So, Is Sami Zayn The Favorite To Win The Royal Rumble Now?

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Sami Zayn unexpectedly lost his United States Championship on Friday when Ilya Dragunov made a surprise return to challenge him. Many fans were shocked by the loss, as Zayn’s recent matches with mystery opponents had been a popular part of SmackDown. These matches offered a new path for Zayn, who has spent years caught up in the Bloodline storyline or repeatedly chasing the World Championship without success.

When Zayn initially won the United States Championship, it felt like a temporary achievement – a way to boost other wrestlers while he waited for another shot at the top title. Unfortunately, he lost the championship after only about fifty days. Now, fans are eager to see what he’ll do next, and many believe he could win the Royal Rumble.

There are strong arguments both for and against him winning the Royal Rumble, so let’s explore both sides – why he could win, and why he might not.

Why Sami Zayn Might Win The 2026 Royal Rumble

As a fan, it’s amazing to see how much Sami Zayn connects with the crowd in Saudi Arabia. He’s Canadian, but incredibly proud of his Syrian heritage and always talks about his love for the Middle East. Because of that, the fans there absolutely adore him – he gets cheered just as loudly, if not louder, than our biggest names! It’s awesome when he gets to speak to them in Arabic too, they go wild for it!

For a long time, even before his current situation, Zayn seemed poised to become a major star. He played a key role in the original Bloodline storyline, elevating it from good to truly great – arguably one of the best storylines in decades. There was a point where fans genuinely believed he could defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship, showing just how popular he had become.

He’s always been very clear about his dream of becoming WWE World Champion, and not achieving that feels like a missing piece in an otherwise legendary career. Winning the Royal Rumble and then the championship at WrestleMania would cement his place as one of the best wrestlers of his era. It would also be a way for WWE to acknowledge his years of service, as he’s consistently energized struggling storylines with his connection to the fans.

Triple H and the WWE clearly have high expectations for this wrestler, as evidenced by his WrestleMania win against Gunther and his consistent placement in major storylines. It seems they may finally be preparing to push him to become a top star.

Why Sami Zayn Might Not Win The 2026 Royal Rumble

I’ll only be convinced when I actually see it happen. Like LA Knight, Zayn is incredibly popular with fans but consistently loses when facing top-tier opponents. While he’s had wins – like teaming with Kevin Owens to win tag titles at WrestleMania 39 and defeating Gunther at WrestleMania 40 for the Intercontinental Championship – those weren’t for the biggest championships. Every time Zayn gets a real shot at a major title, he falls short, and it’s starting to seem like WWE doesn’t consider him a big enough star to win one of their top prizes.

Look, I know Sami Zayn is a regular on the show, but there’s a huge gap between being important to the actual storylines and just being a name on the promotional material they use to sell tickets. Die-hard wrestling fans absolutely adore Sami, but honestly, I don’t think he’s the kind of performer who draws in people who only watch occasionally. He’s not on the level of someone like Roman Reigns or even Cody Rhodes when it comes to ticket sales. WWE did give Jey Uso a Royal Rumble win last year, but that only happened *after* they saw a massive spike in merchandise sales and those funny “YEET!” videos went viral everywhere. It’s all about what moves the needle with a wider audience, you know?

Jey Uso’s Royal Rumble win last year could be a lesson for WWE. While some fans were thrilled, others didn’t see him as a top star and criticized his performance leading up to WrestleMania. He won the championship largely to avoid damaging his momentum, but Gunther quickly won it back on Raw just two months later. WWE might be hesitant to repeat a similar situation, where a big win doesn’t fully connect with the audience.

To Sum Up

I predict Sami Zayn will eventually become World Champion. He’s consistently been one of WWE’s top performers for ten years, and he deserves a championship reign. Seeing him win a major title would be a special and popular moment for fans.

While a Sami Zayn win would be hugely popular, especially in Saudi Arabia, I don’t think it guarantees him victory in the Royal Rumble. WWE’s recent gamble with Jey Uso didn’t fully pay off, and they might see Zayn as someone who can’t reliably drive ticket sales for WrestleMania. It’s a risk they may not be willing to take.

I’d say Zayn has a roughly 25% chance of winning the Royal Rumble – he’s definitely a contender, but I don’t think he’s the most likely winner. WWE has a lot of other stars they seem to be positioning as top guys, like Roman Reigns, Gunther, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, and Bron Breakker, so they have plenty of other options.

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2025-10-19 19:39