On the go-home WWE RAW, Seth Rollins was defeated by Sami Zayn thanks to a Triple H distraction, causing him to lose his spot in the Royal Rumble match
Stephanie McMahon wasn’t about to let either Seth Rollins or Sami Zayn get off easy on the Jan. 23 episode of WWE RAW from Cleveland, OH. As the go-home show for WWE Royal Rumble 2017, both Rollins and Zayn were slated to be in the Rumble match. Per Stephanie’s orders, though, only one of them would leave Quicken Loans Arena as an entrant in the Rumble.
Pitting Rollins and Zayn against one another in a singles match, the winner would retain their spot in the Rumble match. The loser, however, would be the odd man out and suffer heartbreak well before Sunday.
The action throughout their match was back-and-forth throughout. There were plenty of times where Zayn looked like he had Rollins, including after a Michinoku Drive and Sunset Flip Powerbomb on separate occasions. The same, though, can be said for Rollins who devastated Zayn with a Falcon Arrow at one point. However, Seth Rollins appeared to have it won when Zayn missed on a Helluva Kick on the apron and The Architect countered with a Pedigree on the apron. But as he rolled The Underdog from The Underground in for the pin, it was apparently time to play the game.
Triple H’s music hit and caused Rollins to become incensed and ready for an attack. By the time he realized that Triple H wasn’t coming, though, it was too late. Zayn had come to and rolled Rollins up for the three-count and the win:
Where on Earth could this be leading…
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Of course, the last time that we saw Triple H on WWE programming, he was costing Rollins the WWE Universal Championship and essentially gifting it to Kevin Owens. As such, Rollins has a bit of unfinished business. What’s more, many believe that it’s all leading to a WrestleMania 33 match between the two. And after this stunt to cost Rollins his spot in the Rumble, it’s hard to see how that isn’t the case.