Sami Zayn Beats Chad Gable, Retains Intercontinental Title at WWE Clash at the Castle

Sami Zayn beat Chad Gable at Clash at the Castle on Saturday to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

During the latter stages of the match, Gable accidentally clipped Maxxine Dupri in the knee outside the ring, and rather than helping Gable win the title, Otis carried Maxxine backstage to receive medical attention.

That infuriated Gable and distracted him enough for Zayn to hit him with a Helluva Kick to win the match.

Over the past couple of months, Zayn and Gable have gone from friends to bitter enemies, and it all led up to a one-on-one battle in Scotland.

Zayn became the No. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship prior to WrestleMania 40, and while he had doubts about his ability to beat Gunther for the title, Gable motivated him and coached him up.

Gable's efforts were rewarded, as Zayn beat Gunther at WrestleMania to end his record IC title run at 666 days. To show his appreciation, Zayn granted Gable a title match a couple of weeks later.

Zayn was victorious in his hometown of Montreal, but as he was hugging his wife in celebration, Gable hit him with a German suplex and viciously attacked him.

Gable's entire attitude changed from that point forward, as he went from a beloved babyface to a dastardly heel who often took out his frustrations on his Alpha Academy pupils.

The former United States Olympian got another shot at the IC title and King and Queen of the Ring in a Triple Threat match against Zayn and Bronson Reed. Gable tried to get Otis to help him by taking out Zayn, but when he accidentally clotheslined Gable, it allowed Zayn to pin Reed for the win.

A furious Gable verbally eviscerated Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine on the ensuing episode of Raw, and he was about to whip Otis with a belt until Dupri and Zayn intervened.

One week later, Zayn attempted to convince Otis to turn his back on Gable's oppression, but when Gable hit Zayn into the apron and caused Dupri and Tozawa to fall, Otis slammed Zayn instead.

While apprehensive, Gable seemingly still had Otis in his back pocket entering Clash at the Castle, which put Zayn's title reign in jeopardy.

Zayn managed to retain his title once again, however, perhaps bringing an end to his rivalry with Gable.

---

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.