Nikunj Walia on January 27, 2023
2022 saw the meteoric rise of Sami Zayn, becoming one of the most beloved WWE superstars. His work as “The Honorary Uce” has been applauded by fans and critics alike, mirroring the success of the likes of Kofi Kingston and Bryan Danielson during their heyday. Speaking of those rises, it is now revealed that Bryan, being the champion at the time, wanted to battle Mustafa Ali.
Bryan Danielson’s popularity skyrocketed back in 2014 with the ‘Yes Movement.’ He captivated the audience like no other babyface star did and triumphed in the main event of WrestleMania 30, cementing himself as a top star.
On the other hand, Kofi Kingston found himself in a similar position five years later, establishing a strong connection with the WWE Universe like never before. This led to Kingston defeating Bryan Danielson at WrestleMania 35 to capture his first WWE championship after being in WWE for nearly 11 years.
However, Kofi Kingston was not originally slotted for that glory at the time. If we recall, there were plans to push the high-flying superstar Mustafa Ali into the main event championship picture.
Bryan Danielson pushed for Mustafa Ali to have new talent in the title mix. However, those plans were derailed due to Ali suffering an injury, forcing him out of the scheduled Elimination Chamber match and being replaced by Kofi Kingston in 2019. Moreover, according to a new report by Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bryan himself wanted to battle Mustafa Ali, but his injury made it the year of Kofi Kingston due to massive support from the fans.
“This was not the program originally planned. But the angles and crowd reactions have put Zayn in a position not as strong as Daniel Bryan when his unplanned rise in 2014 was handed to the company, but at this point stronger than Kofi Kingston which was a fluke of being slotted in a spot in a match scheduled originally for Mustafa Ali (who Danielson wanted to do a program with as champion), and the crowd decided to make it Kingston’s year, and the company did change plans accounting for that.”
With Sami Zayn looking to be on a similar path, the next coming weeks could see massive changes in WrestleMania plans. Zayn’s immense popularity could make him the one to battle Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania to claim championship glory, much like Bryan Danielson and Kofi Kingston did.
What is your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!
January 27, 2023 9:19 am
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