The result of the WWE Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn was reportedly a topic of debate right up until the day of the Royal Rumble. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there were discussions backstage regarding who should leave the event with the title, with the challenger actively advocating for a victory.
Meltzer reported that Sami Zayn was “pushing for it” in the lead-up to the show. However, the final decision ultimately rested with Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who aligned with the view that a title change was not the right move.
“I don’t think Zayn should have won and neither did Levesque in the end,” Meltzer wrote. “Still, this was a subject of discussion as to who would win right until the day of the show since Zayn was pushing for it.”
McIntyre retained the championship, continuing his reign on the road to WrestleMania. He had won the title in a three-stages-of-hell match last month on an episode of SmackDown as Jacob Fatu attacked Rhodes while in the final stage, which was held inside a steel cage.
This led to WWE booking Fatu vs. Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event, only for that bout to go to a no-contest. This week’s Observer also covered original WrestleMania plans for Cody Rhodes and CM Punk as well as the current plans for McIntyre, which is defending the WWE Title against Rhodes. It was cautioned that WWE may add Jacob Fatu to the bout and make a triple threat bout.
