According to Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn has been a catalyst for compelling storytelling through his alliance with The Bloodline.
In recent months, Zayn has gradually joined The Bloodline, which includes Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman, along with recent addition Solo Sikoa. The storyline has garnered plenty of praise, and it has turned Zayn into one of the most must-see parts of WWE TV on a weekly basis.
Speaking on WWE After The Bell, Heyman described how Zayn has been a catalyst since he joined up with The Bloodline, as he has fleshed out the personalities within the group. He noted that “The Honorary Uce” has helped differentiate The Usos more than ever before, and he has also brought out a different side of Reigns.
“Sami Zayn and The Bloodline, a perfect example of a catalyst that has now revealed multiple layers of the different personas within The Bloodline. We have defined Jey Uso, the right hand man, far more with Sami Zayn than we did before Sami Zayn. We’ve defined Jimmy Uso. The insult that Roman Reigns laid on Jey Uso when Jey was the first challenger to the title, the insult that Roman Reigns laid on him was you go through the airports and the fans come up to you and say, ‘Which Uso are you? Which twin are you? Which one are you?’ Nobody says that anymore. Everybody knows who Jey is. Everybody knows who Jimmy is. We’ve now established the difference between the Usos, and they’ve established it themselves. They’ve established it a whole hell of a lot more since Sami Zayn came into the mix.
“We have certainly now had situations where you get to see the persona emerge from Solo. You’ve seen a completely different side of ‘The Tribal Chief’. ‘The Tribal Chief’ wasn’t laughing before Sami Zayn. [He] laughed at a couple of people… [but] wasn’t laughing in the middle of a promo segment. Sami Zayn has brought out a completely different wrinkle of ‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns. My reaction to Sami Zayn and how I deal with this new influence on ‘The Tribal Chief’ when I’ve had The Tribal Chief’s ear the whole two years with a very brief exception when there was tension caused by Brock Lesnar, brings out a new dynamic in Heyman as well. So one catalyst has completely changed the dynamic within The Bloodline, the presentation of The Bloodline and the interpersonal relationships within The Bloodline, and it’s been the emergence of a star named Sami Zayn.
Heyman emphasized that Zayn and his impact on The Bloodline has allowed the group to engage in new scenarios with fresh matchups, which he called a recipe for great programming and good booking. He stated that that’s what he looks for as far as characters that get him excited.
“That’s a perfect storm for us, and new characters in different situations or even different characters that have never intermingled or interacted and putting them together and gauging that chemistry and presenting compelling, riveting scenarios that we haven’t done before that reveal the different layers to the dimensional personalities that we try to put forth, that’s fascinating television,” Heyman said. “That’s great programming, that’s good booking that leads to different scenarios in the ring that you wouldn’t have imagined just a few days, few weeks, few months before. That’s what I’m looking at. New talent in the mix with talent they haven’t mixed with before.”
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