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Has Sami Zayn’s Transition From Main Event to Kickoff Match in Saudi Arabia Impacted His Status as a Top Star?

Published October 31, 2023, 12:16 AM EDT

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Sami Zayn has become a household name since his debut in SmackDown. The star garnered an even more massive following when he rebelled against the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns and left the Bloodline. The former Honorary Ucey then moved to Raw, along with his buddy Kevin Owens. Since then, misfortune has followed the duo as they lost their tag team titles. Moreover, Zayn has found himself slipping down the ranks and his placement at the upcoming Crown Jewel PLE card might have cemented the fact.

Is Sami Zayn not a main event star anymore?

On this week’s Raw, the WWE announced that Sami Zayn will have a match at the upcoming Crown Jewel. He will be facing JD McDonagh, who is a Judgment Day aspirant and has intensified his efforts to join the faction. However, what is interesting to note is that the match between the two will be a kick-off match. This has left fans in shock as just a few months ago, Zayn was the main event star at a major PLE.

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In May 2023, Sami Zayn along with his buddy Kevin Owens were part of the main event at the Night of the Champions held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The duo were defending their title as undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions from the tag team of Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa. The tag team was able to save their titles. However, now it looks like a major downfall has ensued in Sami Zayn’s career.

While this was unexpected, there are speculations that it might have happened after he allegedly betrayed the Tribal Chief at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

What happened at the 2023 Royal Rumble?

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Sami Zayn became a part of the stable in mid-2022. He was given the title of the ‘Honorary Ucey’ and in return was asked for his loyalty. He was loyal to the Tribal Chief until this year’s Royal Rumble match. During the PLE, Reigns told him to hit Zayn’s friend Kevin Owens. A bit hesitant at first, he declined this order of Reigns.

Following this, he was branded as a traitor and then he left the faction. After that, the two had faced off on multiple occasions. One such moment was at this year’s Elimination Chamber. Zayn had a perfect moment to attack Reigns with a spear but things did not go according to the plan and he was defeated by him. Later on, he became a part of the Raw with his friend Kevin Owens.

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Watch This Story: 5 Deserving WWE Stars Who Never Main Evented WrestleMania

With his buddy Kevin Owens now a part of SmackDown, fans would like to see what lies ahead of Sami Zayn after his kick-off match at Crown Jewel.

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Written by:

Shaikh Aerajuddin

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Shaikh Aerajuddin is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. With a Masters degree in Sports Science, Aeraj always carries a keen eye for detail and understands the various nuances of pro wrestling beyond the ring. Being a pro wrestling fan from his childhood, Aeraj now uses his analytical mind to tell a story in his articles for ES.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce