Sami Zayn was certain WrestleMania 39 would close with him challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Sami Zayn Was Certain He Would Headline WrestleMania 39
For a good year, Cody Rhodes and The Rock were the top names rumored to challenge Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. In the end, Rhodes got the title shot.
Although, there was a late push from fans for WWE to go in a completely different direction. Sami Zayn organically got over and fans wanted see him the top spot.
He did get the match with Reigns, but it was shortly before WrestleMania 39. That battled at the Elimination Chamber from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Zayn received a massive pop and they spent over 30 minutes in the ring.
While speaking on the Mark Andrews: My Love Letter to Wrestling podcast, Sami Zayn was certain he would stand opposite Reigns at WrestleMania 39.
“So, there was a time period going from Survivor Series [2022] and building into the [Royal] Rumble,” said Zayn. “And especially right before the Rumble.”
“Right after the Rumble, I 100% thought it could go to me and Roman at Mania, and it would be the best story. But, that’s just not […] that wasn’t in the cards.”
The closing segment of the Royal Rumble saw Zayn turn on The Bloodline. It was months in the making and one of the loudest ovations in recent memory.
Instead, Zayn teamed with Kevin Owens in the main event of night one for WrestleMania. They left as the new tag team champions, ending The Usos record title run.
For the moment, it does not seem like the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is leaving Reigns’ shoulders. With Reigns on SmackDown, WWE is bringing in the World Heavyweight Championship for RAW.
Basically, it seems like WWE did not see Zayn as the guy to defeat Reigns; who is slowly climbing up the record books as he inches closer to a 1,000 days as champion.
So, does it make sense that Sami Zayn was certain he would headline WrestleMania 39?
