Fantasy Booking Sami Zayn's WWE Undisputed Championship Run

Sami Zayn shocked the world by defeating Cody Rhodes and Gunther on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to become the new Undisputed WWE champion. This longtime career goal looked like it might never happen.

Now that the Last Real Good Guy holds the top prize in the industry, what should his reign look like from a booking perspective?

Let's take a look.

Stay True to the Character

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The reason Zayn was in a position to be included in a WWE title match in the first place was because of his character change and the success of the Last Real Good Guy persona.

There is no reason to change it.

There will be considerable fan sentiment when Zayn takes to the squared circle Monday night as WWE tapes SmackDown in advance of Friday's show, but the creative team cannot allow the positive reaction to affect the new champion's creative direction.

It was the fickle fans who necessitated the heel turn in the first place, something Zayn should absolutely mention before denouncing their support. Stay the course with that character, let him rub his victory in the faces of those fans who stopped cheering for him in favor of Trick Williams.

Stay the course, reap the rewards. If the fans continue to cheer him, so be it. He can chalk it up to being what he says he is: a good guy.

Wins

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Zayn is fresh off beating Rhodes clean in the center of the ring, outwrestling The American Nightmare en route to a rollup win.

Wins are momentum-builders. Not only that, but they build credibility. The last thing WWE needs after a start to the year that included lame-duck title reigns, is another one. Let Zayn run with the gold, let him accumulate some quality wins, and build legitimacy at the top of the card.

Sentiment surrounding Zayn has not been this high since he challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship back at Elimination Chamber in 2023. Why ruin it by shortchanging his title reign or never booking him to defend?

SmackDown desperately needs genuine main event talent. Building him into one will not hurt.

Rekindling the Trick Williams Feud

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Zayn's year started with the absurdity of the Gingerbread Man leading into WrestleMania and Backlash, where he lost consecutive matches and the United States Championship to Trick Williams.

What better way to exorcise that particular demon than by having Zayn run it back against the charismatic babyface, with a chance to get his win back while simultaneously giving Williams some main event rub?

It freshens up the main event scene in that the title picture moves away from Rhodes and Gunther, and it creates an opportunity for the conquering Zayn to get at least one win back.

It does not have to be a long program, but considering Williams' success against Zayn, it would make sense that he would want to step up and challenge for the top prize on the blue brand.

The Cod Rhodes Match

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Rhodes was instrumental in Zayn's turn to the dark side and his assumption of the Last Real Hero persona. His win over The American Nightmare at Night of Champions was huge and proved that he was on QB1's level and, more importantly, that he can beat him.

Why wouldn't WWE book that one-on-one match and give fans the most logical follow-up that they can?

We saw the look of disgust on Rhodes' face in the closing moments of Saturday's show. On a grand scale, WWE could even utilize a rematch as a chance to turn Rhodes, if they so pleased. We have seen some heel tendencies out of him this year, so what better way to go all-in than by having him brutalize Zayn in what ultimately becomes a double-turn?

Zayn becomes the clear good guy, Rhodes the heel, and SmackDown instantly gets a much-needed shot of adrenaline at the top of the card.

The Kevin Owens Return

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Kevin Owens will be back eventually and there is no better way to reintroduce him to the WWE Universe than by having him show up to celebrate a big Zayn victory, perhaps over Rhodes, than by having The Prizefighter show up, feign pride over his friend's title success, only to slam him back down to the arena floor and kick off the latest chapter of their epic rivalry.

It plays on their long history, dating back to the NXT betrayal, and puts Zayn in a sympathetic role and gives fans a well-documented rivalry at the top of the card.

Come back, KO, so you have the headlining program you ave long deserved.