Sami Zayn’s nice guy facade all but slipped off entirely Friday night on SmackDown as his actions spoke as loudly as his words.
Before a scheduled match with Aleister Black, Zayn chuckled at Cody Rhodes’ name, questioning how Rhodes’ attempt at being a good guy was working after Randy Orton — a man Zayn openly admires — attacked him.
As he continued to feign a crisis of conscience, Zayn was confronted by a gleeful Trick Williams, whom Zayn had trash-talked a week earlier. Williams, still celebrating
a win over Jacob Fatu seven days later, offered to sit ringside and give Zayn pointers.
Williams did just that, only to be blindsided by Zayn as the action spilled to the floor. After Zayn pushed Williams’s feet off the announcers’ desk, the former NXT Champion tossed a drink at Zayn and stood defiantly as if to say, “I did it. What are you gonna do about it?”
Instead of throwing hands with the larger Williams, Zayn teased returning to the ring. But as soon as Williams sat down, Zayn struck with a cheap shot.
Karma came fast, though. Back inside, Black dropped Zayn with Black Mass for the win. It was a fitting end after Zayn all but delighted in Rhodes’ misfortune and cowardly assault on Williams, and it was another reminder that Zayn is what he’s always been: a charlatan and an opportunist.
The Master Manipulator
Zayn’s actions in recent weeks call to mind years of questionable behavior geared at improving his position within WWE.
In 2020, he convinced Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura to let him manage them, then used them to win the Intercontinental Championship. When they saw through him, they abandoned him.
As his success faded, Zayn ingratiated himself with The Bloodline by offering to serve as their locker room stooge. He eventually gained favor with Roman Reigns, then the Undisputed Universal Champion. Once, while speaking to Reigns, he openly bragged about his ability to get inside people’s heads.
Months later, after helping pit Jey Uso against Reigns, Zayn leveraged his history with his old pal Kevin Owens to engineer his Bloodline exit and parlay it into a title match against Reigns, where he fell short.
Conveniently, Zayn reconciled with the family as they were vulnerable heading into the Survivor Series in 2024. That reunion led to new Bloodline merchandise featuring Zayn, padding his pockets just in time for the holidays.
Now, in 2026, Zayn is working again to secure his spot rather than fall behind. Without admitting as much, he is slowly lobbying for a title shot against Rhodes, another politician, should Rhodes leave WrestleMania as Undisputed WWE Champion.
At the same time, he’s saying the right things about Orton should he emerge with the gold. If that happens, Zayn may try to cozy up next to “The Viper” just long enough to strike when the time is right.
Either way, Sami Zayn is again playing the con game that will eventually lead to another world championship match despite racking up a string of losses.
The master manipulator, indeed.
