Sami Zayn is all set to chase WWE gold once again as he officially earned his spot to challenge Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the 2026 Royal Rumble. And he did it in front of his home crowd in Montreal, in a thrilling Fatal Four-Way main event.
Sami Zayn wins big in Montreal
On January 24, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event featured a high-stakes Fatal Four-Way match with the winner earning a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble 2026. The contenders were big names—Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Trick Williams, and Sami Zayn—all of whom had qualified by winning their matches the previous week on SmackDown.
With the crowd firmly behind him in the Bell Centre in Montreal, Zayn walked into the ring as the hometown hero, and he did not disappoint.
The match kicks off with chaos
The action started with Trick Williams stepping outside the ring, choosing to stay clear of early chaos. Inside the ring, Randy Orton attempted an RKO on Damian Priest, but it was blocked. Sami Zayn then took out Priest with a clothesline and the match spilled outside.
The fans were clearly on Zayn’s side. Every time he got attacked, the crowd booed loudly. Every move he landed got a thunderous cheer, especially when he faced off one-on-one with Orton in the ring.
Randy Orton takes control briefly
Orton found his rhythm mid-match, landing his famous Hangman’s DDT on Priest and nearly delivering one to Williams before Zayn interrupted with a surprise Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.
Soon after, Zayn went for his finisher—the Helluva Kick—on Orton, but Trick caught him off guard with a leg lariat for his own close pin attempt. The action stayed heated on the outside too, as Williams slammed Priest into the barricade and Zayn followed with a diving move to the floor.
Twists, turns, and near wins
Sami Zayn had the Montreal crowd on their feet when he reversed Orton’s back suplex and delivered one of his own on the announce table. Zayn later landed the Helluva Kick on Priest and nearly had the win, but Trick Williams yanked the referee out of the ring, stealing Zayn’s moment.
Orton tried to take over again with back suplexes on the announce table. But just when it looked like Orton had the match sealed after hitting the RKO on Zayn, Trick threw Orton out of the ring to go for the win. Damian Priest stopped the pin just in time, keeping the match alive.
Zayn seals the deal
As the battle reached its final moments, Priest kicked Trick out of the ring, but Zayn landed another Helluva Kick—this time on Priest—and got the three-count to win the match in front of his wife and son, who celebrated from ringside.
Just when it looked like the night couldn’t get any better, Drew McIntyre showed up to attack Zayn. But the resilient Montreal star turned the tables, tossed McIntyre over the top rope, and stood tall as fireworks lit up the arena.
Can Zayn finally beat McIntyre?
With this win, Sami Zayn will now face Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While Zayn has lost all 11 of his previous matches against McIntyre, his momentum and crowd support might finally help him break that streak.
Fans can catch the Royal Rumble 2026 live on the ESPN app in the US and on Netflix worldwide.
