When Bobby Lashley returned to WWE, the last thing fans wanted was for him to be involved in a weak, comical storyline with Sami Zayn.
It's not a knock on either star, as there's only so much the talented men can do in a storyline which was never received well by the audience and was questionable from the moment it kicked off - there was just nothing there to get the fans to invest their emotions and time into it.
POOR FEUD
So, once the feud finally came to an end at Money in the Bank this past Sunday, fans were clearly happy that both men can focus their attention elsewhere and Lashley finally seems to be on the up. After squashing the former NXT Champion in Chicago, The Dominator is now looking towards Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship, but he has Roman Reigns and several other stars to get past at Extreme Rules.
For Sami Zayn, though, nobody really knows what's going to be next for him on Monday Night RAW.
One of the biggest negatives that came from this feud was the segment featuring Lashley's 'sisters,' which was basically three men dressed in drag which drew plenty of criticism online after Lashley squashed the cross-dressing men.
Some fans didn't think it was funny, while others went down the transphobic route and thought it was in poor taste. So, it came as no surprise that fans voiced their opinions towards the WWE for this and it's why they responded in a strange way by allowing Zayn to take the heat instead.
HEAT
Speaking on PW Insider Elite Audio, Mike Johnson has revealed that WWE tried to distance themselves from the questionable segment afterwards in numerous ways. They stopped referring to it on commentary - but they also decided to have Sami read an apology letter on RAW. However, it wasn't actually in good humour as it looked on the surface.
While it sounded like a comedic apology, the source has revealed that WWE management handed the apology letter down for him to read to the fans; this was a way to take the heat off of them, pass it on to Sami so they were in the clear. So, it was a genuine apology from them.
According to Ringside News, he said: "Zayn read something that I was told was pretty much a letter - pretty much dictated to him from WWE corporate so he could take the heat and they could all get out of there.”
The fact is, WWE and creative should have known the segment wasn't going to go down well with everyone, and the fact that they're on the verge of a billion-dollar deal with Fox means they're going to have more eyes on them than ever before.
It was irresponsible and clearly turned out to be a sneaky way to have Zayn face the brunt of the heat, rather than the company itself.
Still, everyone can move on now with the feud finally at an end.
What did you make of WWE handing Sami Zayn the apology letter to face the heat from fans? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.