Roadblock Preview: Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
At WWE Roadblock: End of the Line, Sami Zayn will face off against Braun Strowman in a in a match so lopsided that RAW General Manager Mick Foley will only allow the match to go to a 10 minute time limit.
The History
The WWE draft left some wondering as to why Sami Zayn was drafted to RAW, as Smackdown Live seemed like the better fit for him. Being drafted to the same roster as Kevin Owens meant that the epic rivalry between the two wouldn’t have the requisite space between the two. However, the two have generally been kept apart, save for a match on RAW recently.
On the other side of the coin, Braun Strowman was a perfect fit for Monday Night RAW. He was separated from his Wyatt Family brethren and was positioned as a conquering behemoth. For the first few weeks of his new persona he was steamrolling over the competition, so much so that James Ellsworth has become a major player on Smackdown Live because of his pre- Strowman match interview during which he famously said “any man with two hands can win a fight.”
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After weeks of demolishing opponents, Strowman demanded that Foley give him more competition. He was rewarded with wrestling two unknown enhancements, easily decimating them as well.Still, Strowman wanted more of a challenge, claiming that he felt nobody on the roster could defeat him. Enter Sami Zayn. Zayn is the ultimate underdog, despite even being NXT Champion, he always exudes an aura of the” little guy” that is forced to overcome adversity at every turn.
The Ultimate Underdog
Before Survivor Series, Zayn earned the opportunity to challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship, with the added stipulation that if he won, the title would move to RAW. Due to outside interference from maryse, Zayn lost his bid for the title and was punished for his failure the next night on Monday Night RAW. During the match Zayn was not able to weather the larger man’s assault and Mick Foley actually stopped the match as Zayn hung in a tree of woe, bleeding from the mouth. The next week on RAW, Zayn came out after Strowman predictably steamrolled over the Golden Truth, trying to get a measure of revenge again.
All Blue Everything?
The issues came to a head this week on RAW, as Zayn confronted Foley for not allowing him to wrestle Strowman. Foley goaded Zayn into a fit of anger when he implied that Zayn had been traded to the Smackdown Live roster for Eva Marie. Zayn become so incensed that he bellowed that he is 1,000 worth Eva Maries. Foley revealed that he only mentioned the trade to fire up Zayn because that’s the fire he’ll need to take down Strowman.
Tough Enough for Ten Minutes
When Zayn takes on Strowman, a ten minute time limit is being added as a stipulation that will prevent Zayn from getting seriously injured, but also provides an interesting window. Zayn does not need to win, but he simply needs to be able to survive the match. Look for the ultimate underdog to prove his mettle by taking a beating from the much larger man, only to survive the ten minutes, proving to Foley that he can indeed hang with the big boys on the Monday Night RAW brand.
