More details have emerged on the backstage reaction to Sami Zayn’s unexpected victory at Saturday’s Night of Champions.
In one of the most surprising WWE booking decisions in recent memory, Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes and Gunther in a triple threat match to win the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. Zayn pinned Rhodes, ending his title reign of 112 days.
During a recent question-and-answer session, wrestling vote (h/t e-wrestling news) reported that Zayn’s victory received a great reaction backstage on Saturday. WrestleVotes reported that many in the company were waiting for Zayn’s big moment and that the veteran Superstar is “universally loved” in WWE:
“This is something people have wanted for a very long time,” WrestleVotes said. “Everyone loves Sami. That’s from the ring to the guys who make the weekly trip, and it goes down to the parking guys.
“Sami Zayn is universally loved inside that company. I don’t think he has any enemies anywhere. People have been waiting for it, so I know the reaction backstage has been great.”
Zayn debuted for the WWE main roster on the May 4, 2015 episode of RawLost the United States Championship match to John Cena. A serious shoulder injury sidelined him for seven months, but he returned to the main roster in 2016.
More than 11 years after his debut on Raw, Zayn has finally become WWE Champion.
Sami Zayn completes the WWE Grand Slam puzzle
(Photo by Rich Frieda/WWE via Getty Images)
Zayn has four Intercontinental Championships, two United States Championships, and a pair of tag team titles on his resume. Now that he is WWE Champion, Zayn is now the newest member of the WWE Grand Slam Club.
Now, we wait and see who Zayn will face next. Oba Femi passed up a world title match at SummerSlam to continue his feud with Brock Lesnar. It has also been reported that Rhodes will feud with CM Punk when he returns to television.
So, it’s anyone’s guess what exactly WWE has in store for Zayn and World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns heading into SummerSlam.
