WrestleMania 38 is a two-night event, but the United States and Intercontinental Championships will not be defend on either night.
Reigning US Champion Finn Balor competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal while Ricochet defended the IC Title against Angel and Humberto in a triple threat match on WWE SmackDown.
Speaking to Rick Ucchino of Bleav in Pro Wrestling, former three-time IC Champion Sami Zayn, who held the title less than a month ago, was asked about the belts not being defended at WrestleMania.
"They're titles. It's not about the respect the title gets, it's the performer that holds the title. For example, if Roman Reigns were the US Champ, don't worry, that title is getting on the show. It has happened to where the title has ended up in the hands of a performer who, it's always been a breakout title, (a performer) who is on the verge of a breakout and sometimes it goes one way and sometimes it goes the other. For example, Ricochet didn't have a ton television time going into his title. It makes sense that he got the title, which is great for him, but it's at a weird time where it's in the build to WrestleMania, so I don't think it's a disrespect to the title itself. It's just where the chips fall. That's one of the things people don't understand about being on the inside of WWE and how chaotic all of this is and how sometimes it's not about the 'the Intercontinental Title is not important, let's dismiss it,' sometimes it's just dominoes fall and you're the odd man out. It happens to almost everybody. Look at Seth Rollins, it actually turned into a storyline, which I think has been great, but the storyline almost played on a real life thing where the matches lined up this way and it was, 'Oh my God, how is Seth left out?' I don't think it's a slight on the championships, it's just circumstances. Let's all just take a breath and calm down," he said.
Zayn is competing on the WrestleMania card as he battles Johnny Knoxville in an Anything Goes match at WrestleMania Sunday.
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