Last Saturday’s Royal Rumble was packed with surprises, as Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan secured their WrestleMania 42 spots, and AJ Styles announced his retirement. The event had its highs and lows, concluding with OTC pointing to the Mania sign after winning the Rumble for the second time in his career.
The contender for Drew McIntyre’s Undisputed WWE Championship remains undecided, since Reigns will be taking on CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. McIntyre successfully retained his title in a dominant victory over Sami Zayn in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sami Zayn was a crowd favorite during that match, with many hoping he would capture the world title for the first time, including Zayn himself, according to Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer. Meltzer revealed that before the event, there were talks about who would win between McIntyre and Zayn, with Zayn advocating for himself, but Paul “Triple H” Levesque opposed the idea.
Zayn entered the match as the underdog, with a storyline built around his repeated victories over McIntyre. Unfortunately, he suffered a decisive defeat, ending his dream of becoming world champion—at least for now.
Triple H believed that the Royal Rumble was not the right moment for Zayn to claim the world title. However, many fans feel that this year should finally be his time, as he is one of WWE’s most cherished babyfaces and enjoys widespread fan support in his pursuit of the top prize.
With WrestleMania just weeks away, a title change would have been unexpected, especially since McIntyre only recently won the championship in early January. It appears he will continue his rivalry with Cody Rhodes, possibly facing him at WrestleMania, though Jacob Fatu is also rumored to be in line for a future title shot.
Zayn’s next move will be crucial, as his character’s primary goal remains winning the world championship. WWE should keep pushing him in and around the main event scene, eventually rewarding him with the biggest victory of his career.
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Fan Take: This news is significant for WWE fans because it highlights the ongoing struggle of a beloved underdog, Sami Zayn, to finally break through and claim the world title—a storyline that keeps audiences invested. Moving forward, giving Zayn a championship win could inject fresh energy into WWE’s top-tier matches and create new, exciting rivalries.
