Sami Zayn's AEW Name-Drop Edited Out Of WWE Raw?
Zayn may have gone off-script with his promo on Monday night.
This week's Monday Night Raw saw Sami Zayn feature as the first guest on Corey Graves' new Electric Chair segment - a glorified fan Q&A in which Zayn took queries from unplanted audience members.
It would have been a relatively unremarkable slice of programming if not for Zayn's All Elite Wrestling name-drop, with the former 'Underdog From The Underground' stating "you could have asked me about AEW." That this line was removed from WWE's YouTube upload sparked debate on whether it was scripted or not, and now, per Lords Of Pain, it's being reported that Vince McMahon "flipped out" when he heard the mention.
This would suggest that it wasn't scripted, but there are conflicting reports. While the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer says he was told Zayn's line was part of the plan, his colleague, Bryan Alvarez, was informed that it wasn't, and PWInsider have also reported that it was unscripted.
Whether planned or not, that AEW's name made it to WWE tension proves the impact the nascent wrestling promotion's Double Or Nothing pay-per-view has already had on the business. It'll be interesting to see if further name-drops (or digs) follow.