by Roman Reigns’ run at the top of the WWE is still going strong despite a valiant effort from Sami Zayn in the undisputed WWE Universal Championship match at the Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal. Reigns made his way to the ring to a chorus of boos, followed by Zayn, who received a hero’s welcome.
Zayn and Reigns stood across from each other for the first few minutes of the match, soaking up the tense atmosphere before locking up. When the action started, Reigns slammed Zayn, repeatedly overpowering the competitor.
Encouraged by the crowd, Zayn regained his confidence, tossing Reigns to the outside, splashing the champion, and then doing the action for him inside the ring. With the momentum going back to Reigns, he quit Zayn’s family saying he wanted to provide for them.
Zayn and Reigns traded blows as the match went on before the championship settled for a Superman Punch. Zayn reversed into an explosive suplex, but Reigns responded with a Superman Punch. Reigns went for the spear, but missed and Zayn rolled him up for a two count. Zayn hit another explosive suplex, then Reigns hit a Superman Punch followed by the Helluva Kick, pinning Reigns for both.
Reigns rolled out of the ring and Zayn tried to jump through the ropes for a DDT, but Reigns stopped him with a punch. On the outside, Reigns tried to spear Zayn through the barricade, but missed. Zayn hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count.
Reigns knocked out the referee, attacking Zayn in the corner, who followed with a Helluva Kick that could end the champ’s night. Jimmy Uso then ran to the ring and landed a series of superkicks on Zayn before hitting the Uso Splash and Reigns dragged Zayn as a new official ran down and got a two count.
On their knees, Zayn and Reigns traded blows. After Jimmy distracted him, Reigns hit a spear for a two count. Reigns went for another Superman Punch and took out the ref. Zayn and Reigns collided, and both fell on their backs in the middle of the ring. Reigns called a chair, and Paul Heyman threw it into the ring.
When Reigns raised the chair, Jey Uso stepped into the ring between Reigns and Zayn. Reigns handed the chair to Jey, placing him in the same spot where Zayn was with Kevin Owens. Jey took the chair before Reigns took it back and shook his face twice, then Zayn went to attack Reigns and speared Jey. Reigns then brought the chair to Zayn’s back several times.
Reigns then hit a spear on Zayn as the referee counted to three.
After the match, Jimmy continued to beat down Zayn. Owens’ music hit him as he made the save and he attacked Jimmy up the ramp. Owens then attacked Reigns in the ring and hit a stunner. Owens hit a stunner to Jimmy in the ring, and then a pop-up powerbomb through the announce table. Owens grabbed a chair and Heyman attacked him from behind, eventually giving Heyman a stunner. Owens put Reigns up in the corner, and Zayn followed up with a Helluva Kick, laying out the champ.
Zayn’s story follows an almost year-long integration into the Bloodline, aligning with Jimmy and Jey Uso, alongside Solo Sikoa and Tribe Leader, Reigns. Throughout the year, Zayn had to constantly prove his loyalty to the Bloodline, eventually gaining Jey Uso’s approval by helping his team defeat Owens and Co. at War Games. After John Cena returned to team with Owens and defeated Reigns and Zayn, Reigns began to lose patience with Zayn, leading to their elimination at the Royal Rumble when Zayn refused to throw a chair at Owens.
With the win, Reigns is now very much in the driver’s seat to face Royal Rumble 2023 winner Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39, but it’s hard to imagine a world without Zayn involved in at least one major title match at the show WWE’s biggest of the year. .
