WWE Rumors: Here’s who the winner of the IC Title Tournament could face first
Could Sami Zayn win his WWE Intercontinental Title back?
Wrestling fans were upset when WWE took the Intercontinental Championship from Sami Zayn, even though they stated they wouldn’t punish wrestlers for choosing to be safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After stripping Zayn of the title, WWE has started up an Intercontinental Championship Tournament on Friday nights to determine the new face of the workhorse title.
The first-round matches were thrilling. Jeff Hardy, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles (joining from Raw), and Elias all picked up victories.
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Bryan seems to be the early favorite, as he cut a promo about how badly he wants to be a fighting workhorse, IC Title champion to make the title feel like the most valued in WWE.
But if, say, Bryan wins, who would he face first as champion?
According to a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, via Cageside Seats’ Rumor Roundup, Sami Zayn is expected to be the rival for whoever wins the tournament on Friday Night SmackDown.
So far, it looks like Styles and Bryan are on a collision course to briefly rekindle their rivalry from a couple of years ago in the tournament final.
Hardy beating Bryan is possible but would be an upset, while Elias defeating Styles seems nearly impossible.
Zayn and Bryan were Intercontinental Championship rivals heading into WrestleMania 36, with Zayn’s heel faction and Bryan’s new partnership with “coach” Gulak playing a key role in the storyline. Gulak is no longer with the company after WWE failed to re-sign him to a fair deal, so any Zayn vs. Bryan story would have to be tweaked.
That said, Zayn used his usual tactics to retain the title over Bryan at ‘Mania this year, so the two of them have unfinished business. Plus, Zayn never lost the title!
Therefore, Meltzer’s report makes sense under that scope, even though there’s a major issue. Would Zayn want to return to WWE’s tapings during a pandemic when the company’s safety measures seem dubious?
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It’s a tough situation for Zayn to be in, and WWE haven’t made it any easier, to put it mildly.