Come Home With Me
There’s something special about Sami Zayn in his hometown. Every move feels bigger and every near fall
makes the audience hold their breath. And on a day like today, it’s nice seeing genuine joy from our Canadian neighbors. Sami is, once again, the number one contender for the championship that’s alluded him for oh so long. AND he has a chance to do it in Saudi Arabia at that. All he has to do is defeat the guy he’s never beaten.
That’s why I’m hoping against hope it happens even though my brain knows it probably won’t.
I know very few people come to this space to read about anything other than wrestling. These recaps are an extension of my personality though, meaning they reflect what affects me at the moment. I can’t front like the state of the United States isn’t rattling around in my brain and nesting in my soul. The new year is barely a month old and it’s already felt like the longest year of my life. In a moment where it feels like the bad guys keep moving unimpeded, I really want a good guy to win. That’s why I rooted for Sami all night and will root for him at Royal Rumble.
Sami was the underdog here. Damian Priest is a former champ. Trick Williams is the new kid on the block taking the world by storm. Randy Orton is, well, Randy Orton. Even with the home field advantage, Sami was the odd man out. That said, he remained the purest good guy in the match. A victory meant more than just another big match at the territory’s first big show of the year; it meant a heartwarming story about a pure soul, once again, overcoming the odds and telling the bad guys “nah.”
To say nothing of the competition. Trick is so far removed from the guy he was even two years ago. I get why they immediately put him in the main event scene. He showcased smarts, athleticism, and his personality. More importantly, he looks like he belonged. He ran with pros and didn’t look at all in over his head. Randy and Damian are consistent as usual so yeah, no surprise there.
But Sami won. He pinned Damian and luckily Randy was just late enough to not break up the count.
I want Sami to defeat Drew. Sami deserves it and dammit, I just want a happy story to write about.
B-Sides
- “I went from EBT to WWE!” If not for the brawl that came instead of the match, this would’ve been my highlight from the opening this Saturday. Jacob Fatu spit a mean bar into the camera as he stomped to the ring. But like I said, the match never happened. But that suited me just fine because after everything that transpired between Jacob and Cody Rhodes, most notably on the recent SmackDown, a fight like this was logical. Jacob attacked Cody before the bell rang and it only escalated from that moment. They went all over the arena and I’m sure they would’ve left the building if not for the negative temperature outside. To make a long story short, it all came to a head when Drew McIntyre showed up. The champ dispatched Jacob, then hit Cody with a low blow and a power bomb into a table. Good move that only underlined Drew’s character. He’s so obsessed with being the best and making everything about him that of course he uses the moment his enemies are tearing each other apart to remind everyone he rules. Hell of an opener that also padded out a two-hour show.
- That momentum carried into RHIYO defending their championships against the women of Judgment Day. This started with the usual pattern of IYO SKY starting and getting to Rhea Ripley for the hot tag. Actually, before I get into all of that, I found myself noting how far Liv Morgan’s come as a total package. I remember when her biggest personality trait was telling people to watch her. That was it. Now she’s this full person who schemed on someone’s man, stole a championship, co-leads a group, and can go from being sweet to conniving at the drop of a shoestring. It’s all over everything she does in matches. I’m not saying anything new but I just wanted to formally give her props. As for the match itself, this was another incredible one from these four. We had a little hiccup on a three-count when Rhea was a tad late breaking it up, but that was the only issue that stuck out to me. It was stiff and felt like a real fight. Then along came Raquel Rodriguez to ruin the whole thing! I’m joking, but she did interfere and almost helped her friends defeat the champs. Raquel looked great as the powerful semi-decimating Rhea & IYO. Remember when I said she almost helped her friends win? Stephanie Vaquer is the reason for that qualifier. The Women’s World champ, sans walking boot, evened the odds and got a little even herself. Good bit of business between these two leading into their eventual championship match and seamlessly blending into the championship match. Logical, sound booking. Who knew?
- I really don’t have words for AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. This was incredible. This was the match I wished they had at WrestleMania all those years ago. It was an effective tribute to their New Japan bouts that incorporated their recent history. It was my favorite match of the night and of the year. I know, I know, it’s only 24 days into the new year, so yeah, that might change. It just felt great watching these two really go at it with added emotional stakes.
I had no expectations for this show but it rocked my world. It started with a bang and just kept going. It was far from a packed card but it was quality over quantity. Also got me excited for Royal Rumble on a day where getting excited about anything felt like climbing Mt. Everest.
What say you, Cagesiders?
