Sami Zayn Explains How The Bloodline Storyline Was Pitched
Sami Zayn has made it clear in a number of interviews that, while his storyline with The Bloodline has become the undisputed highlight of WWE television for the back half of 2022, it wasn't initially planned to be nearly as prominent or last as long as it has. Zayn initially tried to ingratiate himself with Roman Reigns' faction back in April after losing to Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38, but he wouldn't officially be crowned "The Honorary Uce" by Reigns until September. Zayn explained how the idea was pitched while on the Cheap Heat Podcast this week.
"Well, I won't pull the curtain back too, too much, but the idea kicked around just about a year ago, actually. So it was actually a good six months before even the seeds were planted on screen," Zayn said. "Because the first time I think there was any sort of interaction of myself and The Bloodline was just after WrestleMania. In actuality, the idea was first discussed going into Survivor Series of last year. I was doing this whole thing when I was on SmackDown, I was the longest tenured member of SmackDown as the locker room leader, and I just thought there'd be something really interesting there with the locker room leader and the head of the table. The premise sort of being that, well, you know, the head of the table isn't in that locker room anymore. He needs eyes and ears sort of on the ground. I wasn't originally envisioning being a full blown member of The Bloodline or anything like that, just something to where Roman and I can occasionally get on screen together in a sort of light hearted way and I'm kind of giving him these reports of what's going on and here's what you need to be careful for, and every once in a while, I get some things kicked my way too. That was just sort of the idea."
"It was, I think, talked about with Roman as well," he later added when asked if it was all his idea. "I think we were just kind of sitting at catering one day and I had heard an interview that he had did with Ariel Helwani where he was very kind towards me, and you know, just saying very nice things about me as an on screen character, and things that, you know, he'd like to do something with me down the road one day, and I don't know how we just got to talking and I don't remember exactly how it went, but it was a mutual thing."
Zayn fully proved his loyalty to the faction at Survivor Series WarGames, helping Jey Uso win the match for the group by nailing Kevin Owens with a low blow. Reports of Zayn challenging Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal in February have been spreading for the past few weeks.