10 Secrets Behind The Legendary WWE Bloodline Saga

4. Sami: WWE’s Ratings Secret?!

Solo Sikoa Roman Reigns Paul Heyman Bloodline
WWE

You can roughly chart some of SmackDown’s soaring numbers across TV, socials, YouTube etc to Zayn's involvement in the story. Things were always heating up on that front, but it's surely no coincidence that Sami's charming affiliation with Roman and The Usos helped massively.

Oh, by the way, those metrics are even bigger now.

People have been flocking to SmackDown in their droves to see what The Bloodline has in store for them next. The carefully-constructed (but never bogged down by a concrete path) cliffhanger nature of the tale has seduced many. Sami Zayn's input, which wasn't even supposed to really go as far as it did, should take some credit for that.

He was so red hot as a sympathetic babyface post-Bloodline exit that some even wanted to ditch top baby Cody Rhodes for WrestleMania 39 and have Sami challenge Roman instead. WWE refused to pivot from Rhodes, but did elevate Zayn rather than biting back at an organic swell of support.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.