The outcome of the WWE Royal Rumble WWE Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Sami Zayn reportedly remained undecided until the very day of the show.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there was ongoing backstage debate over whether McIntyre should retain the championship or if a title change was warranted. Meltzer noted that Zayn was actively lobbying for a victory in the days leading up to the event, keeping the decision in flux longer than usual.
“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.”
Ultimately, the final call was made by Paul Triple H Levesque, who sided with the belief that keeping the championship on McIntyre was the correct move. McIntyre successfully retained the title, continuing his reign as WWE moves closer to WrestleMania.
McIntyre initially captured the WWE Championship last month on WWE SmackDown in a brutal three-stages-of-hell match. The decisive moment came during the final steel cage stage, when Jacob Fatu attacked Cody Rhodes, directly influencing the outcome.
That interference led WWE to book Jacob Fatu against Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event, though the bout ultimately ended in a no-contest. The latest Observer report also addressed both original and current WrestleMania plans involving CM Punk and Rhodes.
As things stand, WWE’s current plan has McIntyre defending the WWE Championship against Rhodes at WrestleMania. However, Meltzer cautioned that the company could still pivot by adding Fatu to the match, potentially turning it into a Triple Threat bout.
With major creative decisions still evolving, McIntyre’s title reign—and the WrestleMania picture surrounding it—appears far from settled.
