5 Challengers for Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship after his victory over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36

Sami Zayn has been the mouthpiece for Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro for some time now. However, no one expected him to get the pin over Braun Strowman and pick up the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber.

Since then, Zayn is enjoying his first title reign in five years while The Artist Collective has been taking down several competitors. Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan stood up to the heels. Gulak managed to get Bryan a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

However, The Planet’s Champion was unable to dethrone Zayn for the title who was in his first defense, and we still have The Critic of Critics reigning as the Intercontinental Champion.

While the heel would have certainly enjoyed his victory at The Show of Shows, several other Superstars could come after Zayn and demand a shot at the Championship.

In this article, we will look at the five Superstars from SmackDown who could get a shot at Zayn’s Intercontinental Championship in the coming weeks.

#5 Drew Gulak

Drew Gulak was largely forgotten on SmackDown until he started guiding Superstars to take on Daniel Bryan. After facing Bryan himself and losing to the former WWE Champion, Gulak managed to impress Bryan enough to become his coach and partner.

Gulak went on to defeat Shinsuke Nakamura on an episode of SmackDown to win Bryan the opportunity to face Sami Zayn for the title. But Bryan was unable to go all the way and win the title.

However, Gulak could appear on SmackDown and demand a match against The Great Liberator himself as he has scored a victory over The Artist in the past.

This could result in Zayn setting up a hurdle for Gulak, just like he did for Bryan, and allow Gulak a match on his terms. This would give fans a chance to watch what Bryan’s new mentor can do, as Bryan was unable to win the title when he was presented the chance.

#4 Otis

Otis getting in the title picture would definitely get the fans interested

One half of Heavy Machinery, Otis has gotten much more popular than any other Superstar who made their way to SmackDown from NXT in recent times.

While Heavy Machinery was largely engaged in the Tag Tag Championship picture, Otis was seen as the breakout star, as the big man is loved by the entire WWE Universe.

Currently, Otis, along with his partner Tucker, is involved in a battle for love with Mandy Rose. He is going after the man who tried to destroy his chances against in the form of Dolph Ziggler.

The two men will meet at Wrestlemania on the second day, and we could watch their rivalry come to an end sooner than later. What adds to the intrigue is the fact that big revelations have already been made in their storyline.

Since the SmackDown Tag Team Championship picture is already a little crowded with The Usos and The New Day chasing The Miz and John Morrison, we could watch Otis become the breakout star chasing a singles Championship in the form of the Intercontinental Champion.

The babyface could do well against a heel like Sami Zayn and his faction, while Tucker can provide him the support that he needs to even the odds. Fans wouldn’t mind Otis becoming the secondary Champion as there is a lot of support behind him.

#3 Jeff Hardy

Fans would love to see Matt Hardy as the Champion again

In mid-March, Jeff Hardy returned to action on SmackDown and took on King Corbin in a match that he ended up winning. Although, there was no backstory to their match, and no storyline developing for The Enigma. WWE decided to keep him away from the picture during the WrestleMania buildup.

Hardy is a fan favorite and we could watch the Superstar return to the SmackDown ring soon after The Show of Shows and get back into some big rivalries.

We’ve seen Jeff perform well as a single’s and a tag team competitor, and with Matt Hardy out of the company, we will likely see him continue as a solo performer for some time.

With Jeff back and looking for some top storylines to get busy on SmackDown, we could watch the Superstar make his way back on the Blue brand soon and go after Sami Zayn and his Championship. Both Jeff and Zayn are great performers, and a rivalry between the two men could turn out to be great.

With The Artist Collective trying to keep the title on Zayn, it will be a great underdog story for Hardy to follow to get back into the groove and once again become a major Superstar on SmackDown.

#2 Big E

Who doesn’t love the powerhouse of the New Day?

For several years, we’ve seen fans ask the WWE to give Big E a World title opportunity as many want to see him become a top Champion in the company. Big E has everything, from power to charisma and skills. And all this has allowed him to become one of the favorites of the WWE Universe.

Kofi Kingston got his moment last year when he won the WWE Championship, and now it could be Big E’s turn with Xavier Woods out with an injury. Big E is a great performer, and he could give fans some memorable matches and moments with Sami Zayn.

The New Day has already chased the SmackDown Tag Team Championships enough and recently failed to grasp them at WrestleMania. And, it could be good for the faction to move out of the doubles title picture and head to the singles one.

With backup from Kofi Kingston, Big E could go after Zayn and his Intercontinental Champion, a rivalry that can turn out to be gold for the Blue brand. Both men are good on the mic and great in the ring. With backing from The Artist Collective and Kingston, the company could give fans a good mix of matches while Big E could once again win a mid-card title in WWE.

#1 Mustafa Ali

Mustafa Ali is looking for a return storyline

The man who is being blamed for the glitches and hackings on SmackDown has been patiently waiting on the sidelines for a big storyline to come his way.

Once seen as the future WWE Champion, Mustafa Ali has been taken out of SmackDown for some time now and has been taking to social media to remind the company that he still exists.

It’s a shame that after all the initial buildup he got on SmackDown, Ali still hasn’t won a title. And, it’s about time he returns to the ring and chases a title on the Blue brand.

With that said, having a heel like Sami Zayn holding the title is perfect for a babyface like Ali who likes to play the underdog and come out on top.

We could watch Ali return on SmackDown right after WrestleMania or appear as the hacker backstage and reveal some secrets about Zayn and his faction, The Artist Collective.

The story can then slowly unfold until Ali comes out as the hacker and goes after Zayn and his title, claiming that Zayn is not worthy of holding it.

Fans could get some great matches out of the two Superstars are both men are outstanding in the ring and can match each other perfectly.

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