WWE WrestleMania 33: 8 Stars That May Not Get the Spot They Deserve

9 of 9

WWE.com

1. Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn has been the recipient of some terrific booking lately, with pivotal pinfall victories over both Rusev and United States Champion, Chris Jericho under his belt.

It looked as though Zayn might be in line to capture the title from Y2J at Fastlane and carry it into WrestleMania – a distinction that would surely redefine his career, given that it’s been a rocky road for “The Underdog from the Underground” since the draft.

But with Seth Rollins’ injury forcing WWE to improvise, Sami Zayn seems to have taken his place as Samoa Joe’s very first pay-per-view opponent on the main roster.

That means the window for Zayn to go into WrestleMania with a huge momentum boost in his first singles championship is slowly closing, and the strong likelihood of him losing against Joe in March isn’t going to help things one bit.

Had Zayn captured the US Title at Fastlane, it could have nicely set up for a feud with Samoa Joe culminating in a huge match in April, but Seth Rollins’ unfortunate knee injury now prevents Zayn from finding an organic route to WrestleMania.

As one of the most talented athletes on Raw, with a proven track record when it comes to spectacular matches against WWE’s top stars and an unparalleled sense of underdog popularity, Sami Zayn should be near the top of the list with regards to which full-time WWE stars should make it into WrestleMania.

He’s had his ups and downs in the form of Mick Foley doubting his abilities against a behemoth like Braun Strowman, but for the most part, Zayn proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he belongs in the WWE whenever he steps through the curtain.

As a future WWE Universal Champion – perhaps with Daniel Bryan-esque booking – these are the moments that Sami Zayn can ill-afford to fly under the radar for.

The options may be slim, but it’s certainly not impossible to find a way to extend the rivalry with Samoa Joe an additional month, potentially sourcing another way to bring the United States Championship into the fray, with Samoa Joe even winning it from a recently-turned babyface Chris Jericho over the coming month.

Sami Zayn is the pinnacle of Monday Night Raw’s mid-card right now, and he needs to be given a worthy chance to shine with the lights on bright in Florida.