Backstage notes on Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre at WWE Royal Rumble
Dave Meltzer addressed the match between Sami Zayn and Drew McIntyre at the WWE Royal Rumble in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
McIntyre retained the WWE Championship over Zayn in a match that went just under 16 minutes. Meltzer writes that Zayn had been pushing to win the title on the show.
“I don’t think Zayn should have won and neither did Levesque in the end. Still, this was a subject of discussion as to who would win right until the day of the show since Zayn was pushing for it,” he wrote.
The match drew criticism from those who felt Zayn got little offense in before being beaten cleanly. Meltzer wrote that because Zayn is so popular in the region, and had never lost on a WWE show in Saudi Arabia before, the hope was that fans would believe a title change was possible.
“He’d never lost in Saudi Arabia. The idea in theory was for him to take people on a roller coaster ride, with McIntyre, of the title being in grave jeopardy and getting the crowd believing there would be a title change. Instead, it was one-sided and watching it made you think Zayn just isn’t even on that level.“
According to one source, Zayn vs. McIntyre was originally scheduled to take place after the women’s Royal Rumble and before AJ Styles vs. Gunther.
Friday’s edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is available here for subscribers.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.