8 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Jan 27)

6. WWE's New Doghouse Is Actually Good For Your Career

sami zayn seth rollins
WWE.com

Reports have swirled this week that Sami Zayn is in hot water with WWE officials for his, erm, attention to detail. The phrase "total geek" has been bandied about; Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins were scripted, prior to the six man tag main event on the January 16 RAW, to react to Zayn's strategic planning as if he were James Ellsworth.

This was a rib penned, apparently, in direct retaliation to Zayn's purported real-life tampering and quest for perfection- for which Kevin Owens has described his career-long friend and rival as "anal". Is there a more vindictive company on the planet than WWE? It portrayed sentimental favourite Zayn as an overenthusiastic irritant for its own amusement. Can you imagine New Japan burying one of its top tier talents for wanting their matches to be, you know, as good as they can possibly be?

In the past, such transgressions of WWE's many unwritten codes have been punished with a trip to what is known, infamously, as the doghouse. The red mist descended upon Perry Saturn after jobber Mike Bell accidentally dropped him on his head on a 2001 episode of Metal. He was ordered to fall in love with a mop because of it. Mickie James was rechristened Piggie James, a supposedly overweight and unprofessional binge eater, after embarking on an affair with John Cena. Cena, meanwhile, traded the WWE Championship with Randy Orton in a main event series.

Zayn's punishment? He was booked to defeat top babyface Seth Rollins after a gripping, stature-enhancing match with an opportunistic roll-up. It compromised his underdog role slightly, but the match was so good that he looked better than he had in the weeks prior.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!