4 Signs Sami Zayn will retain Intercontinental title at WWE King and Queen of the Ring: fan favorite, big win & more

Sami Zayn has a tall task ahead of him at WWE King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia. At the event, Zayn will defend his Intercontinental Championship in a Triple Threat match against Bronson Reed and Chad Gable.

The Champ even mentioned that the odds would not be in his favor in the match this weekend. Those odds worsened after he was defeated by Chad Gable on RAW this week, thanks to Otis' interference.

After weeks of enduring attacks from both of his challengers, however, it seems like Zayn will retain his title in Saudi Arabia for the next four reasons.

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#4. He lost to Chad Gable on the go-home episode of RAW

In the past, when a star loses on a go-home episode of RAW or SmackDown, they usually don't lose again on the bigger stage. The loss is often a misdirect to present the situation as untenable for the losing star.

Since Zayn was presented as the underdog before the big match, it's unlikely he'll lose two big matches to his rival in the same week. Gable's win was to present him as a true threat to dethroning Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship.

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#3. Sami Zayn is a favorite in Saudi Arabia

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens competed at last year's Night of Champions event in Jeddah.

While he did not compete in several of the first Premium Live Events in Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn has been a part of the last few shows in Jeddah.

The current Intercontinental Champion has roots in nearby Syria but wasn't allowed to appear at events in Jeddah due to unstable relations between the two countries.

Despite those tensions, The Ultimate Underdog is a fan favorite worldwide, and even more so due to his heritage. Having him drop the title in a place where he is beloved would be counterintuitive booking.

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#2. Alpha Academy is bound to leave or turn on Chad Gable

Chad Gable has consistently berated the members of Alpha Academy after snapping following WrestleMania 40. He's referred to them as failures who cannot do anything right.

Despite those insults, Maxxine Dupri, Akira Tozawa, and Otis have remained by his side. Gable has slapped Otis multiple times and blatantly called Maxxine dumb. No one deserves that treatment, so it should be only a matter of time before one or all of Alpha Academy deserts Gable.

He may expect help from Otis since the triple threat has no rules, but Otis may not oblige. The title wasn't on the line on RAW so the stakes were not as high as they will be at King and Queen of the Ring. Otis even apologized to Sami later in the night.

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#1. The title reign after Gunther must be significant

Sami Zayn finally ended Gunther's historic reign in April.

Gunther is the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time. He held the title for nearly two years and dominated most of his competition. Sami Zayn did the unthinkable by defeating The Ring General at WrestleMania 40.

Beating such a historic Champion requires a different booking than beating any other titleholder. Stars who topple dominant or long-reigning Champs should also have significant title runs of at least nine months or more.

Zayn has only held the title for a month, so losing it at King and Queen of the Ring would not do justice to his win at WrestleMania 40. A quick turnaround would diminish the hard work Gunther and Zayn did to restore the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship.