THOUGHTS | SAMI ZAYN FINALLY BECOMES A WWE CHAMPION
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
The Saudi Arabian crowd has been hit-or-miss over the years.
For starters, I hated how staged or fake their reactions felt during the 2026 Royal Rumble.
I mean, what were they even chanting back then?
While I'm not going to be one of those people from the West who constantly criticize fans from this part of Asia, especially since I'm Asian myself, for merely showing up for an event produced by a "mad" government. I don't want to turn this into a political discussion. That said, that line of thinking is discriminatory as hell. Exactly what is a "good" government these days? It's not like the other rich nations don't have their own problems. I mean, just look at the gas prices these days. That price will never be the same again. I don't care about United States politics if they're keeping it within their own borders, but once it starts affecting the rest of the world, that's a different story.
Again, every part of the map has its flaws.
Still, I don't think Saudi Arabia can host WrestleMania if the crowd sounds manufactured. I know that's harsh, but after hearing those chants during the 2025 Esports World Cup, they became annoying as hell.
Maybe all they needed was a genuine moment.
Something like, I dunno, SAMI F'N ZAYN WINNING THE WWE UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONSHIP!
YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!
What a surprise! Sami went from getting pissed over a gingerbread costume to becoming the champion!
WOW!
This is exactly the kind of moment they needed to show the world what authentic cheering from a packed stadium in Asia sounds like.
In a lot of ways, it also refreshed the entire main event scene. The problem with Cody Rhodes is that while he looks like a champion and carries himself like one, his title reign became stale rather quickly. Once he finished his story at WrestleMania 40, the anticipation surrounding his matches gradually faded. Part of that was because people kept expecting him to lose the championship to contemporaries like Kevin Owens or Randy Orton. Yes, those feuds eventually happened, but by then Cody had become almost untouchable.
His second title reign was just as bad. Yes, this time, his friends finally became his enemies, and his story actually progressed. But even then, it felt like WWE was reverting to its tried-and-tested formula, with Roman Reigns holding the other world title. Gunther may have been a breath of fresh air, but we all know what his reign is going to look like, and it's more of the same.
However, this changes everything.
A couple of months ago, fans had already started losing interest in Zayn. There was genuine disappointment when he took the WrestleMania opportunity away from Carmelo Hayes on the road to facing Trick Williams. Then, when he finally wrestled Trick, the crowd turned on him.
Ironically, that's where Sami's greatness kicked in.
His "Ride or Die" crowd interaction may have looked silly in the United States, but it still felt genuine in Europe. Suddenly, his underdog persona started coming back. Yes, he was still showing heel tendencies, but he looked much better as the third wheel in a Cody Rhodes versus Gunther rivalry than as the untouchable champion because there are dimensions to his character.
Yes, Sami's mind is torn between doing what's right and doing what's best for himself, but he's still the underdog with his sights set on becoming the best he can be. Now that he's older, Zayn's more determined than ever to rise to the occasion.
And once again, you have to give credit to the crowd in Riyadh because they made the main event feel special. Night of Champions was just okay for me until that final match.
Nobody seriously believed Oba Femi was going to lose to Jey Uso unless Brock Lesnar showed up to cost him the match. That didn't happen, and I'm glad Oba ended up winning King of the Ring. I thought Danhausen cursing Liv Morgan made her match against Iyo Sky completely predictable. They can't seem to break Danhausen's prediction streak, especially with everyone still joking about the New York Knicks' championship curse.
The Trick Williams versus Ricky Saints match, and Jade Cargill versus Tiffany Stratton were both just okay. WWE really needs to figure out how to make Ricky Saints click because his crowd reactions are giving me Lance Storm or Charlie Haas vibes at the moment. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins versus Bron Breakker had its moments, but I thought it was overbooked as hell. I enjoyed the match, don't get me wrong, but they hit each other with so many devastating moves that none of them actually mattered in the end.
Then came the main event.
Have I mentioned how much I loved this crowd?
Sami Zayn came out dressed in traditional Saudi attire, and that alone got a huge reaction. But what impressed me even more was how he wrestled. Instead of leaning into heel tactics, he simply wrestled like the babyface everyone wanted him to be. Sami stopped Cody from winning legally, and whenever Cody wanted to fight him head-on, Sami gladly accepted. Had he started cheating or acting like a heel, I doubt the crowd would've stayed behind him, especially with how well he was performing throughout the match.
The closing stretch was initially disappointing because Sami hit all of his signature offense and his finisher, yet Cody still kicked out. And then Cody went god mode by doing his finisher while Sami was still holding Gunther. Yes, the spot looks good, but it only looked good because of the events after the move.
But that's exactly why the roll-up finish worked so well. Nobody expected it. It gave the fans, who were already preparing themselves for another predictable Cody Rhodes victory, a genuine surprise.
For the first time since signing with WWE, Sami Zayn is finally a world champion!
AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
Whether he's just a transitional champion or someone who holds the title for a while is a story worth following.
Technically, Sami is still part of The Bloodline's history, even though he turned on Roman Reigns and eventually aligned himself with Cody. Oba Femi is now King of the Ring, and while he still has unfinished business with Brock Lesnar, he also has the luxury of challenging either Roman Reigns or Sami Zayn at SummerSlam.Then there's Cody, who has viewed Sami as anything but championship material for months, and Gunther, who barely considered Sami a legitimate threat. Of course, they might need to have their rematch. Add LA Knight and Solo Sikoa's ongoing Bloodline storyline, plus CM Punk and Randy Orton's absence, and suddenly WWE has hit the reset button that these storylines desperately needed.
Letting Punk and Orton rest is also a smart move because it allows him to return later as a fresh presence. The same can be said for Seth Rollins, especially if he's truly done with The Vision.
Putting the championship on Sami also creates opportunities for wrestlers like Finn Bálor, who suddenly has a believable world title opponent if WWE wants to elevate him again.
And what about Kevin Owens?
I love that WWE avoided the obvious and took what looked like a calculated risk, even though it really wasn't one because the Saudi crowd was always going to explode for a Sami Zayn victory.
The shock title change was fantastic, and hopefully, WWE continues rewarding its midcard talent whenever someone manages to turn an unlikely story into something genuinely hot.
Comments