What’s the story?
It seems Sami Zayn will be next in line for WWE United States Champion Chris Jericho.
According to a rumor posted by Cageside Seats, the plan could be to have Zayn “bridge the gap” between Royal Rumble and Jericho’s future feud with best friend Kevin Owens. Of course, this would be the obvious booking direction after Zayn’s victory over Jericho in a non-title matchup Monday on RAW.
As is usually the case after such a result, it’s expected that Zayn would get a U.S. title shot at Fastlane, scheduled for March 5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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Jericho and Owens’ “best friend” angle surrounding the Universal and now United States championships has seemed ripe for an eventual break-up from the beginning. The two teased a falling-out before coming back together to make sure Owens stayed champion.
Getting Zayn involved in this presents some interesting opportunities, since Zayn has been well-documented as Owens’ former best friend. That relationship, at least within the storyline, ended when KO attacked Zayn in NXT.
The heart of the matter
With as much as the WWE has invested in the Jericho-Owens friendship, it makes sense that they would want to pay off that angle at a major pay-per-view like WrestleMania. These two could certainly put on a great match together that fans would love to see at in Orlando.
As such, Jericho will need something to do between now and then, and Zayn provides a high-quality opponent for Fastlane. Add in the story potential, and this was clearly the best way to go.
What’s next?
It remains to be seen whether this is a true “placeholder” feud, where Jericho will simply come out on top in the end, or if this is a way to pass the belt off to someone else so that Jericho can focus on Owens. The latter would certainly make sure that every belt could be on the line at WrestleMania.
In the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between Jericho and Owens develops to set up the dispute between the two.
Sportskeeda’s take
The best route to go here is to have Zayn take the belt of Jericho if the plan is indeed to have Jericho and Owens feud at the company’s biggest show. For one, that would allow Zayn his first major title, and it would be nice to have such a fan favorite carrying a belt in Orlando. On top of that, it would give someone else further down the card, perhaps Braun Strowman, a chance to get in a major match at WrestleMania facing Zayn.
This could also set up a temporary face turn for Owens, especially if the long-awaited Roman Reigns heel turn is coming. That would leave an opening where Owens could balk at the chance to screw over Zayn, revealing his true loyalties and leading to the Jericho feud. Fans would relish the opportunity to cheer for Owens at this point, and it would add some spark to the WrestleMania match.
Regardless, a match between Jericho and Zayn will be very well done at Fastlane, and a Zayn victory there would be wildly popular.
Tweet speak
Jericho had a long couple days leading up to the match against Zayn, to say the least.
