Sami Zayn def. Seth Rollins to win Rollins’ opportunity in the Royal Rumble Match

Sami Zayn def. Seth Rollins to win Rollins’ opportunity in the Royal Rumble Match

The mantra of this year’s Royal Rumble Match is “Friend vs. Friend, Foe vs. Foe, Every Man For Himself.” That was put to the test on Raw, where Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn — two guys who, if not friends per se, certainly don’t have beef — went head-to-head over The Architect’s Royal Rumble Match opportunity. It was a stipulation arranged by Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon … and sealed, in part, by her husband.

Zayn turned in a strong performance, though he struggled to close the deal against Rollins down the stretch of the contest. Fortunately for him, the sound of Triple H’s theme song stopped The Architect in his tracks. Rollins, who has been chasing The Game since his former mentor cost him the WWE Universal Title, immediately turned his focus to the stage, and Zayn reacted quickly with a small package. The darndest thing about all this? Triple H never even showed up. And now, Rollins’ Road to WrestleMania just got that much more uncertain. Your move, Rollins.

Sami Zayn looks ahead to his massive Royal Rumble Match opportunity: WWE.com Exclusive, Jan. 23, 2017

Although the circumstances of his victory over Seth Rollins to qualify for the Royal Rumble Match on Raw weren't ideal, The Underdog from the Underground will take full advantage of this "big break" in the hopes of competing in the main event of WrestleMania.

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