50 Greatest WWE Raw Moments Ever

16. The Trial Of Sami Zayn (January 23rd, 2023)

Jey Uso Solo Sikoa Sami Zayn
WWE.com

In what proved to be the penultimate epic segment for this era of WWE's rampaging Bloodline storyline, "The Trial Of Sami Zayn" was set up to decide once and for all if the family outlier should remain part of the group due to certain incidental mistakes and mishaps that the increasingly psychopathic leader Roman Reigns had blamed him for. 

In a magnificent subversion of the group's old dynamic, Jey Uso saved Sami from a Solo Sikoa spike attack, using his own evidence to get him off the hook with 'The Tribal Chief'. As the opening portion of a "Raw Is XXX" 30th anniversary special, this would have been an exceptional Royal Rumble go-home segment on its own steam. That it was followed immediately by an Uso Tag Title defence against the rapidly-rising Judgment Day elevated to elite status. 

Jimmy got injured in a pre-match melee, and Sami returned the favour to Jey there and then, becoming an "honorary Uce" in more than just t-shirt alone. WWE had even gone to the trouble of covering why Adam Pearce would approve the late surrogate - weeks earlier, he'd afforded a similar cast switch to The Judgment Day themselves ahead of them earning the title shot. This was best-in-class booking with the tightest plotting WWE fans had experienced in two decades; the unexpected creative rebirth distilled. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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