Robert Roode WWE Storyline Status, Sami Zayn's SmackDown Christmas Ham Segment, Joaquin Wilde - 205

By Marc Middleton

- This week's WWE 205 Live episode saw WWE NXT Superstar Joaquin Wilde make his cruiserweight division debut with a win over a local enhancement talent, billed as James Tapia. This is the same name he uses on the indies. Tapia's Twitter profile at @OfficialTapia says he was trained by Ken Anderson, Shawn Daivari, Arik Cannon, and WWE Hall of Famer Molly Holly.

Above is video from the Wilde vs. Tapia match on 205 Live, and below is post-match footage of Wilde talking about making his debut and the NXT Cruiserweight Title, currently held by Angel Garza.

- Michael Cole noted on this week's WWE SmackDown commentary that Robert Roode was not there because he is out of action with an injury. This is the injury that they say Roode suffered at the hands of Roman Reigns on the November 29 SmackDown episode, which ended with Roode leaving on an ambulance. As noted, WWE announced on Tuesday of this week that Roode and Primo Colon had been suspended for 30 days due to Wellness Policy violations.

- A hot topic coming out of this week's WWE SmackDown episode was the backstage Christmas ham segment between Sami Zayn and Heavy Machinery. Sami ended up running Otis down and calling him dumb, ahead of the Heavy Machinery vs. Cesaro and WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura match that took place later on, with Cesaro and Nakamura winning. Otis revealed that he picked Sami in the backstage Secret Santa Claus game, and he presented Sami with a cooked Christmas ham, wrapped and everything. Sami called it the worst give he'd ever received and said he was insulted because he's a vegan. Cesaro and Nakamura would then appear and the segment ended with Cesaro destroying the ham on the ground.

There has been a lot of social media talk about how WWE booked Sami in the segment with the ham, being that he's a Muslim and a vegan. Islam prevents Muslims from eating pork and using pork products. Sami has not commented on the segment since the show aired. Below are a few shots from the Christmas ham segment:

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