10 Precise Turning Points Where WWE Did The Impossible

2. Cody Rhodes & Sami Zayn Get Over At The Same Time While WWE Boosts A B-Show

WWE Raw Sami Zayn Jey Uso
WWE.com

Ahead of Cody Rhodes' Royal Rumble 2023 return, there had been genuine concern from some corners of the fanbase that 'The American Nightmare' couldn't generate the type of reaction Sami Zayn had been getting from within The Bloodline during his absence.

Zayn's pops were referred to as "organic", which is understandable after years and years of promotional negligence, but unfair in this context. Nobody seemed to stop and think that maybe a Vince-less WWE had actually considered the upcoming converging plots, and might have also figured out the way to manage it

The Road To WrestleMania is long and winding, but it's so far so good for the two dovetailing stories between Rhodes and Zayn, and never was this clearer than in the build to Elimination Chamber.

The last big event before the really big event took place in Montreal, and was Zayn’s night before all hands moved to the Cody/Roman pump. To the consternation of plenty, he didn’t win, but the company were yet again keeping their eyes on the biggest prize even if it meant the hometown and sentimental favourite not leaving with WWE’s.

Drawing comparisons to Money In The Bank 2011, Elimination Chamber 2023 was held aloft as one of the biggest - if not the biggest - WWE B-Shows ever. The story had created a money-drawing monster in a slot normally rendered dead by default, and the biggest earner was still to come…

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett