Sami Zayn Wanted Finish of Drew McIntyre Match at WWE Royal Rumble Changed

Reports have emerged of a major disagreement over WWE’s creative direction at the Royal Rumble, with one Superstar campaigning to have the result of a match changed right up until the start of the show.

An eventful show at the Riyadh Season Stadium saw a host of key developments, even if the venue itself appeared ‘half-empty’ to fans watching on television.

The WWE’s first Premium Live Event of 2026 was notable for featuring the end of AJ Styles’ career in the company after he lost to Gunther. Elsewhere, Liv Morgan won the women’s Royal Rumble, while Roman Reigns secured his second triumph in the men’s match.

However, it was the remaining bout on the show that caused most controversy behind the scenes.

The Result of One Royal Rumble Match was Debated Until Hours Before the Show

Sami Zayn went head-to-head with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, looking to claim his first world championship, and remain unbeaten in Saudi Arabia. In the build-up to the match, the company repeatedly mentioned Zayn’s 100% record in the country and hyped his chances of finally winning the big one.

Ultimately, though, WWE never planned to switch the title, but that seemingly didn’t stop Sami from pushing his case behind the curtain. The company saw Zayn as a ‘speed bump’ to McIntyre as the Scottish Warrior makes his way to WrestleMania 42 in April.

However, Zayn disagreed, and made a number of pitches to both the creative team and Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque to have the result changed.

Why Result of Royal Rumble Title Match was Almost Changed

According to reports from the Wrestling Observer, Zayn was fiercely of the belief he should claim a shock WWE title win over McIntyre due to his strong support in Saudi. Outside of the initial surprise reaction to the result, though, the logistics of how a Zayn win would have fit into future plans were unclear.

McIntyre had only won the WWE Championship in January, after defeating Cody Rhodes in a gruesome 3 Stages of Hell contest, where the Scotsman edged the bout 2-1. There were said to be significant concerns about how switching the title again would affect McIntyre, who had only just reclaimed WWE’s top prize for the first time in five years.

Despite having his idea rejected multiple times, Zayn apparently continued to push for the title change and the possibility of switching the gold was deliberated until just before the event got underway.

Ultimately, though, it fell to Triple H to shut down Sami’s final pitch and stick to the original plan. McIntyre went on to win the match via pinfall after just over 16 minutes.

Having never managed to win a world title, it’s easy to understand why Sami felt that a major event in Saudi Arabia represented his best chance yet of holding such a championship.

The road to WrestleMania 42 is likely to have plenty of twists and turns, but for now the Canadian will have to keep plugging away both in front of and behind the camera if he is to at last claim a maiden world championship.