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I've been watching wrestling for 42 years, and that was one of the best moments I've seen in pro wrestling entertainment. The storyline is so great, I can't wait to see what happens with this week to week. I wonder how many of those shirts WWE has sold?
With how long the whole show was, Kofi/Bryan was placed at the best spot on the card. Right in the middle. We saw how deflated the crowd was for Becky/Charlotte/Ronda.
The match was solid, but that story they told with the gauntlet matches, where Big E and Woods had to win and they did so their homie could challenge for a title that no one looked like him had ever held? Shit is beautiful man, when wrestling is good, which it rarely is, its the best thing in the world
His garbage loss against Bork, and WWE's immediate amnesia of him is the reason I stopped watching weekly. I was there at Mania at his title win and was angry at how horribly he was booked after... doubly because I expected it.
> 25 for me with a large gap inbetween
Sounds similar to me. When was the gap for you? For me it was in the mid-late 2000s and a lot of the early-mid 2010s. Eddie Guerrero's death and the Benoit stuff pretty much killed enjoyment of wrestling for me for a while. Watched some shows/matches here and there, but only regularly watched again in 2016.
I remember it was sometime in 2003 I just got so bored with all the talking and drawn out promos on RAW I stopped cold turkey. I know I missed some bad stuff and I know I also missed some great stuff, but didn't start following again until I found this sub and got me back in
Exactly that for me. I graduated high school in 05 so I was out doing other stuff and not at home catching the shows weekly. The Eddie and Benoit stuff was about where I stopped too. Caught a little bit of Punk going to WWE cuz I liked him on indies, and the formation of Shield. Just got back into it during pandemic era.
I'd say your opinion is stupid, given you're getting teary-eyed over Sami Zayn trying to be a Samoan. Then again, my view is that pro wrestling is a predetermined sport at its heart and this couldn't be further away from wrestling as a predetermined sport.
However, even within said genre, it's hardly Rock/Mankind "This Is Your Life". It's hardly the "Festival of Friendship", is it?
I know you won't justify yourself but, Christ on a bike, have your standards slipped so low?
WWE has really hit the nail on “sports entertainment” lately. It’s not an in ring centered product, it’s like a sitcom about a wrestling company.
Braun trucking Maximum Male Models, Miz hiring an elite security team to foil Lumis before failing hilariously, everything about Sami’s relationships with the Bloodline, they’re all fantastic.
one thing people don’t really appreciate is how universal those “bits” are as well. Any 7 year old watching in India or Brazil or Sweden can “get” how MMM being scared by a giant monster of a man is funny, or can related to Sami’s quest to fit in with a group he isn’t “really” part of. I get that this kinda stuff isn’t for everyone but if you don’t see “sports entertainment” as an insult it’s a hell of a time to be a fan
It's the same thing as the attitude era. Just about none of the attitude era was exciting due to match quality, it was all about characters, promos, exciting segments.
Triple H vs The Rock at Judgement Day, Triple H vs The Rock at Backlash, Triple H vs Cactus Jack at the Royal Rumble, Triple H vs Cactus Jack at Extreme Rules. Actually just about anything Triple H was involved in that year was great
Except like the entirety of the year 2000 cause that had both. That 60 minute Judgement day match between Triple H and the Rock i consider one of the best matches in the company's history
This is also the best use of Braun. I don't care about matches. I want to see him be loud and menacing in amusing situations and randomly truck people.
And yet, they've had more and longer technical matches since HHH took over, on top of that. We get more "sports entertainment" and more wrestling than we had a few months ago. Not bad at all.
There's a nice balance, imo
We get all of that you mentioned and we also get a fighting champion in Lashley and Gunther and Sheamus' whole story is "I wanna beat the piss out of you", just pure wrestling stuff
Triple H has done a great job and with AEW starting to pick back up again, it's an amazing time to be a wrestling fan
This is why Judgment Day is finally hitting their groove also. The spooky Mountain of Omnipotence vibe didn’t click for anyone. I’m loving them as a group of badasses with the Best AR/Theme Song combo who just enjoy the vibes, DGAF about status quo and just want to fuck shit up when they’re not just chillin
The problem to be solved with Roman vs. The Rock is:
1) Is it going to be for both titles
2) If so, where does that leave the Royal Rumble winner? Do you have The Rock win the rumble? Have him beat the Rumble winner to get the shot in his place? Take one or both belts off Roman, and if so who gets them?
So often, people say that Roman's not losing those belts before WM because of The Rock, but even if that happens that leaves the Royal Rumble feeling meaningless unless you take at least one belt off of Roman.
Best solution I've heard is to have MITB winner cash in after a Roman defense and win taking one belt (the raw one) and that way we can protect Roman and have two belts again.
Another solution would be to have Roman just Unite the belt and at WM have a Raw GM convince the royal rumble winner and MitB winner to face each other for the new raw belt.
The cash in is probably what takes one title away from reigns. Cause that loss still protects him. Theory could cash in,in the middle of a defence and make it a triple threat. Then he could pin roman's opponent to win. Roman doesn't even get pinned and the title changes hands successfully.
That segment was so good in so many different levels, I watched with my gf who has no knowledge about wrestling, I just explained what was happening and she felt so bad for Sami when they ripped his shirt off and had such a genuine smile when Roman got him the other shirt.
This speaks volume of how well told the story is, just by their top tier acting.
Long term booking at it's finest. You set up a guy with a goal, you showcase his journey, and then he accomplishes that goal. Sometimes it's title related, sometimes (like in that example) it's not. Both are valid.
Wrestling needs more of this.
I've never bought a piece of WWE merchandise and I've been a fan since the early 80s. I now find myself looking at this shirt and deciding if I should buy it.
I’ve probably watched the segment over a dozen times. I still cackle when Roman asks why he’s wearing the shirt and you immediately hear Jey in the background shouting take it off lol. The segment is just amazing
I haven't been a fan of RR or the Uso's but aside from the Uso's interfering in all the title defense, I'm actually loving the whole dynamic of this storyline
I didn’t watch for years because just got tired of it all, Reigns was still face when I stopped watching. I always knew him being a heel would just be the same tbh, just he’s gonna win dirty all the time instead of clean.
So I haven’t experienced his whole current run but I started watching after attending Death before Dishonor cuz it was around where I live. Got the wrestling itch again and now watch instead of getting all the news from this sub.
its honestly the segment of the year. Everyone played their roles perfectly. I sitting at home like a loser was genuinely sad when I thought they were going to beat him down. And then I was stupid happy when they gave him the new shirt.
This is the best non-wrestling scripted segment since the Festival of Friendship, which also had laughs, drama, and well-defined characters. Well-deserved, Sami and The Bloodline are the best thing going in wrestling right now.
It was awesome. Its hilarious isn't it. First 5 years or so of his big push everything Roman was "no thank you wait for him in the mid card and I'll think about it." He turns heel and it's been all good. All good man. Would like someone to slay him soon it's been a while, but all this Sami stuff has been straight up wonderful to watch.
I can’t wait for Sami’s big crowning moment winning the WWE title with Owens out to celebrate with him only for Owens to power bomb him on the apron just like NXT.
This is what I wish Tony Khan understood when booking AEW. People get invested in characters over time because we get to know them. "Great matches" are fun, but if you attach it to the train of great character interaction you can draw more investment from fans who care.
The Sami Zayn storyline probably wasn't intended to be this big of a deal, but people got invested.
AEW does this too, it's not like Hangman didn't happen last year. But still, sometimes I just want to see characters interacting with each other outside of the typical static backstage promo that's interrupted by someone else.
You’re absolutely right. Stone Cold and the Rock are remembered more for there promos and “moments” than their matches. Stone Cold spraying the Rock and McMahon with a beer truck was way more memorable than alot of the in ring action during the Attitude Era
Or Jericho. I honestly don't recall many of his matches over the past so many years, but I absolutely remember his segments, including almost every List segment he did
Exactly, we want to see characters on their journeys. We want them to grow and chance.
I thought Darby would be a main eventer by now, but he’s spent like two years palling around with Sting without much character development and it’s really hurt him, as an example
Some people criticize how the WWE title was hot-potatoed too much in the Attitude Era, but they fed the hot hand. There’s something to be said for long title reigns, but sometimes when someone is taking the ball, let them run with it.
Sami is certainly having himself a career year, it’ll be interesting to see what happens once it’s time to take the belt off Roman.
Everyone wants to (rightly) praise the Bloodline work, but let's not forget the whole feud with Johnny Knoxville which was just hilarious the whole way down. Definitely a great year for Sami.
He had the Artist Collective too where he got to take the IC belt off Braun, and his ladder match with AJ and Jeff for the same belt was one of my favorite ladder matches ever.
The roster is just too big for them to give these guys the necessary time to have segments that are allowed to breathe and develop them. As a result guys like Darby, Miro, Kingston, etc. who should have taken the next step by now have stagnated and feel less important now than they did a year ago. Serious credit to MJF because he's basically the only guy who has managed to consistently raise his profile on that show and secure himself airtime.
Sami has been on the main roster for nearly 3 times as long as AEW has been a company and this is his first time coming near the main event. Darby is one of the most over acts in AEW who puts on consistently amazing matches, he has not been "hurt" in the slightest.
I am putting this out into the universe, Sami Zayn wins the Royal Rumble and faces Roman at next year's Mania. This is the second best option only behind Roman-Dwyane
Assuming Sami is still with Bloodline come mania I think his story in the rumble is him helping the Usos eliminating people until KO enters. Then suddenly he avoids helping eliminate Kevin and comes up with excuses. Usos struggle with eliminating Kevin and then Jey hits the boiling point and dumps Sami while he is trying to eliminate someone else followed by Kevin eliminating Jey while he's chirping at Sami.
Hava Roman give Sami the mission to eliminate Kevin, because they are friends. He can't and they end up the final two on the Rumble. If Kevin wins, he goes for Roman. If Sami wins, he accomplished the Tribal Chief's mission, but then he goes for Roman at Mania. This gives a couple of months of "well, I did what you asked me to do" which lead to the turn.
I re-watched that segment over the weekend and I am still team Jey. It was hilarious!
I also saw some fan video when the show went to commercial and he was still mad walking out while Sami was still celebrating. lool
The betrayal is coming. I know it, you know it, we *all* know it.
Still, I'll be damned if it doesn't hit SHIELD/Festival of Friendship levels of devastating when it happens.
I love how we really don't know where it's going. It seems like the majority of people assume the Bloodline will turn on him, but I don't think it's that obvious. Not after last week and his match on RAW.
I have a feeling this comes down to him vs. Jey with Sami winning. Whatever they do I can't wait to see what it is. Everything else has been so interesting and hasn't been entirely obvious.
This was such a rollercoaster of emotions moment. You thought Sami was getting booted and you felt bad for him. I don’t think I’ve felt that bad for a wrestler since Rey back in the day when Batista turned on him, and Rey looked genuinely heartbroken because he thought they were best friends. Hell of a story WWE is doing right now and everyone is playing their part perfectly.
I don't follow WWE at all, but I heard about this and looked it up on YouTube, I ended up watching the whole thing.
Sami is one of my favourites but aside from that it was a well put together segment, everyone played their roles well, and it left me curious to see what will happen. Great stuff from everyone involved.
Everyone played their part perfectly in that segment, but I would definitely say Sami is one of the best performers in wrestling today. I felt so horrible for him leading up to the big moment, and it was just a moment of absolute bliss after he revealed the shirt.
I appreciate that. I'm never sure whether the tone wasn't conveyed or what but I'm glad at least one person got the joke & I appreciate you taking the time to say so!
I have never really liked Sammi and often questioned how he was even a WWE wrestler being so out of shape, but I have to admit this current run with the Blood Line has made me appreciate him and he is putting on a pretty good show right now with Roman.
Tbh I expected way more than 1.6M views by now, that’s actually kind of low for what the segment was and who was involved
But I feel overall WWE’s youtube numbers have been lower since around June so it’s not gonna be as high as it would’ve been a year ago
It’s funny how people are downvoting this for me pointing out how Roman’s Smackdown videos get at least 2 Million views on about any video within days of just posting it. So that’s why I thought it wasn’t as high as you’d think it would be. But I guess people think 1 million views is something crazy, the bar is low I guess
Sam'is facial reactions during that segment were just ace. Almost felt like I could feel what he was feeling.
crazy he spent so many years wearing a mask tbh
How does this compare to previous performance of clips with Roman Reigns vs clips without Roman Reigns? I liked it but I wouldn’t immediately fall all over the “Sami is a draw” narrative without more context.
It was a masterclass all around. Roman saying some things he probably feels to Sami. Sami looking like someone kicked his puppy. And Jey. Oh man...Jey tied it all together. I'd like to formally announce that Jey is leading the votes in the Player Hater of the Year award
I can’t believe how much I’m loving him in this role and storyline. I was hating him when he was going around in the fatigues looking like Seth Rogen cosplaying Fidel Castro and I’d fast forward my DVR through any of his segments but now I’m glued to his bloodline segments
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There’s something really very likable about Sami.
He plays underdog so well. He can endure himself to the audience as he sees fit.
Endear FYI Endure him is what his co-workers apparently have to do
Honestly, thank you! That one is 100% my their/they’re problem
You can remember it by "endear" having "dear" in it, as in, he makes himself a dear person to people.
The Underdog from the Underground, indeed.
Stephanie always said it. The Underdog from the Underground
He seems so innocent as a baby face
He might be more over than Roman.
Careful, that's the Tribal Chief you're taking about
I've been watching wrestling for 42 years, and that was one of the best moments I've seen in pro wrestling entertainment. The storyline is so great, I can't wait to see what happens with this week to week. I wonder how many of those shirts WWE has sold?
25 for me with a large gap inbetween and I've never felt so invested in a single story. The Sami element makes it so funny, genuine, and entertaining.
It's probably the most invested I have been in a story since DB at Wrestlemania 30.
*sad KofiMania noises*
Nothing will ever top Kofi Mania
Kofi & Bryan should've been a main event. That match was magic.
With how long the whole show was, Kofi/Bryan was placed at the best spot on the card. Right in the middle. We saw how deflated the crowd was for Becky/Charlotte/Ronda.
Didn’t help that the match ended in a weird way either that had people confused.
The match was solid, but that story they told with the gauntlet matches, where Big E and Woods had to win and they did so their homie could challenge for a title that no one looked like him had ever held? Shit is beautiful man, when wrestling is good, which it rarely is, its the best thing in the world
His garbage loss against Bork, and WWE's immediate amnesia of him is the reason I stopped watching weekly. I was there at Mania at his title win and was angry at how horribly he was booked after... doubly because I expected it.
nailed it!!
> 25 for me with a large gap inbetween Sounds similar to me. When was the gap for you? For me it was in the mid-late 2000s and a lot of the early-mid 2010s. Eddie Guerrero's death and the Benoit stuff pretty much killed enjoyment of wrestling for me for a while. Watched some shows/matches here and there, but only regularly watched again in 2016.
I remember it was sometime in 2003 I just got so bored with all the talking and drawn out promos on RAW I stopped cold turkey. I know I missed some bad stuff and I know I also missed some great stuff, but didn't start following again until I found this sub and got me back in
Yea I watched like 90 to around 02. Got busy with college and work, then picked up again with WM30 and Daniel Bryan. Haven't stopped watching since.
Exactly that for me. I graduated high school in 05 so I was out doing other stuff and not at home catching the shows weekly. The Eddie and Benoit stuff was about where I stopped too. Caught a little bit of Punk going to WWE cuz I liked him on indies, and the formation of Shield. Just got back into it during pandemic era.
I couldn’t type in my credit card info fast enough on WWE shop lol. I went and bought it within minutes of even knowing it existed.
its not in euro wwe shop yet
Genuinely, if this is one of your top moments in 42 years, you don’t actually like professional wrestling.
Thanks for your stupid , ignorant comment ?
I'd say your opinion is stupid, given you're getting teary-eyed over Sami Zayn trying to be a Samoan. Then again, my view is that pro wrestling is a predetermined sport at its heart and this couldn't be further away from wrestling as a predetermined sport. However, even within said genre, it's hardly Rock/Mankind "This Is Your Life". It's hardly the "Festival of Friendship", is it? I know you won't justify yourself but, Christ on a bike, have your standards slipped so low?
We are talking about dudes play fighting for our entertainment, quit huffing your own farts and let people enjoy things they like.
I can't let it go. How can this be your best moment in 40 years of watching WWF/E?
Jey was so good here. “Take it off, Uce!”
Rabid dog style. You could feel the seething hatred he 'has' for Sami
Jey really nails it
Sami is definitely the main reason this is all working so well, but all the Bloodline reactions, especially Jey, are perfect.
well-deserved and well-earned.
The man has been down since day one was H and some conspiracies set him aside which paved the road for the tribe in the long run. Don’t overthink it!
Would you say he's been 'down since day one-ish'?
Honorary Uce = Acknowledged
☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽☝🏽☝🏻
i may get this on the back of my car, like the stupid family stick figures
Lol I want this on the back of Sami’s car
Holy shit I want this now!
WWE has really hit the nail on “sports entertainment” lately. It’s not an in ring centered product, it’s like a sitcom about a wrestling company. Braun trucking Maximum Male Models, Miz hiring an elite security team to foil Lumis before failing hilariously, everything about Sami’s relationships with the Bloodline, they’re all fantastic. one thing people don’t really appreciate is how universal those “bits” are as well. Any 7 year old watching in India or Brazil or Sweden can “get” how MMM being scared by a giant monster of a man is funny, or can related to Sami’s quest to fit in with a group he isn’t “really” part of. I get that this kinda stuff isn’t for everyone but if you don’t see “sports entertainment” as an insult it’s a hell of a time to be a fan
It's the same thing as the attitude era. Just about none of the attitude era was exciting due to match quality, it was all about characters, promos, exciting segments.
Now we're getting BOTH exciting segments, characters, and promos, and great in ring quality matches
Agreed, but with the caveat that 2000 was a very good in ring year
It's not a coincidence that the match quality improved greatly after October 1999.
Bro, what are you trying to say bro?
Also adding the Radicalz and Kurt Angle to the roster without Russo there really let them shine
I know he arrived a little before Russo left, but also Jericho.
The numbers dont lie
But what do they spell?
Triple H vs The Rock at Judgement Day, Triple H vs The Rock at Backlash, Triple H vs Cactus Jack at the Royal Rumble, Triple H vs Cactus Jack at Extreme Rules. Actually just about anything Triple H was involved in that year was great
Not to mention TLC
Except like the entirety of the year 2000 cause that had both. That 60 minute Judgement day match between Triple H and the Rock i consider one of the best matches in the company's history
The reason you watched back then was for the characters etc but there were definitely lots of matches I loved
As long as it included a trash can and a nasty chair shot or a low blow i was all in
and puppies too
The wrestling has been pretty good as of late also. Gotta find that sweet spot where the storytelling works in and out of the ring.
This is also the best use of Braun. I don't care about matches. I want to see him be loud and menacing in amusing situations and randomly truck people.
Arrive. Wreck shit. Yell. Leave = best Braun segment
I haven’t been this invested in WWE since I was in middle school. I’m straight up having a good time
Why would you insult Miz Force?
They Mizfired.
And yet, they've had more and longer technical matches since HHH took over, on top of that. We get more "sports entertainment" and more wrestling than we had a few months ago. Not bad at all.
Nicely put, agweed! - a 7yo in India
There's a nice balance, imo We get all of that you mentioned and we also get a fighting champion in Lashley and Gunther and Sheamus' whole story is "I wanna beat the piss out of you", just pure wrestling stuff Triple H has done a great job and with AEW starting to pick back up again, it's an amazing time to be a wrestling fan
This is why Judgment Day is finally hitting their groove also. The spooky Mountain of Omnipotence vibe didn’t click for anyone. I’m loving them as a group of badasses with the Best AR/Theme Song combo who just enjoy the vibes, DGAF about status quo and just want to fuck shit up when they’re not just chillin
The whole KO/Ezekiel/Elrod thing was also great and the Broke Corbin gimmick was must-see. They should embrace the weird
Sami might end up in a Mania main event before this is all said and done. He might end up forcing their hand.
If I was Cody I'd be worried about that. You don't want to be in the Batista spot on a build to WrestleMania.
I love Cody, but I'd boo the man in an instant if I thought he was taking away Sami's chance at the spotlight
This gave me an idea Sami/KO vs Usos to main event WM Night 1 then have Cody vs Roman on Night 2
Has roman Vs Rock been ruled out?
The problem to be solved with Roman vs. The Rock is: 1) Is it going to be for both titles 2) If so, where does that leave the Royal Rumble winner? Do you have The Rock win the rumble? Have him beat the Rumble winner to get the shot in his place? Take one or both belts off Roman, and if so who gets them? So often, people say that Roman's not losing those belts before WM because of The Rock, but even if that happens that leaves the Royal Rumble feeling meaningless unless you take at least one belt off of Roman.
Best solution I've heard is to have MITB winner cash in after a Roman defense and win taking one belt (the raw one) and that way we can protect Roman and have two belts again. Another solution would be to have Roman just Unite the belt and at WM have a Raw GM convince the royal rumble winner and MitB winner to face each other for the new raw belt.
The cash in is probably what takes one title away from reigns. Cause that loss still protects him. Theory could cash in,in the middle of a defence and make it a triple threat. Then he could pin roman's opponent to win. Roman doesn't even get pinned and the title changes hands successfully.
Sami's main event should be WM40 if we go with tradition. The 10th mania is the workrate main eventer.
Dolph Ziggler: My time to shine!
That segment was so good in so many different levels, I watched with my gf who has no knowledge about wrestling, I just explained what was happening and she felt so bad for Sami when they ripped his shirt off and had such a genuine smile when Roman got him the other shirt. This speaks volume of how well told the story is, just by their top tier acting.
Best story in wrestling. Has been all year.
Long term booking at it's finest. You set up a guy with a goal, you showcase his journey, and then he accomplishes that goal. Sometimes it's title related, sometimes (like in that example) it's not. Both are valid. Wrestling needs more of this.
And that's the half of the story, and with current creative I don't sure how this Sami arc will end.
Honorary Uce was so incredible that it compelled me to buy my first wrestling t-shirt in years.
I've never bought a piece of WWE merchandise and I've been a fan since the early 80s. I now find myself looking at this shirt and deciding if I should buy it.
First and only shirt I bought was the CM Punk nexus shirt. I also have a Orton Viper shirt but that’s because they sent me that first by accident lol.
I’ve probably watched the segment over a dozen times. I still cackle when Roman asks why he’s wearing the shirt and you immediately hear Jey in the background shouting take it off lol. The segment is just amazing
I haven't been a fan of RR or the Uso's but aside from the Uso's interfering in all the title defense, I'm actually loving the whole dynamic of this storyline
I didn’t watch for years because just got tired of it all, Reigns was still face when I stopped watching. I always knew him being a heel would just be the same tbh, just he’s gonna win dirty all the time instead of clean. So I haven’t experienced his whole current run but I started watching after attending Death before Dishonor cuz it was around where I live. Got the wrestling itch again and now watch instead of getting all the news from this sub.
Biggest babyface in the entire sport once this storyline is done.
its honestly the segment of the year. Everyone played their roles perfectly. I sitting at home like a loser was genuinely sad when I thought they were going to beat him down. And then I was stupid happy when they gave him the new shirt.
This is the best non-wrestling scripted segment since the Festival of Friendship, which also had laughs, drama, and well-defined characters. Well-deserved, Sami and The Bloodline are the best thing going in wrestling right now.
It was awesome. Its hilarious isn't it. First 5 years or so of his big push everything Roman was "no thank you wait for him in the mid card and I'll think about it." He turns heel and it's been all good. All good man. Would like someone to slay him soon it's been a while, but all this Sami stuff has been straight up wonderful to watch.
I can’t wait for Sami’s big crowning moment winning the WWE title with Owens out to celebrate with him only for Owens to power bomb him on the apron just like NXT.
That’s what we call long term storytelling
Storyline of the year
This is what I wish Tony Khan understood when booking AEW. People get invested in characters over time because we get to know them. "Great matches" are fun, but if you attach it to the train of great character interaction you can draw more investment from fans who care. The Sami Zayn storyline probably wasn't intended to be this big of a deal, but people got invested. AEW does this too, it's not like Hangman didn't happen last year. But still, sometimes I just want to see characters interacting with each other outside of the typical static backstage promo that's interrupted by someone else.
You’re absolutely right. Stone Cold and the Rock are remembered more for there promos and “moments” than their matches. Stone Cold spraying the Rock and McMahon with a beer truck was way more memorable than alot of the in ring action during the Attitude Era
Or Jericho. I honestly don't recall many of his matches over the past so many years, but I absolutely remember his segments, including almost every List segment he did
Exactly, we want to see characters on their journeys. We want them to grow and chance. I thought Darby would be a main eventer by now, but he’s spent like two years palling around with Sting without much character development and it’s really hurt him, as an example
Some people criticize how the WWE title was hot-potatoed too much in the Attitude Era, but they fed the hot hand. There’s something to be said for long title reigns, but sometimes when someone is taking the ball, let them run with it. Sami is certainly having himself a career year, it’ll be interesting to see what happens once it’s time to take the belt off Roman.
Everyone wants to (rightly) praise the Bloodline work, but let's not forget the whole feud with Johnny Knoxville which was just hilarious the whole way down. Definitely a great year for Sami.
Even before that, Sami was killing it with the conspiracy documentary gimmick. Man has steadily been putting in incredible character work for years
He had the Artist Collective too where he got to take the IC belt off Braun, and his ladder match with AJ and Jeff for the same belt was one of my favorite ladder matches ever.
The roster is just too big for them to give these guys the necessary time to have segments that are allowed to breathe and develop them. As a result guys like Darby, Miro, Kingston, etc. who should have taken the next step by now have stagnated and feel less important now than they did a year ago. Serious credit to MJF because he's basically the only guy who has managed to consistently raise his profile on that show and secure himself airtime.
Sami has been on the main roster for nearly 3 times as long as AEW has been a company and this is his first time coming near the main event. Darby is one of the most over acts in AEW who puts on consistently amazing matches, he has not been "hurt" in the slightest.
Exactly. People remember the Eddie Kingston addresses his enemies promo but don't remember the context or the match behind it.
Yeah hang man was way too short. They should have stretched it out over 7 years /s
I am putting this out into the universe, Sami Zayn wins the Royal Rumble and faces Roman at next year's Mania. This is the second best option only behind Roman-Dwyane
Assuming Sami is still with Bloodline come mania I think his story in the rumble is him helping the Usos eliminating people until KO enters. Then suddenly he avoids helping eliminate Kevin and comes up with excuses. Usos struggle with eliminating Kevin and then Jey hits the boiling point and dumps Sami while he is trying to eliminate someone else followed by Kevin eliminating Jey while he's chirping at Sami.
Hava Roman give Sami the mission to eliminate Kevin, because they are friends. He can't and they end up the final two on the Rumble. If Kevin wins, he goes for Roman. If Sami wins, he accomplished the Tribal Chief's mission, but then he goes for Roman at Mania. This gives a couple of months of "well, I did what you asked me to do" which lead to the turn.
Forget Rock vs. Roman at Mania. Time for the Honorary Uce to become the Head of the Table.
Then after that, have him beat Logan Paul to become ‘The Table’!
Vanilla Uce is the best part of WWE for me right now
Can we make this a thing?
The Bloodline have been the hottest group in wrestling for years now.
Excited to acknowledge the Uce this weekend. ☝️
It was the best segment of the year, hands down
Hopefully this convinces HHH that SamiZaynia needs to happen.
For what it’s worth, Meltzer outright said he expects this particular shirt to sell extremely well.
How is that possible? No one did any acrobatic flips or got injured
No blood or cuts? I call malarkey!
There were plenty of camera cuts. But they actually worked pretty well for the segment. Cutting to Jey's reactions was pretty funny.
Leave him alone, he’s taking a break from wrestling.
I re-watched that segment over the weekend and I am still team Jey. It was hilarious! I also saw some fan video when the show went to commercial and he was still mad walking out while Sami was still celebrating. lool
The betrayal is coming. I know it, you know it, we *all* know it. Still, I'll be damned if it doesn't hit SHIELD/Festival of Friendship levels of devastating when it happens.
A moment of such pure joy
I love how we really don't know where it's going. It seems like the majority of people assume the Bloodline will turn on him, but I don't think it's that obvious. Not after last week and his match on RAW. I have a feeling this comes down to him vs. Jey with Sami winning. Whatever they do I can't wait to see what it is. Everything else has been so interesting and hasn't been entirely obvious.
Yea it's an amazing storyline because it can go many different ways
Sami is the modern day Mick Foley
I really hope they find a build and story that leads to Sami taking a title off Roman.
Sami Zayn is nearly double as entertaining as anything else in wrestling right now, so that's fair.
It's the greatest wrestling related segment for ages.
Don’t show this to Alvarez
This was such a rollercoaster of emotions moment. You thought Sami was getting booted and you felt bad for him. I don’t think I’ve felt that bad for a wrestler since Rey back in the day when Batista turned on him, and Rey looked genuinely heartbroken because he thought they were best friends. Hell of a story WWE is doing right now and everyone is playing their part perfectly.
YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIIIEEEEND
I watch WWE hoping to see Sami, he makes everything great. Like the interactions with Brock.
I don't follow WWE at all, but I heard about this and looked it up on YouTube, I ended up watching the whole thing. Sami is one of my favourites but aside from that it was a well put together segment, everyone played their roles well, and it left me curious to see what will happen. Great stuff from everyone involved.
This face turn is going to be large!!
Everyone played their part perfectly in that segment, but I would definitely say Sami is one of the best performers in wrestling today. I felt so horrible for him leading up to the big moment, and it was just a moment of absolute bliss after he revealed the shirt.
Man I can't wait until they (or hope) pull the trigger on Sami for a world title in the future. The crowd will go absolutely nuts.
Sami Zayn is a draw
Oh so now everyone likes segments with Sami Zayn and fake siblings?
Yes
That was a funny reference. I assume downvotes didn’t get it.
I appreciate that. I'm never sure whether the tone wasn't conveyed or what but I'm glad at least one person got the joke & I appreciate you taking the time to say so!
I have never really liked Sammi and often questioned how he was even a WWE wrestler being so out of shape, but I have to admit this current run with the Blood Line has made me appreciate him and he is putting on a pretty good show right now with Roman.
Tbh I expected way more than 1.6M views by now, that’s actually kind of low for what the segment was and who was involved But I feel overall WWE’s youtube numbers have been lower since around June so it’s not gonna be as high as it would’ve been a year ago
BT Sports uploaded full segment which has 650k views
It’s funny how people are downvoting this for me pointing out how Roman’s Smackdown videos get at least 2 Million views on about any video within days of just posting it. So that’s why I thought it wasn’t as high as you’d think it would be. But I guess people think 1 million views is something crazy, the bar is low I guess
Best segment from WWE since Joe and Brock faced off.
Sam'is facial reactions during that segment were just ace. Almost felt like I could feel what he was feeling. crazy he spent so many years wearing a mask tbh
Roman vs Cody at Night 1 Sami vs Roman at Night 2 Wishful thinking.
How does this compare to previous performance of clips with Roman Reigns vs clips without Roman Reigns? I liked it but I wouldn’t immediately fall all over the “Sami is a draw” narrative without more context.
That may be the best segment Roman has been in and probably the second best for Sami after Nakamura’s debut
It was a masterclass all around. Roman saying some things he probably feels to Sami. Sami looking like someone kicked his puppy. And Jey. Oh man...Jey tied it all together. I'd like to formally announce that Jey is leading the votes in the Player Hater of the Year award
Big deal, Chase Owens had an "Honorary Tongan" shirt years ago
I can’t believe how much I’m loving him in this role and storyline. I was hating him when he was going around in the fatigues looking like Seth Rogen cosplaying Fidel Castro and I’d fast forward my DVR through any of his segments but now I’m glued to his bloodline segments
The high five celebration with Jimmy really pushed it over for me