Add as a preferred source on Google Sami Zayn’s win at WWE Night of Champions continues to be a talking point backstage in WWE, not only because of the impact of the result, but also because of how the decision was handled internally.
Zayn defeated Cody Rhodes and Gunther last Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship for the first time in his career.
According to WrestleVotes Radio, in partnership with Fightful Select, Zayn’s victory was kept under a very strict “need-to-know” system across several WWE departments.
That led to many people being caught off guard, including members of the marketing department. As of July 1, for example, the department had still not received instructions to update SummerSlam promotional materials to reflect Zayn as the current champion.
One person within the company described the situation as concerning:
“Worrisome because the lack of advance notice for a major creative change like that could make their jobs more difficult if that level of secrecy becomes the norm.”
Despite that, the backstage reaction to Zayn’s title win was described as largely positive. Zayn also received strong public support from colleagues and fans, as well as a message from John Cena, who congratulated him on the win and highlighted how difficult it is to reach the top of WWE.
The big question now is how WWE will adjust its plans for SummerSlam.