Sami Zayn’s return to the top of WWE has immediately created one of the biggest questions on the company’s path toward WrestleMania 43: is this a defining championship reign, or a dramatic moment that will ultimately give way to a different marquee direction?
Zayn shocked WWE when he defeated CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship on September 11, capturing a world title for the second time. The result placed one of WWE’s most enduring fan favorites in the company’s most important championship role, while also reshaping the title picture at a point when attention is beginning to turn toward WrestleMania in 2027.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross addressed Zayn’s victory during a recent edition of Grilling JR, offering a measured assessment rather than a simple endorsement or dismissal. Ross made clear that he considers Zayn an exceptional performer, but he questioned whether WWE has positioned him strongly enough to carry the Undisputed WWE Championship into the main event of the industry’s biggest annual event.
The discussion is not really about whether Zayn can perform at the championship level. His body of work has long answered that question. Instead, it concerns the specific demands placed on WWE’s top champion: broad audience recognition, a presentation that feels essential, and the ability to make a WrestleMania main event feel like the singular attraction of the weekend.
For more background on this topic, read Danhausen Reflects On Sharing WrestleMania 42 Ring With John Cena.
Ross Sees a Difference Between Great Worker and No. 1 Attraction
Ross praised Zayn’s ability between the ropes, characterizing him as both entertaining and highly skilled. Those descriptions fit the reputation Zayn has built over many years, first through his acclaimed work before joining WWE and then through a career inside WWE that has included comedy, emotional underdog storytelling, faction drama and major championship matches.
Still, Ross raised the larger issue of whether Zayn has enough mainstream or mass appeal to be the clear top figure in WWE. In Ross’ view, holding the WWE Championship carries a unique expectation. Regardless of the depth of the roster or the importance of other titles, the champion is traditionally presented as the promotion’s central athlete. That standard, Ross suggested, remains in place even as WWE’s storytelling often spreads focus across numerous stars and brands.
It is a familiar debate in wrestling: the difference between a wrestler fans deeply appreciate and a wrestler a company can rely upon to lead its largest business and creative moments. Zayn has rarely lacked audience support. The question is whether WWE has consistently framed that support as the foundation for a sustained run at the very top.
His September 11 win over Punk was undoubtedly a major statement. Beating Punk to claim the Undisputed WWE Championship immediately gives Zayn a victory that can be referenced for the rest of his career. It also gives WWE a ready-made story of perseverance. Zayn has spent much of his WWE tenure fighting from beneath, frequently operating as a challenger whose connection with the crowd is strengthened by the obstacles placed in front of him.
That identity has produced some of his greatest moments. But it also makes a title reign more complicated. An underdog is often at his most compelling while trying to reach the summit. Once he has arrived, the creative task changes. WWE must establish credible threats, give the champion meaningful victories and ensure that the character does not lose the qualities that made fans rally behind him in the first place.
Zayn’s WrestleMania Experience Offers a Useful Reference Point
Zayn is no stranger to performing in a WrestleMania headlining environment. He and Kevin Owens headlined night one of WrestleMania 39, where they challenged for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. That match was the payoff to a major chapter in the Bloodline storyline, with Zayn’s conflict with Roman Reigns becoming one of WWE’s most emotionally resonant programs in recent memory.
The WrestleMania 39 main event demonstrated that Zayn can be part of a match with enormous crowd investment and narrative weight. The bond between Zayn and Owens, along with the intensity of their battle against The Usos, made the contest feel like a genuine centerpiece. It was also evidence that audiences will follow Zayn through a long-form, character-driven story when the stakes are clear and the presentation is consistent.
At the same time, a tag team main event is not identical to carrying the Undisputed WWE Championship into WrestleMania as a singles champion. The latter role puts the champion at the center of the promotional identity of the event. It demands not only an emotional storyline but also the perception that the titleholder belongs alongside the promotion’s most protected and established attractions.
Ross’ skepticism is rooted in that distinction. The issue is not whether Zayn can deliver in a major match. His WrestleMania 39 performance offers powerful evidence that he can. The uncertainty is whether WWE will build its 2027 WrestleMania plans around him in the same way it has historically built around the most dominant champions and the most instantly recognizable top names.
WrestleMania 43 Plans Add Another Layer to the Debate
WrestleMania 43 is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2027, and a potential world title match between Roman Reigns and Oba Femi has been tentatively discussed as one of the show’s main events. That possibility alone illustrates why Zayn’s championship future is already being analyzed so closely.
Reigns has been one of WWE’s defining stars of the modern era, while Femi represents a powerful emerging presence with the kind of physical profile WWE has often elevated in championship programs. A Reigns-Femi match, if it materializes, would have an obvious large-scale feel. It would also create a situation in which Zayn’s position on the card could become a central topic even if he remains champion through much of the road to WrestleMania.
There is, of course, considerable time between Zayn’s September title win and WrestleMania 43. WWE’s plans can evolve rapidly based on crowd reactions, creative developments and the outcomes of major premium live events. The fact that a Reigns-Femi clash has been tentatively circled does not settle the Undisputed WWE Championship picture, nor does it guarantee that Zayn will or will not be champion by the time WrestleMania arrives.
What it does show is the level of competition surrounding the top of WWE. A champion does not exist in a vacuum. Zayn’s reign will be assessed against the momentum of other headline talents, the strength of his challengers and the overall direction WWE chooses for its biggest international event of the year.
The Next Chapter Will Be Defined by WWE’s Booking
Zayn’s reign now depends heavily on the choices WWE makes after the initial surprise of his title win. A shocking championship change can produce an immediate surge of excitement, but the follow-up determines whether it becomes a lasting elevation. WWE needs to establish why Zayn is champion beyond the fact that he pulled off an upset against Punk.
Strong title defenses would be an important start. So would programs that allow Zayn to show the full range of his character. He has the ability to be funny, anxious, defiant and deeply sincere, sometimes within the same story. That versatility has helped make him a favorite with viewers, but a world championship reign must also emphasize resolve and credibility. The Undisputed WWE Champion needs to feel vulnerable enough for fans to worry, while also feeling capable enough that victories are believable.
There is also an opportunity for WWE to confront the doubts surrounding Zayn directly. The idea that he is too unlikely, too unconventional or not imposing enough to lead the company is not new to his career. It has frequently been part of the reason audiences connect with him. If WWE uses those perceptions as fuel for a sustained championship narrative, Ross’ question about whether Zayn has been given a real chance to win over the wider audience could become part of the story rather than merely an outside critique.
For now, Zayn has achieved the result that every challenger seeks: he is the Undisputed WWE Champion. His victory over CM Punk has put him in the position that Ross described as WWE’s most significant individual role. Whether he keeps that place through WrestleMania 43 remains uncertain, especially with the possibility of Reigns and Femi looming elsewhere in the world title scene.
But uncertainty is also what makes Zayn’s title reign compelling. He has built his career by making audiences believe that a wrestler who is counted out can still find a way to win. WWE now has the chance to determine whether that same story can carry its most important championship all the way to its grandest stage.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.