Will Sami Zayn make it to Bobby Lashley at Survivor Series?

Sami Zayn is the current Intercontinental Champion in WWE and is set to face Bobby Lashley at Survivor Series, but what if he loses the title before then?

On the most recent episode of WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn boldly proclaimed himself as the champion of the people. And who could argue with him? He is, after all, the Great Liberator, who has withstood disrespect after disrespect, including being a mere fourth-round pick despite his status as Intercontinental Champion, to maintain his grasp on the championship.

Zayn has a big match coming up in a champion vs. champion clash at Survivor Series against United States Champion Bobby Lashley, who feels as dominant as a world champion. Who can even stand toe-to-toe with Lashley? He is a formidable opponent in singles competition, but with the Hurt Business’ power behind him, he is basically unstoppable.

But Zayn might not make it to Lashley on Nov. 22 for Survivor Series. Logistically, it’s hard setting up a Zayn and Lashley match and then putting it together as a heel vs. heel match. Sure, Zayn and Lashley are completely different heels. Zayn is the classic coward, while Lashley is the kind of heel who mercilessly destroys his opposition without any sign of fear.

Despite their differences on the heel spectrum, it’s not a match that sells as well as, say, a babyface Intercontinental Champion going up against Lashley and just barely falling short in a match that can put over both men. There is no shame in losing to Lashley.

Sami Zayn has to watch out for Daniel Bryan before Survivor Series

Daniel Bryan has made it clear that he wants to go after Zayn’s Intercontinental Title and hold it as a fighting champion, putting on instant classics in an Open Challenge format each week. For that reason, I argue he should be the one to take the title off Zayn next.

Perhaps that title change could happen before Survivor Series this month. There’s not much time until Survivor Series, and Bryan has to recover from the beatdown he suffered at the hands of Jey Uso, who recently turned heel to “fall in line” with the Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

But we all know that it takes a lot more than one beatdown to keep a babyface like Bryan down. When he comes back, he’ll be even more motivated to win a title and do something special on SmackDown with the Intercontinental Championship he values more than any other title.

Zayn vs. Lashley could be a good match at Survivor Series, but it’s not a new rivalry. Bryan vs. Lashley feels a lot more fresh and easier to set up, and it could do both men wonders. We know that Bryan can take a loss, as we saw with Jey’s win on the most recent SmackDown. And Lashley having a great showing against Bryan could really boost the United States Championship and the man holding the title.

So don’t be surprised if Zayn loses the championship on the road to Survivor Series, whether it’s against Bryan or someone else. There might even be another babyface on the SmackDown roster looking to make a statement with a surprise title win, though, at this point, Bryan has to be the clear favorite to take the championship.