{"id":123851,"date":"2024-04-08T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=123851"},"modified":"2024-04-07T10:20:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T14:20:43","slug":"predicting-sami-zayns-first-opponent-for-the-wwe-intercontinental-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/08\/predicting-sami-zayns-first-opponent-for-the-wwe-intercontinental-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting Sami Zayn&#8217;s First Opponent for the WWE Intercontinental Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There we have it, folks. <strong>Gunther<\/strong>\u2019s record-breaking reign with the <strong>WWE <\/strong>Intercontinental Championship came to an end at <em><strong>WWE WrestleMania XL<\/strong><\/em>, as he lost to <strong>Sami Zayn<\/strong> in an emotional encounter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A well-deserved win for the \u2018Underdog from the Underground\u2019, but the attention now turns to the future. Who should step up and be the first to challenge Sami Zayn for his newly gained strap?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Chad Gable<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uZbHbgE1OrU?si=0T3mwY1jveFk62if\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the moments before his match with Gunther, Sami Zayn encountered a few of his most trusted allies. He ran into his wife, <strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong>, and <strong>Chad Gable<\/strong>. The latter is the one that I\u2019m going to focus on here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gable stopped Zayn before the bout and sent him to the ring alone. During their brief exchange, the former Olympian seemed to remind his mentee that he \u201cowed him a favour\u201d. It would be sensible to suggest this \u201cfavour\u201d may come in the form of a title match.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d expect to see the pair celebrating Zayn\u2019s big win on <em><strong>WWE <\/strong><\/em><em><strong>Monday Night Raw<\/strong><\/em> after WrestleMania, with Gable possibly getting a match on the very same show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether or not he should win the belt is up for discussion, but if he fails, then there are plenty more waiting in the wings for a shot at Zayn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Bronson Reed<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ToqrcjR-_IY?si=fjPCp1qKht25Fcik\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The winner of the 2024 <strong>Andr\u00e9 the Giant<\/strong> Memorial Battle Royal has a valid argument for being next in line.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Bronson Reed<\/strong> picked up a dominant victory over Zayn on the March 25th edition of <em>WWE <\/em><em>Monday Night Raw<\/em>, which would certainly be a fair point to refer to in his argument. Also, the two faced off again the following week, although the match came to a no contest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reed himself has taken to Twitter to make his case, referring to his earlier victories over the \u2018Underdog from the Underground\u2019, potentially pointing towards a new direction for Reed as we head into the post-<em>WrestleMania<\/em> season.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Hold up.<br \/>\nI just beat Sami&#8217;s ass twice &#8230;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WrestleMania?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#WrestleMania<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BIG BRONSON REED (@BRONSONISHERE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BRONSONISHERE\/status\/1776789939167936659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A feud between Zayn &amp; Reed would make for an interesting storyline, especially given the added intrigue of Reed\u2019s recent victory over the new Intercontinental Champion.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Ricochet<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ab__yPKAOD4?si=d6oE-2HXlnjwmTpL\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another superstar that\u2019s been picking up steam lately is <strong>Ricochet<\/strong>. The \u2018One and Only\u2019 has been making waves on <em>WWE <\/em><em>Monday Night Raw<\/em>, as well as picking up a win on the inaugural edition of <em><strong>WWE Speed<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ricochet has been severely under-utilised on WWE programming in recent months, but this fresh swell of support for the high-flyer ought to see him earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. As a former champion himself, the case can be made for giving him another opportunity to hold gold in WWE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aside from the spectacular match that the duo would have, the story would also be captivating. Ricochet\u2019s rise up the card, as well as both men\u2019s history with the independent scene, would make for a compelling encounter between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Finn B\u00e1lor<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/agpnCWumzwE?si=10CIqrq6g2-dVumB\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another former Intercontinental Champion could stake a claim for the belt. <strong>Finn B\u00e1lor<\/strong> and <strong>The Judgment Day<\/strong> had a\u2026 mixed night at <em>WWE WrestleMania XL<\/em>: Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <strong>Rhea Ripley<\/strong> defended her WWE Women\u2019s World Championship, <strong>Damian Priest<\/strong> and B\u00e1lor failed to retain either of their WWE Tag Team Championships, losing them to <strong>A-Town Down Under<\/strong> and <strong>The Awesome Truth<\/strong>, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the pair will likely need some time to lick their wounds, both men have other items on the agenda that should be attended to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Priest &#8211; as Mr. Money in the Bank &#8211; ought to be watching the WWE World Heavyweight Championship scene like a hawk. On the other hand, his tag partner should look to try and reclaim some gold in the form of Sami Zayn\u2019s Intercontinental Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B\u00e1lor could turn his attention to Zayn, in a desperate attempt to try and make amends for his failure at the \u2018Show of Shows\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These two would put on a great bout and ultimately, a victory over the former WWE Universal Champion would be another commendable notch in the belt for Sami Zayn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Jey Uso<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NrYXF5BYU_I?si=82s3z-JnvkVZQDTZ\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With his brother now vanquished, <strong>Jey Uso<\/strong> could be a potential opponent for Sami Zayn shortly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018Main Event\u2019 Jey Uso picked up a win over his twin brother at <em>WWE WrestleMania XL<\/em> and, in the process, has hopefully removed any further Bloodline-based hurdles from his path. The argument can be made that Jey should be a champion by now, if not for <strong>Jimmy Uso<\/strong>\u2019s interefences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If this logic were to be used, it would make for a captivating story on both sides. Jey, looking to prove that he can hang with the best and capture singles gold. Sami, seeking to demonstrate his capability to lead a division.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The history between the two would also add an intriguing thread to any potential bouts, as both men know one another very well and they may be unwilling to deal out as much damage as they might with different opponents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whoever Sami Zayn\u2019s next opponents may be, his run with the Intercontinental Championship will undoubtedly provide some excellent physical spectacles, even if the run itself doesn\u2019t last for a very long time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your eyes on <em>WWE <\/em><em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> to get a glimpse of who the next challenger for the gold will be.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There we have it, folks. Gunther\u2019s record-breaking reign with the WWE Intercontinental Championship came to an end at WWE WrestleMania XL, as he lost to Sami Zayn in an emotional encounter.\u00a0 A well-deserved win for the \u2018Underdog from the Underground\u2019, but the attention now turns to the future. Who should step up and be the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5065,"featured_media":123864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2192,4,3],"tags":[5395,1444,111,1724,70,106],"class_list":["post-123851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-bronson-reed","tag-chad-gable","tag-finn-balor","tag-jey-uso","tag-ricochet","tag-sami-zayn"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5065"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}