Michael Cole is not buying the argument that WWE handed Sami Zayn the championship as a thank-you gift for years of loyal service.
Zayn’s brief run at the top sparked criticism from fans who felt the company gave him the title because he had been around for a long time, not because WWE truly saw him as its top guy. Cole directly addressed that claim during an appearance on The Sal Licata Show and made it clear that he viewed the victory as a major storyline moment—not a retirement watch.
Cole first explained that Zayn had spent years building a real connection with the WWE audience, dating back to his time on the independent scene and continuing through his championship runs and role in The Bloodline story.
“Sami has an incredible connection with the audience because he’s been doing this for a very long time. He’s been in the business since 2002, running independents all over the world. He finally came to us over a decade ago, had a really nice run as Intercontinental Champion and was one of the stars of The Bloodline story from a couple of years ago. It felt like it was time.”
That history led some viewers to dismiss Zayn’s WWE Championship win as a reward for longevity. Cole pushed back hard on that idea and said the victory worked because nobody believed Zayn could actually pull it off.
“I know a lot of people have talked about it being a participation trophy because he’s served such a long time in WWE. I look at it from a story standpoint, and I thought it was a great story.”
Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes and Gunther, two of WWE’s biggest stars, to capture the title. Cole said the shock of Zayn winning was exactly what made the moment work.
“I thought Sami winning in a match against Cody and Gunther, two of our biggest stars—no one thought Sami Zayn was going to win the championship. They didn’t think he was ever going to win the championship in his entire career here, and we pulled it off.”
Cole also defended WWE’s decision to have Zayn win the championship in Saudi Arabia. Zayn received a massive reaction from the crowd, and Cole said the setting gave the title change an even bigger emotional payoff.
“It was a great celebration in Saudi Arabia. Sami’s Muslim. He was very much a hometown favorite there. They were behind him, so it was a great celebration afterward.”
The title reign did not last long, as CM Punk returned and defeated Zayn just nine days later. That quick turnaround only added more fuel to the idea that Zayn’s victory was a temporary feel-good moment with no real future attached to it. Cole insisted that is not what WWE is doing. He revealed that Zayn’s championship loss is part of a much longer story and asked viewers to let it play out before writing the whole thing off.
“I always ask our viewers to have patience because there’s a long-term story arc with Sami that is going to be playing out now over the fact that he lost his championship.”
Cole admitted that WWE stories do not always move at the speed fans want, but he stood behind the direction and encouraged viewers to keep voicing their opinions while the next chapter unfolds.
“We always ask our viewers to just try to be patient because we are going to get there. We do 52 weeks of television for Monday Night Raw and the same thing with SmackDown every single year. It’s live television every week, so sometimes storylines might not progress as fast as our audience wants them to.”
“The audience can have all the views they want. We can’t do this without them. Be critical about it. Voice your opinions about it. But I really think people are going to enjoy where the Sami Zayn story is going.”
Cole also believes Zayn has been delivering some of the strongest character work of his WWE career, especially with his “last good guy” attitude and the loyalty he demands from his supporters.
“I think Sami’s been doing some of the best work of his career over the last six months with this whole, ‘I’m the last good guy,’ and, ‘Ride or die with me, my ride-or-die fans.’ I think he’s been doing a great job with that character.”
Cole’s message was simple: Sami Zayn did not win the WWE Championship because the company felt sorry for him. WWE wanted fans to believe the impossible could happen, and now the fallout from losing that title is being used to drive his next story.
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Do you agree with Michael Cole that Sami Zayn’s title win was a legitimate story moment, or did the nine-day reign make it feel like a participation trophy? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
