WWE Fastlane Preview Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe
At WWE Fastlane, Sami Zayn will battle against Samoa Joe in a contest that epitomizes an underdog story.
A Feel Good Story
Ever since Zayn began in NXT, he has been cast as the plucky overachiever that has to fight tooth and nail to win a match. Even his NXT championship win came after repeated missed opportunities. And when he finally overcame the odds to capture the strap, his best friend attacked him, injuring him and ultimately ripping away NXT title.
Once he was called up to RAW, he experience more of the same. Showing courage that no one else in the locker had, he accepted Braun Strowman’s open challenge and paid a costly price. Zayn was rendered incapable of defending himself, so much so that General Manager Mick Foley called for a stoppage. At WWE RoadBlock: End of the Line, Zayn was able to survive Strowman’s onslaught for ten minutes, even seemingly on the precipice of victory as time ran out. However, in the end, he merely persisted. Zayn draws the empathy of the WWE Universe and a win here would validate his moxie and diligence
The Samoan Destroyer
Samoa Joe’s ascent to the main roster followed a much different arc. In NXT, he dominated the competition, quickly defeating Balor for the NXT championship. Although he dropped the belt to Shinsuke Nakamura before moving to Monday Night RAW, he showed ruthlessness and viciousness in his quest to regain the gold. His first act on the main roster was to brutalize Seth Rollins, even re-injuring the same knee that kept Rollins out of Wrestlemania last year.
“Not a Sami Zayn”
After the attack on Rollins, Joe was interviewed on RAW, giving him a forum to explain his actions. He made it clear that he was going to tear through everybody on RAW and made a serious impact. Joe cited Zayn as being someone who was called up from NXT, only to be unsuccessful. Zayn later responded to those comments and was immediately attacked by Joe who sent him a message by laying him out on the ramp. Although Zayn weathered a second attack, countering with one of his own, he will walk into this match at a severe disadvantage.
Final Verdict:
Sami Zayn will certainly flirt with overcoming the bully here, but it simply will not be enough. Zayn does not need to win this match to keep on the path he is going, he only needs to have a similar showing to his match with Strowman. Samoa Joe is being built as not only a Destroyer, but also as Triple H’s chosen pet project. A loss here would derail what steam he has picked up since moving to the main roster and render his demeanor toothless if he can not defeat an opponent who openly labels himself an underdog. Although the winner is clear cut, this match has a real chance to be the best match on the card, but in terms of a wrestling bout and a compelling narrative.
