Sami Zayn Pushed for WWE Title Win at Royal Rumble

TLDR

Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn cleanly at the 2026 Royal Rumble, extending his undefeated record against Zayn to 12-0 and ending Zayn's winning streak in Saudi Arabia. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Sami Zayn was actively lobbying to win the WWE Championship from McIntyre throughout the build to the match and was still advocating for himself to win as late as the day of the show, but WWE ultimately went in a different direction.