I enjoyed the in-ring aspect of the Intercontinental Championship match between Sami Zayn and Chad Gable, but I don’t think the ending was the right outcome. I personally predicted Gable would take the title here, and now, he’s lost three separate times, so where does the story go? Is he just going to continue to bully the Alpha Academy for no reason? In my eyes, he really doesn’t have a leg to stand on to be a bully, with three separate losses when it comes to the IC title. I didn’t think Zayn would look bad or anything for dropping the title here, because he can easily move on to the World Heavyweight Championship and nobody would think anything of it, especially because he’s so over anywhere he goes and belongs in the main event scene.

Advertisement

Maxxine being the one to take the brunt of the Alpha Academy involvement in this match was great, with Zayn tripping Gable and sending him into her previously injured ankle while she was standing in a boot ringside. However, I think this is where Otis should have officially turned on Gable, especially if he wasn’t winning and Zayn was keeping the title. Maxxine getting further injured should have been the catalyst for Otis to just absolutely snap and beat the heck out of Gable and leave him laying in the ring for a speechless Zayn to pin. That’s not what we got, of course, with Otis scooping up Maxxine in his arms and heading up the ramp to the back. At least he physically turned his back on Gable, I guess? I just don’t think it’s as compelling of a story anymore, since Gable is a loser (I love him and I was really liking this story, but there’s no other way to call it) just like he’s calling his students.

Advertisement

This angle will of course continue Monday on “WWE Raw,” but now, I’m just no longer as interested. Giving the championship to Gable to continue to be a bully would have added fuel to the Alpha Academy fire, but now, Gable just feels like a loser. I definitely don’t want him to continue to chase Zayn, Zayn needs to move on and find a new, more compelling challenger. While this wasn’t the worst thing on the show, by far, it was the first thing that really irked me. I love Zayn no matter what, but I really think Gable needed the championship to continue his great character work, and now, it feels like things have just hit a wall.

Written by Daisy Ruth