Sami Zayn Turns On Roman Reigns At WWE Royal Rumble 2023

The Honorary Uce's time in the Bloodline looks to have come to an end...

by Andrew Pollard
WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Sami Zayn Roman Reigns Kevin Owens
WWE.com

After plentiful dissention in the ranks in recent weeks, it looks as if Sami Zayn's time in the Bloodline has now come to an end.

While many were speculating when the Bloodline would turn on Sami, it was actually the Honorary Uce who instead turned on Roman Reigns first.

Last night's Royal Rumble Premium Live Event saw Roman retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Kevin Owens in the main event. Despite Zayn having moments of hesitation throughout the match, the Tribal Chief eventually emerged victorious after brutally beating KO's head against the ringside steps before then hitting one final spear for the 1-2-3.

Advertisement

Post-match, Roman gleefully watched on while the Usos and Solo Sikoa put a beating on the fallen Owens. With the Prizefighter handcuffed to the ropes, the Head of the Table was winding up to hit the Canadian with a steel chair. After Zayn tried to talk Reigns out of this - stating how Owens had had enough and that such a chair attack would be below Roman - the tables were turned as the Bloodline leader instead handed Sami the chair and instructed him to lay out his long-time rival-turned-BFF-turned-rival.

Rather than striking Kevin Owens, Zayn eventually struck Roman with the chair, which immediately triggered a beatdown from Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, with Reigns soon joining in with this assault. Interestingly, Jey Uso rolled out of the ring and headed to the back rather than be a part of this attack on Sami.

Advertisement

As the Royal Rumble went off the air, the lasting shot of the night was of the brutalised bodies of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens laying prone on the mat - all while Reigns, Jimmy and Solo were booed out of San Antonio, Texas' Alamodome.

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.