WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray recently justified Sami Zayn‘s abrupt title loss on WWE RAW.
Sami Zayn’s reign as Undisputed WWE Champion came to an end after just nine days. However, despite the outcry from fans and Zayn himself, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray says the title change makes sense.
“In the game of chess that is pro wrestling, there are certain pieces on a chess board that you only bring out when absolutely necessary,” Ray said on Busted Open. “In Sami’s career in WWE, I believe they bring him out when it’s necessary, he gets the job done quite well, and then they move him back to his original spot. I don’t know where Sami falls in this. Is Sami long-term World Heavyweight Championship material? I don’t think the WWE sees that.”
Zayn claimed the world title by pinning Cody Rhodes in a triple threat also including Gunther at WWE Night of Champions on June 28. Rhodes then secured a rematch against Zayn by besting Jey Uso in a number one contender’s match. Before the two could face off on WWE RAW, however, Gunther attacked “The American Nightmare” backstage, causing Rhodes to be rushed to a local hospital.
In Rhodes’ place, a returning CM Punk stepped up to challenge Zayn in the main event of RAW. Following a Helluva Kick and a GTS, he then pinned Zayn to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship.
“Somebody needed to play the role of Sami Zayn, and there was no better person than Sami,” Ray said, referring to the transitional champion placed between Rhodes and Punk’s world title reigns. “Somebody needed to be that transitional champion for nine days; somebody needed to play that part, play that role. Sami was the best guy for the job. That’s why they put him there. You can look at it from the positive or the negative. It’s real easy to be negative and go, ‘Well, he was only champion for nine days, blah blah blah.’ But the positive is they chose Sami to be in that role because they knew that Sami can play that role better than anybody else in the company for that story.”
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