With less than a week left to go before he has to defend his Intercontinental Championship against not just Chad Gable or Bronson Reed but Chad Gable and Bronson Reed in Saudi Arabia at King and Queen of the Ring, Sami Zayn decided to open Monday Night RAW with a bang, cutting a passionate promo while declaring that he isn't just fighting for the soul of WWE but that he is the soul of WWE, as he plans to prove in Jeddah this weekend.

“I think that’s as good a way to kick it off as any: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Monday Night RAW! We are five days away. Five days away from King and Queen of the Ring live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. I find myself in a Triple Threat Match versus Bronson Reed and Chad Gable for my Intercontinental Championship. And it’s funny: I was actually asked in an interview today, ‘Sami, why would you put up your Championship in a triple threat? Everybody knows the Champion has a disadvantage. You don’t even need to be pinned or submitted to lose your title.’ And I tried to explain it, and I’ll try to explain it to you guys, because I’ve got two very different issues on my hands, and I’d rather deal with them both at the same time. Cuz on the one hand, we have a very, very personal issue in the form of Chad Gable. Cuz Chad, you don’t German Suplex a man out of his wife’s arms in his hometown in front of his 78-year-old father and expect nothing to happen to you. So make no mistake, Chad, you’ve got an a** kicking coming your way,” Sami Zayn told the fans on RAW.

“And the other issue is with Bronson Reed. Very different. It’s not personal with Bronson Reed. He doesn’t care about me, he doesn’t care about my family, he doesn’t care about Chad Gable, he only cares about one thing, and that’s this right here. This is what he wants. So the way I see it, this is a pretty interesting match. It’s like a fight between the mind, the body, and the soul. The mind is Chad Gable, one of the most manipulative crafty Superstars of all time. The body is the strength, the unmatched brute force of Bronson Reed. And the soul is Sami Zayn. And if I’m putting my money down on a fight between mind, body, and soul, I am betting on soul every single time. Because of that soul, that heart, that passion, that is why I am holding this right now. That is why I was able to beat the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time at WrestleMania, and that is why, at King and Queen of the Ring this Saturday, I will walk out still the Intercontinental Champion!”

Pretty interesting stuff, right? Well, wait, it gets even better as Gable decided to insert himself into the conversation and turned what could have been a basic promo into something all the more interesting moving forward.

Chad Gable vows to steal Sami Zayn's soul in Saudi Arabia.

Marching down to the ring with his fellow Alpha Academy members, Chad Gable decided to cut a promo of his own against the Intercontinental Champion, letting Sami Zayn know that he ain't nothing without his coaching, just like the sad prospects in the Alpha Academy.

“Hold on. Sami. Did I hear you call me manipulative? Me? Manipulative? I’m manipulative? Let me ask you this, Sami. Did I manipulate you into beating Gunther at WrestleMania? No, I coached you – selflessly, I might add – into winning that Championship. That’s my problem everybody, I’ve figured it out: I’m too d**n nice! I’ve been too nice to you, and I’ve been way too nice to these three clowns standing behind me.

“Take Maxxine, for example. Miss Maxxine. Now Saturday, you should be in Saudi Arabia, competing for the Championship in the finals of the Queen of the Ring, but you’re not gonna be, are ya? Now why is that? Because you blew your opportunity! Failure! And Tozawa: Tozawa, you did exactly zero percent of the damage I asked you to do against Bronson Reed last week. Failure! Which brings me to you, Otis. Last week, last week against Sami Zayn, you proved once again, my friend, why by far and away you are the biggest disappointment on the planet.”

“All right, all right, that’s enough of that,” Sami Zayn demanded. “I think we’ve all heard just about enough out of you. You know what, actually? I got a question. I got a question. No, the question’s not for you. The question is for the Alpha Academy: How much longer are you guys gonna deal with this guy’s crap?

Clearly upset with Zayn's efforts to turn the Alpha Academy against him, Gable fired back, letting the “Underdog from the Underground” know that he isn't just coming for his title at King and Queen of the Ring: he's coming for his soul.

“Hey, Sami, you don’t talk to the Academy, I talk to my peoples. I see what you’re doing, alright? You said it yourself: I’m the brains of this operation. You’re trying to drive a wedge. Fortunately for me, they’ve already rededicated themselves to me and my journey to reestablish respect from the Alpha Academy.

Oh, and let me just say, Sami, I am sick and tired of listening you talk about your heart and your soul. It’s pathetic. In Saudi Arabia, I don’t have to pin you to win that Championship, but I’m gonna pin you. And I’m not just taking your title… I’m taking your soul.”

Whoa, that line is hard.

Will Zayn be able to overcome the odds and retain his title in Saudi Arabia, returning to America a champion ahead of a summer jampacked with PLEs all over the world? Or will Gable, or even Bronson Reed pull out the win in Saudi Arabia, ending Zayn's reign at just over a month and sending the IC Title into flux once more? Fans will have to tune in on Saturday to find out.