WWE Rumors on Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon Backstage, Potential Returns

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Zayn Reportedly Had Internal Support to Beat Reigns

Although Sami Zayn fell short of his pursuit of the undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal last weekend, he reportedly did have some internal support to beat Roman Reigns.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ella Jay of SEScoops.com), "some higher-ups" in WWE pushed for Zayn to win the match and the title, but WWE stuck with Reigns and his 900-plus-day run as world champion instead.

Speaking further about the topic on Wrestling Observer Radio (beginning at the 17:29 mark), Dave Meltzer said some people in WWE had a "very, very strong" feeling that Zayn winning would have been the right move:

However, Meltzer continued by saying he was told the "powers that be" were not even considering the possibility of Zayn winning leading up to the event.

In the months prior to Elimination Chamber, WWE built a fantastic storyline focused on Zayn trying to ingratiate himself to Reigns and the entire Bloodline, but it came crashing down at Royal Rumble when Zayn refused to hit longtime best friend Kevin Owens with a steel chair and took out Reigns instead.

During the time between Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, Zayn was consistently receiving massive reactions arguably not heard since Daniel Bryan's pursuit of the title leading up to WrestleMania 30.

Because of that, Zayn winning the WWE Universal Championship was the right move and became a popular narrative among wrestling fans, although there were other factors at work.

Reigns is in the midst of one of the greatest title reigns in WWE history, and to end it about a month shy of WrestleMania would have felt odd.

On top of that, WWE already has a WrestleMania challenger lined up for Reigns in Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes, and there are seemingly plans in place for Zayn as well in the form of him teaming with Owens to face The Usos.

Those are two main event-caliber matches that could headline both nights of WrestleMania, and having Zayn defeat Reigns would have taken that possibility out of the equation.

Some in WWE Reportedly Feeling "Uneasy" About Potential Sale

Some within WWE, particularly those who work backstage and in the corporate office, are reportedly worried about their future with the company ahead of a possible sale.

According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Saptarshi Sinha of Ringside News), some employees have gone back to "walking on eggshells," much like they did when Vince McMahon held the positions of chairman, CEO and head of creative.

McMahon retired from those roles in July amid a WWE board of directors investigation that found McMahon paid multiple women millions of dollars in exchange for their silence about sexual relationships with him, as well as allegations of sexual assault in some cases.

Last month, McMahon returned to the board of directors and was once again elected chairman of the board, although Nick Khan remains in his former role of CEO and Triple H is head of creative.

McMahon's return is related to his desire to explore a potential sale of WWE, which is something that could be completed in the coming months.

Per PWInsider, some WWE employees are feeling "uneasy" and are in fear of losing their jobs if a sale goes down. It was also noted that while morale in WWE is still better than it was when McMahon was fully in charge, it has been "waning" in recent weeks.

CNBC's Alex Sherman reported last month that WWE hired investment banking company JPMorgan to serve as an adviser on a potential sale, which could occur in the next three to six months.

Sherman named Comcast, Fox, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Amazon, UFC owner Endeavor Group Holdings and Formula One owner Liberty Media as potential buyers.

While there has been no public indication that a sale is imminent, McMahon seems like a motivated seller, so it may be a matter of when rather than if a buyer emerges.

No Deal Reportedly Imminent Between AOP and WWE

There reportedly hasn't been any recent movement regarding rumors that WWE is in talks to bring back former NXT and Raw tag team champions The Authors of Pain.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), rumors regarding AOP returning to WWE have been "quiet" recently aside from a report that a notable name is leading their negotiations with the company.

AOP's former NXT manager, WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering, is reportedly speaking to WWE on AOP's behalf about them potentially re-entering the fold.

Akam and Rezar made their WWE debut as AOP in 2016 during NXT TakeOver: The End, and Ellering served as their manager out of the gates.

AOP went on to enjoy a dominant run in NXT from 2016 to 2018, holding the NXT tag team titles once and rarely losing a match.

They were called up to the main roster the night after WrestleMania 34 in 2018, and on that same episode of Raw, they dissolved their on-screen partnership with Ellering.

AOP would eventually take on Drake Maverick as their manager, and they would hold the Raw Tag Team Championships for about a month.

In late 2019, AOP joined forces with Seth Rollins and eventually Buddy Murphy, but when Rezar suffered an injury in March 2020, AOP were taken off television and later released in September 2020.

Since becoming WWE's head of creative in July, Triple H has brought back several former NXT talents who he pushed to the top, and AOP would seemingly fit the bill as someone who he would like to have back for the up-and-coming tag team division on Raw or SmackDown.

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