Sami Zayn's Road to WWE WrestleMania, Bray Wyatt Storyline Stalls, More Quick Takes

As it does every year, WWE's 2023 Royal Rumble premium live event kicked off the road to WrestleMania 39 in emphatic fashion on Saturday night, with several seismic storyline shifts as well as a few underwhelming developments.

Even more monumental than the two Royal Rumble matches was the conclusion of the event that saw Sami Zayn finally sever ties with The Bloodline. The entire angle was exceptionally executed but left fans wondering what was next for the now-former Honorary Uce as The Show of Shows looms large.

Zayn facing Roman Reigns one-on-one would make the most sense, but all signs point to that being the Elimination Chamber main event in Montreal while Cody Rhodes challenges Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at 'Mania instead.

For as many different directions as WWE can go in with Zayn, Bray Wyatt's issue is the exact opposite. He's been incredibly over with the audience since returning but fan interest in his storyline with Uncle Howdy has greatly faltered due to questionable booking.

This instalment of Quick Takes will tackle Wyatt cooling off considerably, Asuka getting a new lease on life, why JungleHook isn't needed in AEW's tag team division full-time, and more.

Bray Wyatt's Uncle Howdy Storyline Has Officially Jumped the Shark

Fans waiting for a significant development in the Bray Wyatt saga at Royal Rumble were largely let down by what wound up happening.

Wyatt's in-ring return, which had been in the works for multiple months, fell flat when he wrestled LA Knight in what was referred to as a Pitch Black match. There wasn't anything remotely revolutionary about it other than that they wrestled in the dark with neon lights keeping them illuminated.

It wasn't necessarily imperative that the matchup itself delivered, but the bigger disappointment was that nothing notable went down afterwards to set up whatever Wyatt will be doing at WrestleMania.

Wyatt against whoever is portraying Howdy looks to be a lock for 'Mania based on all the interactions they've had up to this point. The reveal of Howdy would have been perfect for a stage as big as the Rumble, but instead, he was sent plummeting off of a platform onto Knight down below.

In other words, it was more of the same and fans have no reason to remain invested.

Wyatt is talented enough to turn this around and rekindle some of the magic and mystique it had at the beginning, but the storyline seemed to jump the shark with the latest silliness at Rumble and it will be a tall task to redeem it.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley Feud Has Regained Its Momentum

While Wyatt has lost a lot of his momentum in recent months, Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar have managed to not only keep their rivalry relevant in Lesnar's absence but also effectively heat it back up with what they did last week.

The last we saw of Lesnar on WWE TV, he had just beaten Lashley at Crown Jewel and was laid out afterwards. Thus, it made total sense for Lesnar to exact revenge last Monday on Raw when he cost Lashley the United States Championship against Austin Theory.

Lashley evening their score by eliminating Lesnar from the men's Royal Rumble match was another excellent call and sets up what should be a big blow-off between them at WrestleMania 39.

Fans were chomping at the bit to see Lesnar battle Gunther in the Rumble, but that would be a bout best saved for SummerSlam if not WrestleMania next year. The bad blood between Lesnar and Lashley is what needs to culminate at 'Mania.

Lesnar will only benefit provided WWE sees this storyline through, specifically with Lesnar standing over a defeated Lesnar at 'Mania alongside a reunited Hurt Business.

Jack Perry and Hook Have No Business Being a Permanent Tag Team

Last Wednesday's edition of AEW Dynamite marked the second time "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry and Hook have teamed up to take out two common enemies in The Firm's Ethan Page and Matt Hardy.

For as well as they work together, there's no reason for them to continue teaming on a regular considering both men just branched off into singles competition over the summer, following the dissolution of their respective factions and tag teams.

On the bright side, their recent alliance has gotten them back on AEW TV in a somewhat meaningful role. Perry was spinning his wheels after wrapping up his rivalry with Luchasaurus while Hook was almost never in action on Dynamite.

As it currently stands, however, AEW has more than enough credible teams to where Hook and Perry aren't needed in that division. They're needed more in the midcard ranks where they can further develop their characters and build momentum on their own.

Nothing is confirmed as to whether AEW intends to keep JungleHook around for the long haul, but they are better off as allies who occasionally come together instead of making a run for the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

Asuka Has New Lease on Life Following Successful Royal Rumble Re-debut

Asuka has been long overdue for a character refresh and she finally received it in the form of her returning Kana persona in the women's Royal Rumble match.

While going by Kana on the independent scene prior to signing with WWE in 2015, she was known for her aggressive edge and wrestling with even more intensity. She also wasn't as limited with what she could do in the ring at that point.

Bringing back that side of her automatically makes her more compelling as a character than she had been in ages, and should result her being factored into the WrestleMania card in some significant way.

The Empress of Tomorrow had a stellar showing in the women's Rumble and racked up a few eliminations before being eliminated by the ultimate victor, Rhea Ripley. Where she goes from here is anyone's guess, but it would be mind-boggling for her to be spinning her wheels and not being featured regularly again.

This is the freshest Asuka has felt in years and the momentum must be capitalized on. As someone who has accomplished all there needs to do in WWE, this transformation was exactly what she needed.

Sami Zayn's Story Doesn't Need to Culminate with a Win over Roman Reigns

The talk among fans following the Royal Rumble is that plans must be altered to allow Sami Zayn to be the one to dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

If that were to happen, it would derail everything WWE has set up through WrestleMania for Rhodes. There's no other obvious match for him on the 'Mania card and thus it would be foolish to have him lose to Reigns.

As for Zayn, he should get his just due at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber in his backyard of Montreal. The fans would buy into every nearfall solely for that reason.

In the end, Zayn proving he can hang with Reigns is the story that matters most. Before the rest of The Bloodline can attack Zayn, Kevin Owens will show up and save and then they can begin building toward Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.

Zayn is incredibly over and for good reason, but winning the tag titles for the first time is an eventful and worthwhile outcome to his story. Regardless of what direction WWE decides to go in with Zayn, Reigns and Rhodes, it promises to be a must-see.

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Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.