WWE Nixed Major WrestleMania 42 Plans for Sami Zayn

Roman Reigns isn’t just The Tribal Chief in the ring—he may be calling the shots backstage too.

According to Self Made Pro during a Self Made session, Reigns had a change of heart this year that flipped WWE’s long-term plans on their head. Initially expected to dive into Hollywood full-time, Roman apparently decided he wasn’t done with WWE—or the World Title scene.

“This year, Roman Reigns’s whole plan—at some point during the year—changed. He decided, ‘I’m actually not all in on the Hollywood thing, and I’m coming back to WWE. I want a championship. I want to win a belt. And basically, I want Cody’s seat.’”

That last line says it all: “I want Cody’s seat.” The second Reigns made that known, WWE reportedly scrapped its original storyline roadmap, and Sami Zayn’s main event dreams were left in the dust.

Sources state that the plan was for Sami to win the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia and go on to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship—a payoff to his RAW storyline with The Vision. But once Roman got involved, the entire trajectory shifted.

“They scrapped that whole Sami Zayn stuff, because Sami was originally going to be the guy to win the Rumble in Saudi and face Seth Rollins for the championship. That was the long-term plan for that whole thing, that whole saga with The Vision.”

Fans paying close attention noticed the sudden change. Sami, who had been a regular on RAW battling The Vision, was abruptly moved to SmackDown. Shortly after, he won the United States Championship by defeating Solo Sikoa on the August 29th edition of SmackDown. That reign didn’t last long either—Ilja Dragunov took the title from him on October 17th.

“They moved Sami Zayn over to SmackDown. That’s why, if you notice, Sami was on Raw fighting with The Vision, and they were holding off the program with him and Seth. Then they abruptly moved him to SmackDown—and then he’s the United States Champion. That became his new lane.”

While nothing has been confirmed by WWE or Roman himself, this reported behind-the-scenes shakeup paints a picture of just how much influence Reigns has when it comes to the main event scene. Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns may be the match WWE wants—but it might’ve come at the cost of another fan-favorite story.

Sami Zayn’s detour may have been entertaining, but fans are left wondering what could’ve been if he’d gotten that title shot on the grand stage.

Do you think WWE made the right call backing Roman Reigns’ return over Sami Zayn’s storyline? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear from you.

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