmackDown before Elimination Chamber and received the loudest pop heard from the WWE Universe in recent times. The crowd didn't stop singing for several minutes and only took breaks for "Sami, Sami" or "F*ck you Roman" chants.
Zayn was initially supposed to talk much more about his self-doubt as he did with Cody Rhodes earlier last week. However, he adapted to the fans' response and cut his promo short to three or four sentences in a segment that ran for more than ten minutes. Sami Zayn revealed the details during the Elimination Chamber press conference and said:
"I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to say, but then you also have to assess the situation you're in and adapt. So, they were giving me a lot and I'm not about to stop them if they're doing that, right? Because that would be a strange choice as a performer, 'hey, you're screaming a lot. Well, just let's hit pause on that.' So, I obviously, you know, we had to roll with it. And I think it created a very special, very memorable reaction, memorable segment." [10:28 - 10:56]
Sami Zayn challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber. Although Zayn pushed the champion to his limits, The Tribal Chief retained his gold owing to multiple interferences in his favor.
#2 Bray Wyatt takes a shot at Roman Reigns
@btsportwwe @WWERomanReigns Yeah but HOW did he win it?
WWE on BT Sport's Twitter handle recently shared a graphic listing each challenger that Roman Reigns has defeated since winning the Universal Championship in 2020. The Tribal Chief won the gold after pinning Braun Strowman in a triple-threat match when Bray Wyatt was the champion.
Wyatt responded to the tweet by asking, "Yeah, but HOW did he win it," drawing attention to the fact that Roman Reigns never pinned the champion to win the title. While Bray Wyatt openly confirmed that he would go after Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley, his recent tweet teased a potential title feud with Roman Reigns three years after their match at Payback 2020.
#3 WWE legend wants to manage a top tag team on RAW
that swanton ATE. angelo dawkins did THAT. #WWERaw https://t.co/rbo6kyca0P
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently hailed popular RAW tag team, The Street Profits. The legend praised the duo for their in-ring work and mic skills during an exclusive interview with Riju Dasgupta on the WrestleBinge by Sportskeeda channel. Teddy Long confirmed that he would like to manage The Street Profits and said:
"Well, if I were to manage somebody, I think it would probably be a tag team. It would probably be the Street Profits. I like them, I watch them. You know they are good, they are good in the ring. Their mic skills are good. You know they are a couple of nice guys. I had a chance to meet them. So Street Profits are the guys I'd like to be with." [From 0:32 - 0:48]
The Street Profits' Montez Ford recently earned widespread appreciation from the WWE Universe following his stellar performance in the Men's Elimination Chamber Match. The former champion seemingly sustained an injury and couldn't win. But fans unanimously declared him the MVP of the match and demanded that the creative team push him on the red brand.
#4 Asuka sends a cryptic message to Liv Morgan
I'm sorry, I love you 😘 https://t.co/rOlQVemw9V
WWE Superstar Asuka outlasted Carmella, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Cross, and Natalya to win the Women's Elimination Chamber Match this weekend and punch her ticket to WrestleMania.
She recently took to Twitter to share the clip with Liv Morgan in which she offered to shake hands with the SmackDown Superstar before pulling back. The Empress of Tomorrow also quoted Shawn Michaels' memorable "I am sorry, I love you" from WrestleMania 24 before he hit Ric Flair with Sweet Chin Music.
https://t.co/OUoV4eeQmo
Asuka became the first woman in WWE to win the Royal Rumble, the Money in the Bank, and the Elimination Chamber matches. She will now challenge Bianca Belair for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania Hollywood. It will be interesting to see how their rivalry transpires on RAW in the coming weeks.