10 Things We Learned From The Backlash Go-Home WWE SmackDown (May 16)
4. Zayn Put Down
It's been a rough year for Sami Zayn.
Kept partially strong in a losing feud against rising star Braun Strowman, Zayn was fed to the wolves on Monday Night Raw in the aftermath. Taking countless losses to the bulk of the red brand's roster and saddled with a gimmick that ostensibly made fun of his real life eccentricities, the 'Underdog From The Underground' was the supposed poster boy for the 'Superstar Shake-up'.
Regrettably, the 'Land of Opportunity' has served him no better. Despite signs of early promise, Zayn was programmed to lose to Jinder Mahal in the Six-Pack Challenge where the 'Maharaja' would stake his claim as Randy Orton's next contender.
From there, the return of the over-thinking chatterbox saw Sami chase off his babyface tag partners AJ Styles and Randy Orton in another backstage vignette designed to mock an apparent real-life insecurity, and defeats continued.
Marking the formal announcement of his Backlash encounter with Baron Corbin, Zayn was halfway into another rambling monologue in a backstage interview before 'The Lone Wolf' decked him as he'd done on Talking Smack a fortnight ago.
Their short feud looks sure to conclude with a victory for the Corbin, leaving many to question just how low Sami can go.