7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (24 June - Results & Review)

5. Sami Won’t Back Down

Sami Zayn Bron Breakker
WWE

Despite Bron Breakker’s path of destruction through the Raw roster, Sami Zayn has managed to look like the calm, cool and collected babyface champion that everyone wishes they could be.

Zayn stood his ground last week as Bron attacked both Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser, refusing to give an inch as Breakker got in his face. Monday night, he stepped right up to Bron and offered him exactly what he wanted: an Intercontinental Championship match at Money in the Bank. He showed no fear and no hesitation in giving the dangerous rookie the spotlight, and Bron promised to “destroy” Sami, to no reaction from the champ.

As uneven as Sami’s feud with Chad Gable and Alpha Academy was, he has an uncanny ability to maintain his stature and presence, still looking and sounding like a credible number two champion on the red brand.

Monday’s encounter with Breakker provided more evidence of that, with a confidence that comes from years of scratching and clawing and overcoming immense odds. It’s why Zayn easily is one of the most popular acts in WWE and how he’s able to rise above mediocre material.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.