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I'm a little disappointed at some people's lack of imagination on how a Sami run would successfully work. Basically, exactly like Austin's 98 run where he's not supposed to be champ and the universe is conspiring against him. It's about Sami having to find a way to overcome Gunther, Brock, Lashley. It's about Sami and the fans having pulled one over on fate and this cinderella story happening and him working hard and dreaming and fighting to keep it alive when it's defying all the odds, the notion that the fans are lucky to be alive in this moment when this thing is happening which is a downright miracle and wondering just how long they can ride the miracle with Sami. Of course, other than Austin in 98, it's something WWE is uniquely terrible at. But Sami is bigger than Rey so.... Now that's not saying I thought they'd do it or even that they should do it, but it's their own damn fault for booking themselves into a corner with "the greatest story ever told" or whatever, and then not having the foresight or courage or perspective to realize exactly what they got themselves into.

I like Cody and I'm fine with him being the new guy but I also think it's funny that the arguments in favor of "sticking to the plan" and not changing the plan by having Roman lose to Drew in the UK or Sami in MTL are essentially arguing that "the plan" is a 2+ year storyline ending with the coronation of a guy who signed with the company -1 year ago.

Met Roy Lucier he’s awesome if you don’t know who he is he has YouTube channels dedicated to Lucha. It was cool meeting him he had a AAA tattoo. In the 45 minutes we were all waiting around everyone got their picture taken with CM Punk I went and met No Way Jose he’s really cool too. He was sitting next to Rob Naylor and I didn’t recognize him. I know that’s almost sacrilege on this board but I didn’t know it was him. I ran into Dave Meltzer on my way back to the car. He was cool too. The Show was really fun it’s late so I won’t get fully into it but man did I have fun. Kingston Vs White and Mone Vs Kairi were the matches of the night hands down. David Finlay was the biggest heel in New Japan in those 5-10 minutes he was cutting his promo. If they can keep that momentum going they might have something. I enjoyed Lawlor vs Homicide maybe it came off better live than on TV and I was impressed by Rosser dude can wrestle I never noticed or he wasn’t really given an opportunity to show what he could really do in the WWE it’s one of the two. Here’s a picture No Way Lucier and myself I’m the one in the Lita shirt

Nah see that's dumb.. Roman has a 900 day reign. You don't drop the belts for 5 days.. Whoever he loses to has to be the next GUY.. and they don't believe that guy was Zayn.

It’s been hilarious watching all the other WWE water carriers come out in support of Ariel. Everybody tripping over themselves to get their spot on the countdown panel one day lol.

People always say good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. If this is the end for the Sami part of this story, the conclusion is that no matter how much hope there is, how much you believe in yourself, and how much everyone loves and believes in you, forces will always work against you. You're just not going to win. Move on to something else. What a nice story! (The best in wrestling history, I guess?)

Keith Lee looked like he has one day left on the force till retirement

Johnny Knoxville gets a WWE title match so Sami can get his win back

Then when Kenny Omega signs and wins the belt he’ll take one of those wings off and turn it into the One Winged Angel belt

Man, this board would've hated the 80's.

I know "am I the only one" is an annoying type of question because you're probably never the only one, but am I the only one who preferred babyface Roman that was desperately clinging on to the imagery of the Shield and getting mixed reactions? I think part of it is my preference for weird misshapen objects like that rather than things as cleanly black-and-white as Roman's current presentation. But it's more than that. Maybe it's something that they started doing more and more of during the PC/Thunderdome days and whatnot (and maybe someone who was watching more of that can confirm or deny), but Roman's matches don't feel like wrestling matches to me -- They're like plodding, overly-verbal-for-the-TV-mic plays that just happen to be taking place in a wrestling match. And I remember Roman used to have what I conceive of as wrestling matches. Weird babyface Roman that some people found off-putting probably would have had a more satisfying match with Sami last night, correct? There certainly wouldn't be the worst kind of slow, flat, nothing heat that Roman seems to enjoy these days. The road here might not have been as hot and satisfying, but there's a better Roman Reigns-Sami Zayn match in them. I don't know. I used to have Roman matches I really would like to have seen. I'd have liked to have seen Roman vs Omega at one point. The king WWE guy vs the kind non-WWE guy at one time, fun clash of styles. Not so much with this Roman though, even if this is what the king WWE guy does now. Regardless, the MVP was Mrs Sami Zayn. A great "spouse who isn't part of the show and is very concerned" performance. If they're going to go for very heavy drama, that stuff plays well. Happy for Sami getting the push too. The match? I'm happy some people were satisfied, but not for me.

"welcome basketball fans to AEW wrestling, where we promise you great fundamentals, outstanding athleticism...and we've just been informed from the back that Trench has been missing for over a week, presumed murdered by Dustin Rhodes. We look forward to keeping you updated as the show progresses."

I would just point out that Cody’s story is about winning the title. Not specifically “winning the title at Mania” or “beating Roman for the title.” You could definitely kick that can down the road and still tell Cody’s story. Perhaps in an even more fulfilling way by building his struggle up over time, rather than squeezing it all into one Mania season.

This is a bit off topic, but it's a personal theory of mine that title reigns get viewed through the prism of what happens next (for both the champion & the challenger). People look down on the Brock ending to Kofi's reign because of the squash yes, but also there was nothing next for Kofi. He lost and just shuffled on down back to tag team wrestling with no signs of using this as motivation to beat Lesnar next time. Brock went on to fight Cain Velasquez. An utter and abject failure for both instances of what's next. So it cemented it as a misfire for fans. Yes they gave Bryan the title at WM30. But what was next? Kane. And while that could make sense at the time, Team Hell No history and all, having a colder than hell Kane be Bryan's first feud as THE GUY was a bad call. Of course the injury and the passing of Bryan's father also threw wrenches in there. Now Orton's side of it was good. He went on to do the Evolution vs Shield thing. But this ends up remembered badly because what's next for Bryan was a crash and burn failure. Just to throw in other random examples. When Sting won the title at GAB 90, what was next for him? Not much. What was next for Flair? Not much. When Austin won at WM14? What was next was the Mr McMahon feud. Shawn had to retire, but Austin went on to an all time great feud next. And I could go on and on. Just a theory, but I think that explains a little bit of why there's always complaining at one end of the story. It's very rare that any company handles what's next well for both the new & former champion.

I was jumping up and down like a maniac with each near fall while wearing my NXT Sami shirt while texting with my friends and family about the match. I started the match with tears in my eyes at the joy of Sami’s ovation. I ended with tears in my eyes at the heartbreak of the loss. I am 45. That was absolutely magical. Every single second of it. Every single second since Sami offered her services to The Bloodline. That is my Match of the Decade right there.

I thought it was pretty on brand for Owens to come to the rescue…but not until Sami lost the match. Always the heel in the relationship and asshole friend of Sami’s in the back of his mind’s mind, KO’s subconscious can’t let him “out do” him and have that moment. At least that’s how I rationalize it.

Just to chime in on the Cody/Triple H "beef" stemming from Cody "targeting" him by destroying the throne. Triple H had to have loved that shit. When your ego is the size of his and your mentor is Vince McMahon himself, the fact that the other company is taking shots at you and not at Cena or Roman or Vince means that you are the guy that is symbolically "The 'Fed." Cody Rhodes could've come out and mocked the Undertaker. He could've come out and done the "Vince walk." He could've done any number of things to point out that the WWE was still all about nostalgia and main eventers from 15 years ago and part-timers and that AEW was all about the future. But he used symbols linked to Triple H. If you're Triple H, that's not a scathing indictment, its a form of flattery.

The cross promotional stuff is more about keeping the network happy, which is a good thing if you want AEW to stick around

Uhhh… the NBA All Star game is the big BIG deal. AEW and WWE are both trying to piggyback popularity here. It’s not “Let’s encourage Wrestling fans to watch Basketball” it’s “Let’s hope some Basketball fans watch Wrestling.”

Lol. Noted super chill and not at all vindictive guy, Paul Levesque.

To me, if I view this story in isolation, it feels like they've told us a "feel-bad" story. (They seem to have gotten very good at that over the years.) They greatest story in the history of pro-wrestling (as purported by some) is a "feel-bad" story? That's just a weird vibe.

I thought the match was..... OK. The crowd and atmosphere was electric, even if WWE were kinda forcing it by having the entrances go 20 fucking minutes. Sami is a great fired up babyface, amazing to think how far he has come from the indys, but the match was the same blah Roman title defence we've had for the last 2 years. 20 minutes of Roman talking, 5 minutes of hot nearfalls, then some schmozz for the finish. That first ref bump was especially bad, I mean I know WWE canon is that refs are made of glass but it was laughable how long he was out for for getting pushed into the corner. 2 ref bumps and 2 sets of interference is pretty stinko. The Bloodline story is good but its always the angles that happen after the match that seem to be the focus rather than the matches themselves. I'm not someone who thinks you needed to have Sami win just because the crowd were hot, but after Drew at CATC this is the second time they had the opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle and instead decided to stay the path with the Reigns run. I get that, that's their plan and they have an end goal they are working towards. Is Cody beating Roman at Wrestlemania going to be as exciting as Sami winning here would have been? Or more exciting than Drew winning at a UK stadium would have been? Personally, no, but I get others may disagree. I just think they could have done something incredible and chose not to. My biggest concern and prediction right now is they have Jey cost Roman the title vs Cody, which would be a MASSIVE cop-out to not have Roman lose clean after this run.

The problem is WWE (and let's say it - Vince McMahon) sees Sami Zayn only as a midcarder. This is despite the overwhelming reaction Sami Zayn gets everywhere due to the Bloodline storyline. And the amount of merchandise Sami Zayn has now generated. And all that of merch and reactions lead to money but WWE doesn't want it or think they can make more sticking to what they are doing. It goes back to a basic problem WWE has - unless it's someone they've picked, the crowd would have to practically mutiny every week (like they did with Daniel Bryan) before they changed the storyline and given the fans what they wanted. A miracle run for Sami as World champion would work, would shake things up, and would break up the stale formula.

If you have two world titles, you have no world title.

Reigns really has been built up strong enough that dropping the title to Zayn in a fluke loss and quickly getting it back either on Raw or SD wouldn’t have hurt his eventual decisive loss, and would’ve helped Zayn the most given the circs. The elevation he’d have gotten even with a fluke is better than any possible outcome they have going forward. As it is now, there is no possible way to recapture the heat/moment that he had leading into EC. It’s one thing for fans to care/notice title streaks etc, but for promotions to base their booking around it is the height of stupidity. If the number is all that counts, why bother with the decisive victory for him in the end after giving his opponent a visible victory/excuse for losing. If you want him to be super dominant in addition to the number of days, why bother with the visible victory/excuse for the loser? That sort of inconsistency leads to unsatisfying finishes like this. Even if you absolutely had to keep the title in Reigns at this show, a count out victory for Sami (say via Helluva Kicking Reigns out of the ring and Reigns not beating the 10 count back) would’ve popped the crowd way bigger and sent them home happier than what they did after the pinfall and kept everybody as strong going out as they came in. Taking an even wider view, a Reigns loss leading to a rematch this week would’ve likely finally helped make the most of the Fox deal/platform. So few people are presented on the weekly shows as big stars. While not Montreal, a quick rematch this week would still likely have a fair amount of heat to it. Sami being presented as champion in that environment on that platform would’ve done more for him than anything they can do now. Just another in the long line of missed opportunities by this company over the years.

There's a case I should put this in the EC thread, but I don't think anybody there is arguing to split the titles, so I don't wanna beat the strawman there... I disagree when I read people online saying about how the WWE should split the titles to have a Raw and Smackdown title again. They did that for most of the last 20 years until last year. Splitting the titles just feels like running back to that crutch (plus there isn't really a logical way to do a split since they're not doing Raw/Smackdown GMs anymore). Maybe having the IC title and US title as the main titles on the weekly shows will always be like having B titles in the top spots, but if you bring back brand specific HW titles, it's gonna be difficult to have them be of equal/close to equal prestige and as I already noted, it's a crutch. The time's right to find new booking crutches to use for the next decade or two.

I enjoy my own head cannon that Brock so badly didn't want to be saddled with Bray that he got himself DQ'd

Unbeknownst to anyone, Cody meant this. He really loves it. You heard it here first.

Kind of disappointed that Beth didn't bust out the Scorpion Crosslock since she had the Nakano face paint on. Oh and Montez Ford is a goddamn star. It's time to start that ascension.

I hate that Sami lost. I think it's stupid. It was the most passionate anyone has been for a main event match in the WWE in years. But they'd rather manufacture a different moment. I haven't enjoyed a Wrestlemania in years because I can just feel them pressuring everyone to feel all the feelings, even when the feelings aren't there. I hate it when I can see the strings being pulled. When the company's plot overrides character. Everything about this felt honest up until the finish. Like why would Sami accidentally hitting Jey cause them to fight? You can just watch the tape back. Sami tried to hit Roman. Roman moved. Jey was there. Sorry buddy, the end. If that moment is the moment that detours Sami away from the title, then that makes this whole ending even worse. It's a contrived way of moving him away from the plot that they want to happen. I love Cody and really would like for him to win the title - but Sami winning felt right. I don't think you gamble such a special night thinking you're going to get an even more special one at Wrestlemania, just because that's when special things are supposed to happen. You can't manufacture that kind of magic on demand. You're not that great. Even if they change their minds and go with Sami in a triple threat at Wrestlemania - the moment passed. It won't be the same.

The double standard of bitching about Tony no commenting him about a bunch of stuff and then refusing to even ask anyone in WWE about Vince when the biggest story in decades was going down is pretty bad. That said, Tony shouldn't be doing this stuff himself. He should have hatchet men for it. A Buck. Eddie Kingston. Maria Kanellis. Jim Ross. Someone fun.

I wish I had the time to write a deeper critical analysis of the Roman/Sami story, because for all of the fawning over the storytelling, nobody (that I’ve read yet) has sniffed out the far more interesting stuff going on under the surface—specifically, the way the story changed after Vince was forced out and what that change says about Vince, HHH, and their relationship to each other. I think writers tend to reveal a lot about themselves through their work, whether they intend to or not. So, consider… In Vince’s version, Sami is a bumbling, wannabe family member, a hanger-on. He’s a joke, and the punchline is that he’s never going to REALLY be accepted, no matter how hard he tries. Roman lets him hang around because he’s amusing and an occasionally useful idiot. In HHH’s version, Sami is cast in a more sympathetic light. He’s a put upon hero who jumps through every hoop, endures every taunt, and compromises his own values to earn Roman’s respect and affection, but is met with second-guessing, derision, threats, and suffering, building to a breaking point where Sami stabs him in the back and attempts to take away what matters most to him. Gosh, it’s almost like Roman is Vince, Sami is HHH, and the Bloodline has been their own story as viewed from each of their perspectives. If someone from The Ringer is lurking this thread, you can have that idea for free, but I’m expecting 5,000 words on it by Wednesday.

Honestly, I'd rather have mid match shit talking and character work for the back row than a non-stop parade of "bangers" just for the sake of it. It's probably because I'm a wrestling boomer and liked it better when people didn't chase snowflakes and told actual stories that weren't "how many times can I kick out of a finisher". Not saying WWE doesn't do that *stares straight at Brock*, but I've been somewhat appreciative of focusing more on characater work than getting 2000 moves in.

Baba insisted that Kawada couldn't beat Misawa until they could do it at the Tokyo Dome and so the greatest story ever told ended with a *** match in 1998 instead of an absolute barn burner in 95 when both guys were at the top of their game. Sometimes you just don't wanna fuck around with this stuff for too many years or insist that a thing can only be pulled off properly if it happens at Mania.

I think women's secondary titles are a good thing. As it is once a woman wins the world title there's really no where to go. If you had a women's IC title you could watch a women's wrestler go from tag/IC to world title like Bret and Shawn

HHH stands for Honorable, Honest, Humble

Fantastic work by Sami’s wife!

The Bloodline story is just as much about Jey/Roman or more so than Sami/Roman.. I'm completely dumbfounded that people can't see how The Bloodline is crumbling and Roman is ripe for the pickings.. that's the story.

I didn't hate the Rudy Charles ref bump as much as most people did. He was smooshed in the corner and took several back elbows before clumping in typical ref fashion. Would I have liked Sami to win? Sure. Did it make sense to beat Roman now? I don't think so. I'd rather see this than anything with Bray Wyatt. Montez Ford came out of that chamber looking like a million bucks. The sky is the limit for him. Logan Paul is such a great scumbag that he fits wrestling like a glove.

I would have had zero problem with WWE choosing Sami as the guy but how dismissive people here are being of Cody doesn't match the reality in every arena. Cody is really over and so is the potential for Cody vs. Roman. Furthermore, let's say Jey Uso turns on Sami, that builds up the heat very nicely for a tag match but Jey Uso NOT TURNING on Sami also makes sense if you're paying attention. Jey Uso is conflicted on his relationship with Sami and his cousin Roman and always has been. He has potential as either a super over heel or a top babyface.

When Foley won the belt my pals and I lost our minds and paraded outside to whoop it up. Our neighbors understand.

That show was fucking fantastic.

Thought the booking was a miss. If you're not going to go with Sami winning, then the play was to get the heat & personal issue onto Jey so Sami doesn't even care about Roman anymore. Violent beat down from Jey (after it looks like he was going to hit Roman), just gross beat down that goes too far. Then you book Sami as a wildman stalking Jey, and trying to convince KO to trust him and help take the one thing Jey covets. The way it played out certainly doesn't put a lot of heat onto an Usos vs Sami & KO tag match.

You thought that sent the crowd home happy? I think you are nuts. That finish was massively deflating, and I don't think anyone is leaving that building happy. I thought that finish sucked dick, and them trying to pull a "happy ending" out of it was honestly just kind of pathetic.

Montez Ford is such an obvious “the next guy” candidate. He’s right there, whenever they want to pull the trigger on it.

I hated Cody in AEW but I really don't see the argument against him being the one to dethrone Reigns on a big stage like WrestleMania. He's basically John Cena with how he carries himself outside of the ring in media appearances and whatnot. I could see the crowd on Monday in Ottawa maybe being a little hostile towards Cody because of Sami not winning, but I don't think ALL of the markets they visit will do it ala Daniel Bryan in late 2013/2014. I'm not even really convinced that Cody will get booed at all. Not yet, anyway. People will get tired of his super duper babyface act eventually, but it's still basically brand new and he has a lot of crowd support from the limited viewing I've seen. I love Sami Zayn, but he's not the guy to do this. The Bloodline thing isn't even ABOUT him, from what I've gathered. He joined relatively late in the story. I don't think Jey Uso is the one to do it either, but he has a bigger role to play than anyone else not named Cody or Roman. Daniel Bryan got the B+ player thing as a gimmick, but I honestly see Jey & Sami (in WWE anyway) as that in reality. Maybe they'll hold the title for a few months eventually, but to be the one to end a 900+ day title reign? I don't think so, personally. Jey's role should be dissolving the Bloodline for good and helping Cody (or whoever, ultimately) end Roman's reign of terror and then go on to send Roman on a vacation for a little while. Maybe I'm way off base. I'm just now watching WWE PPVs again on a regular basis, and I don't watch the weekly TV. But these are my thoughts based off that and reading about it on here and Wreddit, and seeing clips over the last couple of years.

I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to (which probably isn't a big surprise to a lot of you). And not just Kang. More comments later.

There were moments during the multiple ref bumps/interference where the crowd collectively groaned, and the reaction at the finish was sad silence more than booing; regardless of what anyone would prefer storyline-wise, these are things that should be avoided if you don’t want a half-filled building next time. I swear there was a tiny moment right after the pinfall where it even felt like Reigns and Heyman (as people, not their characters) knew that it was a bad booking decision.

WWE looked at the most obvious, happy solution and said”go fuxk yourself” Vince ia back

You are one degree removed from Reby Hardy, TK. Give her whatever she wants and let her loose upon your enemies. 6:17 on the crossword, dig it.