Raw recap & reactions: Sami Zayn’s big mistake – Cageside Seats
Filed under:Rhea gets angry, the New Day get booed, and Sami Zayn wishes he could get smarter on this week’s Monday Night Raw. NOT LIKE THIS! #RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/bWjkNymHBWI get into a bit more about this later in the recap, but let’s talk about Sami Zayn. Seth Rollins got in his ear last week about putting Sami first. Sami cut an impassioned promo mid-show about that very thing and how he took those words seriously. He later thanked Seth, who in turn welcomed this version of his boy but told him it’s still every man for himself in the Royal Rumble. Sami’s newfound attitude of looking out for numero uno made him barely bat an eyelash at Seth’s comment, which gave more depth to what happened in the main event. After a back and forth 25 minute match with Drew McIntyre, Seth got the win off a rollup pin. Drew, once again, got too big for his britches and didn’t put Seth away when he had the chance. Seth barely got his hand raised before Drew lost his temper and took out all that frustration on the guy who just defeated him…again. Rather than let Seth handle whatever happens with Drew, even if it meant sustaining a serious injury, Sami made the save. Now, normally, this is cool. Right? Sami and Seth are friends, they both hate Drew, and friends don’t let friends get beaten up by people they both hate. Things get blurry when one friend just told the other friend that minding his business is the best move. It gets doubly complicated when one friend ends up kicking the other friend in the face. Even if it was accidental, and it was. Sami came out because it looked like Drew was ready to kick in Seth’s head, so it’s ironic that he did that very thing just trying to help. Then there’s the whole Royal Rumble aspect. Seth’s words for Sami made clear the need to take advantage of openings when they present themselves. The implication being that if Sami or any opponent is weakened before February 1, 2025, that is a gift Seth will happily unwrap without apologizing. Sami can’t even let the credits roll without looking a gift horse in the mouth. This puts into question whether he truly meant what he said about looking out for himself and his interests. At his core, Sami is a good dude and a better friend. Do those qualities clash with his championship ambitions? Times like this say they while also making it harder for those around him. I hope they don’t play this like Seth thinks Sami kicked him on purpose. I really don’t. I think it’s more interesting if Seth is mad at Sami because he tried helping him, which means he didn’t listen to him. And if he didn’t listen to him, how is he anywhere close to being ready to win the Rumble, let alone become a champion? Who needs entrance music when you just get BOOED?! #RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/j8U1qA0tOQThis won’t be about the match between Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio as much as it’ll focus on the presentation. Ra’s Al Ghul understands that theatricality makes or breaks a thing, so we all should. New Day started hot. They greeted JBL backstage and even bribed the man to ride with them at the announce table. They bribed him with $2 but still, they made the effort. That went sideways for them as JBL gave incredibly backhanded compliments that didn’t betray his heel nature. Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods continue being the most entertaining duo on the show for me, even in these small moments. That translated to the match when their music hit and Xavier loudly told them to cut the music. No more colorful attire, and now getting serenaded to the ring by boos, they just talked trash to the crowd the whole time. Kofi’s wrestled in black jeans, Nike sneakers, and some knee pads. That’s it. And it was perfect. Kofi lost a dope match thanks to Rey basically catching Kofi off guard with a quick counter and roll up pin. So the L doesn’t hurt Kofi or this new New Day, and neither does the physical beat down X & Kofi dished out after the match to Rey and his LWO crew. This will go a long way to developing whatever the next phase of this turn looks like. I fully expect them to tower over LWO. That also means I’ll more than likely eat my words since WWE loves proving me wrong. Jerks. Really digging these two and a half hour Raw episodes. This was another solid show with a lot to like for the main event scene and the Royal Rumble. No more notes. What say you, cagesiders? Should Jey win that championship one day? I say one day because I doubt it happens this week. Check your inbox for a welcome email.Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
