AJ Styles is hoping there is a reason for Sami Zayn’s short title reign.
The WWE Hall of Famer had spoken in favor of the Ultimate Underdog after his Night of Champions victory. On his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, the wrestling veteran had said that Sami was more than capable of holding the belt. He did not want to see him become a transitional champion.
This obviously did not turn out to be the case, as CM Punk ended Zayn’s run at just 9 days upon his hometown return at this week’s Raw.
Speaking about the turn of events on the latest episode of his podcast, AJ Styles admitted that he does not understand this decision. He mentioned the video of Sami crashing out after his title loss that went viral, and hoped that WWE has a reason behind the unusually short reign:
“I don’t understand. And it’s not for me to understand. I get it. I didn’t write the show. I don’t know what’s happening. But, I’m hoping there is an actual reason. And from what I saw on the internet, the backstage with Sami after the match, he’s pretty pissed off. Let’s see where this story goes before we start getting mad about everything that’s going on.”
AJ Styles also addressed the highly negative reactions to the title change from fans. He explained that the loss could lead to Sami Zayn getting a new character, and advised people not to get their ‘panties in a wad’:
“There is a story that’s happening. So before we get our panties in a wad and just be as negative as we can get, let’s see what happens. ‘Cause this may be a transition where Sami is a totally different character, and that might be what we need…let’s see where it goes, is all I’m saying. Before we start judging and being mad, even though I didn’t want a transitional champion, let’s see where it goes.”
While Styles is hoping that the title loss will lead to a story for Zayn, a report on the matter suggests that it may just be the case of how WWE views the now former champion. You can check out more about it here.