Sami Zayn would probably love to have a rematch with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. His fans certainly would too. It looks like they’ll all be getting half of what they want.
As announced by the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto (h/t Pro Wrestling Torch), Zayn and Reigns will square off again this weekend on Saturday, March 4 at a Road to WrestleMania live event, a.k.a. a house show.
Zayn famously took his role in the long-running Bloodline storyline well past its original intended date, becoming one of the hottest performers in wrestling as he took fans on an emotional journey. Some fans believed his skyrocketing popularity would cause WWE to change its plans and insert him into the title picture with Reigns for WrestleMania.
That didn’t happen, with WWE staying committed to riding with Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes as Reigns’ WrestleMania challenger. Zayn instead got his big moment in Elimination Chamber, which worked out nicely in its own right since it (and the SmackDown the night before) were essentially in Sami’s backyard in Montreal.
Zayn lost in part due to the actions of The Usos, and while it’s not been made official yet, the expectation is that Zayn will reunite with longtime friend/sometimes rival Kevin Owens to battle Jimmy and Jey Uso for their tag team titles at WrestleMania.
And while WWE often uses house show tours as a way to test out or tease upcoming programs, it also occasionally figures out a way to play off of recent developments in different ways than seen on Raw or SmackDown. The Sami Zayn-Roman Reigns rematch is a good example, and especially considering it’s in Canada, should go over very well with the live crowd.
It’s small consolation to anyone who had their heart set on “SamiMania,” but it’s something, at the very least.