Sami Zayn once again delivers under the bright lights of WrestleMania

‘Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but it ain’t about about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!’ – Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa (2006)

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The spirit of the Sylvester Stallone’s iconic Rocky Balboa was flowing through the streets of Philadelphia once again Saturday night. The ultimate rags to riches tale. A story of hard work and perseverance prevailing over seemingly insurmountable odds. If a man (or woman) is just given a chance to prove themselves.

Inside of Lincoln Financial Field, with piercing wind chills cutting through his flesh with all the force of a GUNTHER chop, Sami Zayn once again proved himself to be one of the premiere pro wrestlers in the world.

Many of the headlines today from night one of WrestleMania XL – justifiably so – will be about The Rock’s triumphant return to the ring eleven years removed from his last advertised match. Not to mention what his victory will mean for Cody Rhodes as the American Nightmare must now concur Bloodline Rules in his bid to finally capture the WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns in tonight’s main event.

As the WWE Universe anxiously waits to see if the Tribal Chief’s reign of terror comes to an end this evening, let’s take a moment to acknowledge how the longest and most significant Intercontinental Championship run of all time came to close in spectacular fashion.

Finally laying down at my Airbnb around 3AM to try and get some sleep, I couldn’t help but replay the events of the evening in my head. Eventually pulling up the Peacock app on my phone to watch this match for a third time.

It was an absolute masterclass in storytelling. Starting with Zayn’s walk to the ring, which began with a conversation backstage with his wife and son. Two central characters in the build up to last night’s colossal confrontation with the Ring General.

Ask any man worthy of his family’s admiration and he will tell you that his victories in life are just as much, if not more so, for his loved ones than himself. There is no more demoralizing feeling as a husband and father than believing that you are failing your family.

Connection and relatability. Two things I’ve written about recently when discussing the career success of Becky Lynch – who had an incredible performance last night in her own right despite having strep throat and a 102 degree fever this week – have also played a huge roll in Sami Zayn’s career longevity.

Many of us see some of ourselves in Sami Zayn. At some point in our lives we’ve all dealt with self doubt. A lack of faith and belief in our abilities so powerful that we want nothing more than to just give up and let the crippling wave of insecurity consume our minds.

When maybe all we really need is a friend in our corner. Our own Chad Gable to push us to a level we didn’t even know existed. Someone to have our backs and help find that confidence deep down within. Or maybe even just a quick hug and an emphatic “Go do it!” from someone like Kevin Owens will have you ready to run through a brick wall.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque said it best after the show last night. Zayn has an impeccable ability to tap into those raw emotions that we all feel and it makes it incredibly easy for fans to celebrate his victories, as well as mourn his losses.

“What you saw in Sami and GUNTHER tonight was two people that are geniuses at pulling emotion out of you,” Triple H said to close out his post show press conference. “That’s Sami’s calling card. Yes, he does spectacular things. But his ability as a performer, as an actor, as whatever you want to call it, to pull that emotion out of people is awesome. It’s why he’s in the spot he’s in. It’s why he’s as good as he is.”

Defeating GUNTHER on the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’ meant more to Sami than just winning a Championship. It was about making amends for the failures of his past. Doing right by his new mentor Chad Gable, whom GUNTHER humiliated in front of his own family just months ago. Finding that confidence in himself and proving to his family, friends and fans that they were right to believe in him.

On the other side of the coin – pride comes before the fall.

GUNTHER crossed the line from confidence to cockiness in the closing moments of his record breaking Intercontinental Championship reign.

The Ring General has always had a business-like approach to his matches. Relentlessly beating his opponents both physically and mentally until they reach their breaking point. Always keeping his eye on the prize and it served him well for (the slightly unsettling total of) 666 days.

Saturday night he strayed from that approach and it cost him.

GUNTHER had Zayn dead to rights after a multiple splashes from the top rope, but in lieu of making a cover, he decided to savor his victory. Turning to Sami’s wife in the front row, arrogantly celebrating the pain he was inflicting upon her husband. In doing so, he provided Zayn the moment he needed to muster all the fight he had left – channeling it into a stunning brain buster from the top rope and two Helluva Kicks for the win.

Sitting on his knees in the middle of the ring with a euphoric – albeit exhausted – expression on his face and tears in his eyes, Zayn was handed his Intercontinental Title belt. He would then share an embrace with the woman he loves in the front row before holding his Championship high for all to see.

Those are the moments we live for as pro wrestling fans. It’s why we love this sport so much and keep coming back for more every week.

Moments, however, are fleeting. They live on in our memories, but it’s now time to answer the all important question – now what?

Bringing the Rocky theme back full circle for a second here, there was a moment before Sami’s match where Chad Gable uttered a familiar quote from the late Carl Weathers, who portrayed Rocky’s friend and rival Apollo Creed in the franchise.

“Don’t forget, you owe me a favor.”

The favor for Apollo Creed turned out to be a closed door rematch between the two fighters in the closing moments of Rocky III. In exchange for Apollo helping Rocky prepare for the big title fight in that film.

Conventional wisdom would lead the audience to believe, Gable still has his sights set on the Intercontinental Championship despite it now being around the waist of his friend Sami Zayn.

As for GUNTHER, the sky is the limit. There’s no taking a step back for him. Losing his title was a necessary step in his eventual ascension to the top of the card. A change of scenery in the upcoming WWE Draft could provide him with a series of fresh opponents as he works his way to winning a World Championship. A milestone he will most certainly achieve. Perhaps before the end of this year.

One record reign down. Will we see another come to an end tonight in Philadelphia? Will Cody Rhodes be able to dig down deep and pull off Sly Stallone Hollywood level upset and finally finish his story?

Follow along with night two of WrestleMania XL with our live blog right here, and get in on the conversation with all your fellow fans right here.

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