Surprising Universal Title Contender Revealed On WWE SmackDown

It's Sami Zayn!

Yes, it's true - WWE crowned Sami the new number one contender to Roman Reigns' Universal Title on the latest episode of SmackDown. Zayn won a main event Battle Royal to earn a title opportunity at some point in the near future, and few (if any) fans could've seen that coming.

The bout's end came when Jeff Hardy stood tall. Everyone, including the announcers, thought that Jeff had won the match, but then Sami came in from behind to toss the legend and become the official winner. This classic heel trick worked a treat.

Surprisingly, Drew McIntyre wasn't included in the line up for the match. That seems to be part of a storyline with SmackDown authority figures Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville though. If nothing else, it cleared the way for a fresh challenger to Roman's title.

Zayn is certainly a unique, albeit interesting choice.

The heel isn't somebody most people would've picked as an obvious opponent for the villainous Reigns, but the match looks set to happen soon. It's likely that showdown (barring anymore twists and turns) will occur on TV rather than at the upcoming Day 1 pay-per-view.