Sami Zayn acknowledged a member of The Bloodline, and it wasn't Roman Reigns.
At WWE Royal Rumble, Zayn turned on The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, Solo Sikoa & Paul Heyman) when he hit Reigns with a chair after "The Tribal Chief" beat Kevin Owens, and the group beat up Owens after the match. The Bloodline then ganged up on Zayn, but Jey Uso walked out on the stable. The following week on WWE SmackDown, Reigns agreed to give Zayn a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber.
On the February 10 episode of WWE SmackDown, The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) were scheduled to defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championship against Ricochet and Braun Strowman after the duo won the Tag Team Championship Contender's Tournament. Jey hadn't been seen since WWE Royal Rumble, so it seemed like Jimmy would have to defend the gold by himself. But at the last second, Jey came to the ring through the crowd and competed as scheduled. He and Jey then defeated Strowman and Ricochet in a hard-fought match to retain the titles.
The @WWEUsos' reign continues! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ysIWjponqq
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 11, 2023
After the match, Jimmy and Jey were walking backstage. Jimmy asked his brother if he was in or out of The Bloodline, and Jey admitted that he didn't know yet. He then walked away, and he eventually bumped into Zayn. The former "Honorary Uce" admitted that he put Jey in a hard spot at the Royal Rumble.
He described how he appreciated the way Jey didn't participate in the beatdown, but he didn't think Reigns would let him forget about it. Zayn then brought up his match at WWE Elimination Chamber and emphasized that Reigns' days as the champion are coming to an end. He stated that he believed Jey wanted to see Reigns get taken down, and that day was right around the corner. Sami told Jey that he didn't have to go down with the ship, and he acknowledged him. Jey briefly hesitated and noted that Sami should leave before someone saw him, but he gave Zayn a fist bump.
--!!!@SamiZayn @WWEUsos #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/GzBx1BCFH2
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 11, 2023
Jey and Sami have had a special bond in recent weeks. When Zayn first joined The Bloodline, Jey didn't trust him, and he doubted his loyalty at every turn. But Sami earned his trust, and Jey stood up for "The Honorary Uce" when The Bloodline put him on trial on the January 23 episode of WWE Raw. Jey's support convincd Reigns to give Zayn one last test at WWE Royal Rumble, which he ultimately failed.
Catch up on our coverage of WWE SmackDown here.
