Why Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn Was So Short At Fastlane

Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe were tearing it up at house shows in preparation for Fastlane and many fans in attendance reported those two stole the show. But, at Fastlane they were only given less than ten minutes and it was a lackluster match at that.

It was noted in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there were two schools of thought when booking this match. They could have either had a 15 to 17 minute barn burner and steal the show, or it could have been an absolute squash, but obviously they didn’t choose either of those options.

Instead, they didn’t make it a squash to elevate Samoa Joe because they had too much time, but they also didn’t make it a great match because the talents weren’t given enough time.

The thinking is they don’t need Sami Zayn as a top babyface right now so there probably wasn’t much attention paid to how carefully this match was booked. As long as Samoa Joe won his first pay-per-view title match, that’s most likely all that mattered. With Finn Balor and Seth Rollins on their way back to the face-side of the roster, Zayn simply isn’t being pushed much.

The brief push for Zayn was only necessary when Reigns was the only babyface singles star on the roster. However, Sami’s services are apparently no longer needed in that department.

It really is a shame for a multitude of reasons. Mostly because Sami Zayn is an amazing talent who is capable of carrying a much heavier load than what has been given to him. He has all of the tools to succeed and the ability to move people and get them behind him. WWE just isn’t giving him the proper angles he needs to make that a reality. He’ll hopefully wind up on Smackdown during this next mini-draft we’re due for later on this year so he can finally get on the “wrestling show” and stop drowning in a sea of politics on Monday night.